Taxidermy - what is it? Making stuffed animals

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

Taxidermy - what is it? You have probably seen stuffed birds, fish, animals in the office of a hunter or fisherman. But most often they can be seen in the walls of museums. For the first time on the territory of the Russian Empire, stuffed animals appeared in the Kunstkamera on the orders of Peter I. Somewhat later, they began to study the manufacture of stuffed animals and try to reproduce the works of foreign masters. The first taxidermy manual was translated and published.

Taxidermy - what is it?

Let's figure out what this word means. Taxidermy is a scientific discipline that studies the production of stuffed animals, the process itself is also called.

Author's taxidermy is a rather rare hobby. It requires significant financial costs, as well as the availability of special knowledge and skills.

Taxidermy - what is it, if not the opportunity to save hunting and fishing trophies for yourself and your descendants? Stuffed animals can not only decorate the interior of the house, but also become an indispensable element of the decor of the themed restaurant.

History

Surprisingly,taxidermy appeared in ancient times. The first skin processing skills were mastered in primitive times. Sorcerers and shamans used animal heads, paws, and tails in their rituals.

The ancient Egyptians achieved great success in taxidermy. Following the owner to the afterlife, his pets were supposed to follow, so you can find their stuffed animals in the tomb.

The history of taxidermy in its modern form dates back to the 16th century. It was at this time that the oldest stuffed rhinoceros to date was made. There was no trophy culture in Russia, and the first stuffed animals were brought from Europe by order of Peter I in 1698. This marked the beginning of domestic taxidermy.

In the 19th century, thanks to the development of science, taxidermists had at their disposal new materials. This allowed us to raise the quality of stuffed animals to a new level.

Taxidermy as an art

Taxidermy - what is it: craft or art? The work of a taxidermist cannot be put on stream. Making each stuffed animal requires an individual approach and a lot of work. The best work can be seen in museums, special exhibitions and taxidermist competitions.

A real artist doesn't just put an animal skin on a frame. He creates a plot, endows the animal with character, repeats its natural plasticity. The specialist studies the habits of the animal, because it is important not only to accurately depict the appearance, but also to recreate its dynamics and energy.

A good taxidermist not only knows anatomy very wellanimal, but also carefully considers the composition. Planning can take more than one day. The work of a taxidermist requires great perseverance, care and accuracy.

Animals have almost no facial muscles, so their character cannot be simply conveyed by expression on the face. To make the beast angry, aggressive is quite simple - you need to bare your teeth. But to depict an animal as playful, alert, calm, you need to subtly feel the dynamics of the body, have the talent of a sculptor.

How to become a taxidermist?

Many believe that almost any hunter can make a stuffed animal out of his prey. But this is an erroneous opinion. In order to become a taxidermist, you need to acquire specific knowledge and skills.

To make a good quality scarecrow, you need to study for more than one year. And the crafts of an amateur are easy to distinguish from the work of a real master. The items made at a low level resemble moth-eaten skins, and the expression of the muzzle of such stuffed animals can be quite comical. If you look at the quality work done, it seems that the animal is about to come to life.

Taxidermy, which began its development as a craft, today is one of the areas of art that does not lose its fans. To become a taxidermist you need:

- be neat and diligent;

- have knowledge in anatomy, zoology, know the habits of animals well;

- know chemistry;

- have the talent of a sculptor, without this you cannot convey the grace of a wild animal;

- have the talent of an artist, drawing will help to think over the composition.

As you can see, taxidermist's craft is difficult to master, and such specialists are quite rare.

Who orders stuffed animals?

Who is the client of the taxidermy studio today? The production of stuffed animals is most often made to order. The circle of consumers of this rare product is very narrow, but rich. First of all, stuffed animals are valued in hunting clubs. They are often bought as a gift to hunters. Such a trophy can become a kind of talisman that brings good luck.

Interior designers are also frequent buyers of taxidermists' work. Stuffed animals surrounded by old guns, paintings with hunting scenes create a unique atmosphere in a country house, and a hall with a fireplace is hard to imagine without a skin lying on the floor.

You can see scarecrows in restaurants, bars, cafes. Often they name the establishment.

But the tradition of ordering a stuffed animal of a deceased pet has not taken root with us. Such orders are extremely rare, and many masters are reluctant to work with cats and dogs.

The most popular trophies are wild boar, roe deer, deer, duck, pheasant, capercaillie, owl, pike, zander, perch.

How is a stuffed animal made?

A modern taxidermy studio is like a sculptor's workshop. First, the taxidermist thinks over the exposure, the pose of the animal. Makes sketches and sculpts small figures from plasticine. In the likeness of the most successful model, full-sizefoam plastic mannequins. Taxidermy received a new impetus to development precisely with the beginning of the use of such a technique. Today, no one stuffs stuffed animals with cotton wool and sawdust.

The skin is prepared in a special workshop, put on a mannequin, dyed and installed on a pedestal. Eyes used to be carved from plexiglass, but today more and more ready-made ones are bought. In special catalogs, you can choose accessories of any size and color.

The workshop also receives orders for the restoration of old stuffed animals from museum expositions. An exhibit made in accordance with all the rules can be stored with proper care for up to 200 years.