Kop van een Oorgier (Otogyps auricularis Daud) 1763 - 1824

François Levaillant made this watercolor drawing of the head of a lappet-faced vulture, or ‘Oorgier’ as it is known in Dutch, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Levaillant was a French explorer, naturalist, and ornithologist, and his identity as such is crucial to understanding this image. Levaillant traveled extensively in Southern Africa during a period of intense European colonial expansion. His drawings contributed to scientific knowledge, but also reflect the power dynamics of the time. The vulture, rendered with meticulous detail, becomes an object of study and a symbol of the exotic ‘other’. While Levaillant may have aimed for scientific accuracy, his personal experiences and beliefs inevitably shaped his work. What does it mean to capture the likeness of a creature that has no power to represent itself? The image invites us to reflect on the historical context of scientific exploration and its relationship to race, power, and the natural world.