Striped Polecat or Zorilla (Ictonyx striatus), Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt, 1596 - 1610
brush, h 193mm × w 315mm 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 unstkammer. 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. The comically sad look of this zorilla suggests that this image was copied from a pre-existing source.
