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Study of Two Brazilian Tortoises Tempera and gouache on paper on panel, 30.5 x 51 cm, by Albert Eckhout, c. 1640 Mauritshuis, The Hague |
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Eckhout was one of the
artists in the entourage of Johan Maurits, the governor of Dutch
Brazil, who encouraged the exploration and study of Brazil's natural
world. Eckhout documented the people of Brazil, as well as its flora
and fauna, through drawings and paintings. In this work, he depicts
two aggressive red-footed tortoises with their distinctive shells,
confronting each other—a typical behaviour of males during mating
season. Eckhout painted them with teeth, although tortoises do not
possess them. |
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