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A lavish Thames & Hudson publication with 338 colour illustrations, many double page, of some of the finest examples of taxidermy, many staged and in curious settings and others curiosities such a cojoined twin lambs under glass domes - four ears, one mouth and eight legs. Art installations include a taxidermy barn owl with bluebottles and thistle seeds by Claire Morgan 2011. This real cabinet of curiosities is beautiful, strange and intriguing and sometimes repellent, just like the history of taxidermy itself. 20 years' experience has been brought to the creation of this beautiful book that catalogues and illustrates this resurgent artform. Now stuffed animals appear everywhere from chic apartments to luxury boutiques and museums have been dusting down their collections to put them back on display while contemporary artists have rejuvenated the practice. From its beginnings as a tool of natural history research, through crazes and anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and fake taxidermy to its rediscovery by the art, fashion and design worlds of the 21st century, this heavyweight glossy softback will not fail to astonish and amuse. There are of course the Boxing Squirrels by Edward Hart and the Cat's Whiskers with period dress and parasol, mice in a small French tableau with butler in attendance, four squirrels depicting stages of a boxing match from handshake to knockout, birds in domes, giraffes and stags in realistic attitudes, moose heads, a scarlet ibis, antlers and horns, elephant tusk lined staircase, taxidermy snakes which were confiscated on their way for sale in the USA and trophy mounts, thankfully now out of fashion. See diorama interior design as used in pubs and restaurants, luxury jewellery photoshoots, a Ted Baker store in London featuring taxidermy white rabbits in quirky attitudes and positions, and a fake preserved dragon pickled in 2003 - these images amaze the beholder. 256 large page softback, colour.
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