Eland met opgedraaid gewei before 1650

Editor: This engraving from before 1650, “Eland met opgedraaid gewei” by Antonio Tempesta, showcases a peculiar elk with twisted antlers. There's something whimsical and slightly unsettling about it, almost like a creature from a fantastical bestiary. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: It takes me back to childhood wonder – those illustrated animal encyclopedias with creatures just a little 'off.' The linework, so precise, lends a strange dignity to this… this beast. It’s Tempesta playing with the idea of the exotic, wouldn't you say? The "eland" is both real and unreal. The landscape feels familiar, yet something's askew – like a dream trying to pass as reality. What feelings rise up in you as you examine it? Editor: Definitely that sense of the familiar but wrong. I wonder if it's poking fun at scientific illustrations, almost a parody of the detailed but not-quite-accurate depictions of animals at the time. Curator: Precisely! Remember these engravings circulated as information, visual currency of the era! How reliable was any knowledge then? Think of a medieval meme, visually captivating, maybe a tad humorous, subtly hinting at knowledge's playful slipperiness. And see how the meticulous details give way to fancy? It begs the question: were they trying to educate, entertain, or both? Editor: So it's not just a pretty picture; it's also questioning the very idea of what is real and how we know it. Thanks, I am looking at it from a completely different angle now! Curator: Isn't that what art should always do? Twist your antlers a little?