The earliest European evidence of Australian mammals? There are maps from 1566 produced by Frenchman Nicolas Desliens and by Flemish explorers Gerard and Cornelis de Jode in 1578 which appear to include Australia’s northern shore, and its rough position relative to New Guinea (which was known in the 16th Century by the Portugese). We know that the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish and French had been sailing the west coast of Australia for some time on trade routes out of the Dutch colony in Batavia (Jakarta), though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when that started, possibily because such knowledge would have been protected trade secrets. The earliest European evidence of Australia? Here I’d like to explore some of the meetings between Europeans and Australiasian marsupials that preceded Cook’s visit. It is an emblem of the age of exploration at the historical threshold of the European occupation of Australia. It may not be anatomically perfect, but this is how Britain came to know the kangaroo. Stubbs’ image became the archetype for representations of kangaroos for decades – reproduced and refigured prolifically. Commissioned by legendary naturalist Joseph Banks, painted by celebrated animal artist George Stubbs, and based on findings from Captain Cook’s famous voyage, this kangaroo truly captured the country’s imagination. This painting helped begin Europe’s relationship with Australian wildlife. This is the first painting of an Australian animal in Western art. It is is centred around a painting that resulted from that voyage of Cook’s – a kangaroo by George Stubbs. Our current exhibition Strange Creatures: The Art of Unknown Animals explores how newly discovered animals are communicated to the public back home. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London The Kongouro from New Holland (Kangaroo), George Stubbs (1772).
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