Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt, 1596 - 1610
brush, h 160mm × w 297mm More details
The later artist who was commissioned by Van Huerne to add settings and backgrounds to many of the drawings here drew an island in a river, namely the Nile (Nilus fluv). With this, he probably wanted to allude to the animal’s name and its natural habitat. The ancient Egyptians considered this ichneumon to be sacred since it is immune to snake poison – hence its nickname ‘pharaoh rat’.
