Go Back   Wildlife and Environment Forums > World Wildlife > Insects and Invertebrates
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

» Welcome to the Wildlife and Environment Forums
Wild About the World is a worldwide community covering everything from birds, insects, mammals and plants to travel, photography, climate change and conservation. Click here for your free login name and password.

We've just had a big redesign, clearout and added lots of new features so you can now upload photos and submit a link to your own wildlife and environment website.
» Log in
User Name Not a member yet?
Register Now!
Password
Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 12-12-2006, 01:40 PM
paul m's Avatar
Really Wild Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sheffield, UK
Posts: 1,342
Invertebrates in art and history

Birds, mammals and plants are commonly seen in painting, sculptures, heraldry &c but seldom insects or other invertebrates. In fact, the only one I can remember is this carving on a mediaeval building in Arles, southern France:
I presume the insect is a cicada although it does look a bit like a bristletail - any other offers?
http://www.wildabouttheworld.com/gal....php/photo/442

Last edited by paul m : 12-12-2006 at 05:10 PM. Reason: corrected link
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 19-08-2007, 11:55 AM
paul m's Avatar
Really Wild Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sheffield, UK
Posts: 1,342
Big spider sculpture

"Mamam" by Louise Bourgeois

Category:Spider by Louise Bourgeois - Wikimedia Commons
__________________
"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."
Napoleon Bonaparte
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 20-08-2007, 10:05 AM
stirling's Avatar
Wild Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 106
Think the egyptians had a few paul,not sure though.
best from mike.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 28-08-2007, 07:45 AM
paul m's Avatar
Really Wild Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sheffield, UK
Posts: 1,342
Quote:
Originally Posted by stirling View Post
Think the egyptians had a few paul,not sure though.
best from mike.
How could I forget them, Mike?

Egyptian Scarab Beetle - Representing the God Khepri - Heart Scarab
__________________
"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."
Napoleon Bonaparte
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 28-08-2007, 01:36 PM
stirling's Avatar
Wild Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 106
Interesting little site paul,thanks.
Best from mike.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 28-08-2007, 06:32 PM
goosey's Avatar
Really Wild Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: North Holland
Posts: 1,029
I remeber seeing the Antiques Road show a few years back when one of the experts was Showing off the carved cornicing of the Stately Home the show was coming from. This cornicing had lots of flora, forna and wildlife carved into it including incects - I clearly remember a dragonfly and beetles were represented. I dont suppose this really counts as insects are not the priciple subject. Shame I can't rember which stately home it was though.

The Chinese use to carve small, very intricately insects from ivory, crickets and beetles. They may have been more of a good luck symbol than a work of art although they were wokd of art themselves.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 07-01-2008, 10:26 PM
frostfire's Avatar
Wild Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 120
I know that the Ancient Greeks portrayed insects on their coins. Bees (symbol for the godess Artemis), beetles, butterflies, grasshoppers and probally other species have been found depicted on their coins. Also Roman coins have been found with engravings of insects.
Not only are there insects to be found on Greek coins but also on sculptures; the sculptors Myrmecide, Callicrates and Phidias thought it was a challenge to sculpt the tiny creatures!

And I think that the Japanese have insects in their family shields.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 08-01-2008, 10:11 AM
black's Avatar
Wild Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Liverpool for my sins
Posts: 662
Dr. Charles Hogue has written a very interesting article on Cultural Entomology which you might want to check out

Cultural Entomology by Dr Charles Hogue, Cultural Entomology Digest 1
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old 08-01-2008, 10:11 AM
paul m's Avatar
Really Wild Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sheffield, UK
Posts: 1,342
Thanks, yes. Since starting this thread I've actually come upon a book about insects in Greek art - certainly there are some interesting things there!

Another surprising find was this screen in the Saxon church at Earls Barton (I don't suppose the painting was Anglo-Saxon). Clearly someone liked butterflies:

Quote:
Originally Posted by frostfire View Post
I know that the Ancient Greeks portrayed insects on their coins. Bees (symbol for the godess Artemis), beetles, butterflies, grasshoppers and probally other species have been found depicted on their coins. Also Roman coins have been found with engravings of insects.
Not only are there insects to be found on Greek coins but also on sculptures; the sculptors Myrmecide, Callicrates and Phidias thought it was a challenge to sculpt the tiny creatures!

And I think that the Japanese have insects in their family shields.
__________________
"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."
Napoleon Bonaparte
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


» Online Users: 370
3 members and 367 guests
envivatty, Pudding4brains, topbonuscasin
Most users ever online was 711, 18-02-2008 at 08:11 PM.
» New Wildlife Threads
Go to first new post Wildlife in Art
Last post by paul m
Yesterday 07:47 PM
25 Replies, 911 Views
Go to first new post Scale insects
Last post by paul m
Yesterday 07:22 PM
5 Replies, 242 Views
Go to first new post Another larva ID needed...
Last post by paul m
Yesterday 07:15 PM
1 Replies, 22 Views
Go to first new post Ground Beetle
Last post by paul m
Yesterday 04:25 PM
3 Replies, 85 Views
Go to first new post ID for Beetle, please.
Last post by paul m
Yesterday 11:51 AM
1 Replies, 22 Views
Go to first new post Garden flowers for ID...
Last post by goosey
Yesterday 11:00 AM
4 Replies, 27 Views
Go to first new post Id please......ladybird...
Last post by Pudding4brains
14-05-2008 08:37 PM
7 Replies, 166 Views
Go to first new post ID please - larvae in...
Last post by Pudding4brains
14-05-2008 02:14 PM
1 Replies, 44 Views
» New Community Threads
Go to first new post Acccording to your choice
Last post by KrisK
14-05-2008 03:42 PM
1 Replies, 36 Views
Go to first new post Hi to all
Last post by mtngoat
13-05-2008 02:14 AM
5 Replies, 102 Views
Go to first new post Gooseys first thousand
Last post by goosey
10-05-2008 09:56 PM
9 Replies, 123 Views
Photo collages
Last post by Pudding4brains
29-04-2008 05:23 PM
3 Replies, 127 Views
Bigma vs Nikon
Last post by animal_instincts
23-04-2008 11:42 AM
3 Replies, 401 Views
» Stats
Members: 8,554
Threads: 597
Posts: 2,879
Top Poster: paul m (1,342)
Welcome to our newest member, envivatty

All times are GMT. The time now is 04:24 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
SEO by vBSEO 3.1.0 ©2007, Crawlability, Inc.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25