Album Sheet with Two Armadillos c. 1550 - 1570

Lambert Lombard created this album sheet with two armadillos in pen, ink, and watercolor. Lombard lived at a time when the “New World” and its inhabitants, animal and human, were being discovered and subsequently exploited. The armadillos, rendered in careful detail, embody a complex interplay of curiosity, scientific inquiry, and colonial power. What does it mean to categorize and document a living being? How is the perception of the animal informed by the cultural and political narratives of the time? The armadillos become stand-ins for all the wonders and horrors colonialism wrought. The violence of taxonomy, of naming, ordering, and thus mastering the natural world. Consider the emotional life of the animals on display. Lombard’s armadillos evoke a sense of wonder and perhaps, a touch of melancholy as they are taken from their homes and displayed as curiosities. This image compels us to reflect on the intricate relationship between humans and the natural world. It invites us to think about the politics of representation and the ethics of looking.