Los mosaicos de plumas de Eger en el Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid: ornitología y fantasía

Resumo

The National Museum of Natural Sciences - Higher Council for Scientific Research (MNCN-CSIC) guards an original collection of plates made in a format close to naturalistic and scientific illustration, with ornithological depictions, sometimes not without fantasy. Made on laid paper, they present the particularity of having been produced with a mixed technique that combines ink drawing and the inclusion of real feathers attached to the paper. These unique mosaics reflect both folklore, crafts and artistic trends, as well as the spirit of curiosity for nature and knowledge in the Enlightenment. Produced in all probability, between the 18th and 19th centuries, in ancient Cheb (Eger in German), they represent ornithological species, as well as inspirations product of the imagination and artistic licenses of their creators, oriented to the needs of the market and provided with an orientalist aesthetic in fashion in Europe at the time. This article focuses on presenting the collection and its theme, as well as clarifying the origin and particular technique of execution of a style of current discreet diffusion that was, nevertheless, highly demanded and commercially distributed internationally although obtained, basically, as a travel souvenir.