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Bizarre

Monsters & Madness… The Drawings of Ulisse Aldrovandi

Ulisse Aldrovandi (Bologna, 1522-1605) was an Italian scholar of natural history, and considered a pioneer of the study of modern natural history. Aldrovandi is also credited with inspiring the naturalist movement in Northern Italy and Flanders through his connection to the Court of Medici.1 But at the same time as he was documenting animals an insects with as much scientific accuracy as possible, he conjured images of mythical creatures and devious monsters. These images detailed the widely held belief in the supernatural that existed at the time he lived, paralleling scientific fact with terrifying imagination. Most of his work was published after his death in 1605. Check out a collection of his monsters from his book Monstrorum Historia, published in 1642.

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Images via Cargo Collective

1. The Origins of Geology in Italy, Issue 411, p. 61

Written By

Meghan MacRae grew up in Vancouver, Canada, but spent many years living in the remote woods. Living in the shadow of grizzly bears, cougars and the other predators of the wilderness taught her about the dark side of nature, and taught her to accept her place in nature's order as their prey. She is co-founder of CVLT Nation.

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