Ostrich 1450 - 1480

Curator: Welcome. We are looking at "Ostrich," an engraving created sometime between 1450 and 1480. Its creator remains anonymous. It resides here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: You know, it’s a rather severe looking ostrich. Not at all the flighty, goofy birds I’m used to imagining. This one has a definite air of judgement. Curator: It does have a rather solemn presence, doesn’t it? Consider the time period, though. In the late medieval imagination, animals held significant symbolic weight. Often representing moral or allegorical concepts. The ostrich itself appears in bestiaries as a symbol of justice or, conversely, of foolishness because it was believed they ate anything, even iron. Editor: Justice, huh? Interesting. I’m wondering if it’s that severe expression. Maybe it’s the detail in the engraving - those feathers feel heavy, weighty even, almost metallic. Curator: The meticulous engraving adds to that gravitas. Engravings like these were not merely decorative. They served as a form of documentation. Sharing knowledge. This ostrich is almost a scientific observation, though, of course, colored by the beliefs of the time. We might be looking at something shared more widely that sought to tell viewers something about the nature of ostriches as more than just birds. Editor: So, a medieval information graphic with an existential crisis? I dig it. Seriously, though, there’s something wonderfully unsettling about this bird. It really gets under your skin in a way that a modern, glossy nature documentary never could. It’s not just looking, it’s *assessing.* Curator: And perhaps inviting us to assess ourselves in turn? That's the power of these images; how they distill broader beliefs, superstitions, and knowledge into an image that keeps carrying these meanings even centuries later. Editor: Agreed. I think I'll stick around this judgemental ostrich a bit longer. Curator: A wise decision, indeed. Let's allow it to look on us critically.