Taxidermy & Natural History
Taxidermy, the art of preparing, stuffing and mounting the skins of animals for display, has been practiced on many vertebrate species, including mammals, fish, reptiles, birds and amphibians for a long time.
The early taxidermy pioneers date back to the 18th century, although the golden age of animal conservation was largely during the Victorian era, in part a result of increasing interest in the natural world and travel further afield.
Taxidermy penguin from Scott’s doomed Antarctica expedition attracts attention at Sworders
11 March 2020A taxidermy Adélie penguin collected by scientists during the Terra Nova Antarctic Expedition from 1910-1913 drew strong interest at an auction in Essex this week.
Treasures of the natural world (but in skeletal or stuffed form…)
02 December 2019Extinct for 65 million years, dinosaurs continue to rule the world of children visiting the National History Museum, of multi-million dollar movie makers – and of bidders at the Evolution Sales at Summers Place Auctions (25% buyer’s premium).
Fur flies in taxidermy oddity
24 June 2019‘Boxing Badgers’ is one of just two known occasions when the celebrated taxidermist Peter Spicer (1839-1935) ventured into the strange world of the anthropomorphic tableau.
Pick of the week: Heavyweight bid as Aztec mosaic made of feathers sells to Paris museum
03 June 2019A remarkable example of 16th century cross-culture art – a feather ‘mosaic’ picture made in Mexico for Christian conquerors – has been purchased at auction by the Musée du Quai Branly.
Dodo skeleton pieced together by 19th century naturalist features among specimens of extinction at Christie’s auction
29 April 2019A near-complete dodo skeleton found and assembled in the 19th century features in Christie’s Science and Natural History sale next month.
We’re back: Skeleton of rediscovered dinosaur species exhibited in Heathrow Airport before going up for auction in France
08 April 2019A 155m-year-old one-of-a-kind diplodocus skeleton has been moved from the shale beds of Wyoming to Heathrow Terminal Five, a stopover on its way to auction in France.
Fairs form a natural approach to source stock
18 February 2019Two owners of antiques and vintage businesses who buy extensively from fairs and markets in the UK are showcased here.
No, it isn’t a huge carrot…
18 February 2019It’s not every day you see an auctioneer holding a 5ft 6in (1.67m) long sperm whale penis. Then again, it’s not every day that you see the sort of lots that are offered in Sworders’ Out of the Ordinary auction.
Auctioneers offer golden oldies
10 December 2018Illustrated here are some of the oldest lots ever auctioned – three in the Evolution Sale at on November 20 at Summers Place Auctions (25/20% buyer’s premium) of Billingshurst, West Sussex, and the other from Fonsie Mealy (23% buyer’s premium inc VAT) of Castlecomer, Ireland, in a sale held on the same day.
Getting stuffed is a good move for auctioneers
15 October 2018Taxidermy, having emerged in a few years from a dusty, rather unseemly subject to a rostrum hot topic, continues to flourish across the country.
Bird brains: saleroom sells large African taxidermy dioramas
13 August 2018As both a collecting and a decorating sphere, taxidermy is one of the major growth areas over the past decade.
Skeleton of new species of dinosaur brings 30-minute bidding battle
09 June 2018Three bidders – one French, one Japanese and one Swedish – did battle for half an hour in the chase to acquire the skeleton of a new species of carnivorous dinosaur at a Paris auction this month.
Poor passenger pigeon finds a new nest
02 April 2018With species extermination very much in the news following the death of the world’s last male northern white rhino, there was added poignancy to a cased and stuff bird offered at Summers Place Auctions (25% buyer’s premium).
A mermaid at auction? Half mammal-half fish creation in demand at Sworders’ Out of the Ordinary sale
19 February 2018This late 19th century ‘natural history’ specimen purports to be the mummified body of a creature that was half mammal and half fish.
Taxidermy is hot stuff in Shropshire
05 February 2018Henry Shaw (1812-87) is a well-known name in the world of antique taxidermy.
Hey bulldog: Saatchi buy has less sale bite
08 January 2018Renowned as he is for promoting – indeed, creating – markets in art, advertising mogul Charles Saatchi appears to have over-estimated the taxidermy market when bidding at the sale of the Will Fisher Collection at Christie’s South Kensington in February 2012.
Mammoth skeleton bid to €430,000 at auction in France
22 December 2017A rare complete mammoth skeleton from Siberia dating from the late Pleistocene era sold for a hammer price of €430,000 (£380,530) in a sale held by Aguttes in Lyons.
Narwhal’s twisted appeal
02 October 2017Narwhal tusks, once sold for colossal sums to Elizabethan gentleman as unicorn horns, continue to be in demand as sculptural natural history objects of contemplation.
A Spicer terrier with a tale
02 October 2017Early to spot the rise of interest in taxidermy, Tennants’ (18.5% buyer’s premium) latest Natural History sale on September 20 was led by a top-quality diorama with a back story adding to its appeal.
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