Weedy Seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus
Image: Ludwig Becker
Source: Museum Victoria
The Sea Creatures: Natural History Illustrations from Colonial Australia calendar has just been released by dm press, in association with Museum Victoria.
This exquisite calendar brings together some of Victoria’s most beautiful and bizarre marine species. While the Southern Rock Lobster and Australian Giant Cuttlefish are quite familiar, the otherworldliness of the Sea Pen and Tasseled Anglerfish hint at the extraordinary diversity of marine life along Australia’s southern coastline.
Inspiration for the calendar came from the rediscovery of a large collection of natural history illustrations that had languished in the Museum’s archives for more than a century. Originally created by a succession of artists, under the guidance of museum director Frederick McCoy, the collection exemplifies the marriage of science and art in the 19th century.
A selection of the finest images from the collection is showcased, as fresh and vibrant as the day they were first produced. These include works by Ludwig Becker (who later perished on the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition), Arthur Bartholomew (McCoy’s talented but under-recognised assistant) and John James Wild (artist and secretary on the Challenger oceanographic expedition).
The original artwork is on display in the Discovery Centre (formerly InfoZone) at Melbourne Museum, and images of several creatures can be viewed in the gallery at right.
Sea Creatures: Natural History Illustrations from Colonial Australia is available at the Melbourne Museum Shop in Carlton Gardens for $19.95 and through quality booksellers in Australasia.