Skelet van een onbekend zoogdier 1625 - 1626

This is Andries Stock’s "Skeleton of an Unknown Mammal," an engraving with a network of fine lines that articulate bone, muscle, and sinew. The stark contrast of light and shadow creates a dramatic effect, heightening the underlying tension between the living and the skeletal. The composition adheres to a horizontal format, typical of early scientific illustrations. The skeletal form echoes classical sculpture, yet its identity remains ambiguous, challenging our human-centric view of nature. Here, Stock destabilizes established taxonomies. The unknown mammal becomes a sign, a cipher of something beyond our understanding. This calls to mind structuralist theories where meaning is derived not from the object itself but from its position within a larger system. It also plays with ideas around the limits of human knowledge, and the boundaries of what we can definitively categorize and name. Ultimately, Stock's engraving invites us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world, acknowledging the limits of our cognitive structures.