South American coati (Nasua nasua), Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt, 1596 - 1610
brush, h 166mm × w 297mm More details
De Boodt could study many live animals from far-flung places in Rudolf II’s menagerie, as well as numerous stuffed creatures in his Kunstkammer. Even so, many drawings in De Boodt’s albums were not made from direct observation of nature but were ‘borrowed’ from illustrations by other artists. It is not always easy to tell the difference, but the fact that this coati is wearing a collar suggests it was drawn from a live specimen.
