Did you know there were more than a dozen taxidermists showing
at the Great Exhibition in 1851, the year when 75,000 visitors paid
to see John Gould's exhibition of stuffed hummingbirds at Regent's
Park Zoo?
By the late Victorian era virtually every large village in the
UK had a resident 'professional' taxidermist and almost every home
a stuffed bird or mammal of some description. And interest in the
natural world, the advent of foreign travel and the lure of big
game hunting before the era of animal conservation ensured the
industry thrived into the 1930s.
By the 1970s of course, taxidermy had entered its fashionable
nadir, and most of the commercial companies had ceased trading
completely, but it was not forever. In the past two decades, there
has been an undoubted resurgence of interest in mounted specimens
from the animal kingdom as serious antiques, and taxidermy is among
the most searched-for items on the-saleroom.com
Collectors of antique specimens prefer named cases by the best
makers. It is not an exhaustive list but the best examples of
antique taxidermy often carry the labels of Henry and Rowland Ward
of Piccadilly, James Hutchings of Aberystwyth, James Gardner of
London, Thomas Gunn of Norwich, A.S Hutchinson of Derby, Jefferies
& Sons of Carmarthen, Murray of Carnforth, H.T. Shopland of
Torquay and Peter Spicer of Leamington Spa.
There are equally respected European firms, while Van Ingen
& Van Ingen of Mysore were renowned for their big game mounts
(particularly tiger skins). Most taxidermists have a distinct style
in case production: those by James Gardner for example are
distinctive for their brightly coloured gouache or watercolour
backgrounds, Peter Spicer for exceptional cabinetmaking.
A word of warning. Some of these firms produced taxidermy cases
on an industrial scale (a factory production line was not uncommon)
and all were capable of mediocrity as well as excellence. The
allure of a maker's name has also led to forgeries. It is not
unusual for a routine example of Victorian taxidermy to be
'rehoused' in an empty case with a trade label or for the ivorine
label of Rowland Ward to appear on a previously anonymous big game
head. It is important to seek expert advice when purchasing higher
value taxidermy by famous Victorian makers.
Above: Peregrine falcon by
Peter Spicer & Sons of Leamington Spa, c. 1920, in an ebonised
glazed case with original label on the reverse - £1300, Tennants,
Leyburn, July 2008.
Collectors of antique taxidermy are as discerning as any others.
There is no market for the moth-eaten red fox mounted by an
anonymous Edwardian amateur. The key components of a desirable
'mount' are condition, maker, case, species and subject.
Condition is key. 'Mothed' is the collector's term for insect
attack that has caused irreparable damage. Ideally taxidermy should
be kept at an ambient temperature, out of direct sunlight and
subject to pest control. Sadly that is not always the case and the
high cost of professional restoration (often significantly more
than the item's commercial value) dictates that only a small
percentage of antique specimens are worthy of preservation. It is
always preferential to have the case sealed and in its original
condition.
For many years the acceptable face of taxidermy collecting was
cased fish - gentleman's trophies of the ones that didn't get away.
A number of firms undertook fish taxidermy (including Rowland Ward
and Peter Spicer) but the finest and most prolific exponent of the
craft was John Cooper & Sons of London.
Many have survived (mounted fish suffer less from insect attack)
so there is a definite collecting hierarchy. The cases that are
most sought after these days are bow-fronted (they show the
specimen off in the best possible way and give a greater impression
of water in the case). It is always desirable to have an
inscription in gold leaf denoting the species, the weight and the
date and place of capture - and particularly if the specimen
happens to be a record-breaker or an unusual catch. Pike, trout,
bream, tench, roach, rudd and perch are the most common but Arctic
char, bleak and salmon are scarce and command a premium.
Even a deluxe firm such as Peter Spicer produced in large
numbers mounts of then common species (fox, hare and otter masks
and the like) over the years. The more exotic or impressive the
species the more interest it is likely to generate. At the extreme
end are specimens such as the now extinct thylacine or Tasmanian
wolf cased by Murray of Carnforth that resides in the Kendal
Museum, Cumbria or more than 80 surviving examples of the great auk
(last sighted in 1844).
Most collectors prefer cased birds and mammals that show the
subject matter as close to how it existed in the wild. A curious
but avidly-collected niche of the Victorian taxidermy output are
the anthropomorphic 'tableaux' depicting groups of animals taking
part in human activities. Squirrels in classroom settings, kittens
at weddings and frogs fighting duels, are undoubtedly macabre but
appeal to a dark sense of humour and must be judged in the context
of the era in which they were created.
Walter Potter (1835-1918) was the leading exponent of this kind
of taxidermy. His Victorian museum in the village of Bramber in
West Sussex was a famous tourist attraction for many years. Its
contents (including the celebrated tableaux The Death and Burial of
Cock Robin) later moved to the Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor before
they were finally sold by Bonhams in September 2003. That this
landmark sale included four-figure sums for preserved specimens of
animal 'freaks' underlines that these too have a market -
particularly in the USA.
Old taxidermy doesn't escape the laws governing the sale of
"parts and derivatives" of endangered species. Most taxidermy does
enjoy an exemption from the controls under the "worked item"
derogation and can usually be restored (or rehoused in a new case)
without affecting its antique status. Providing the repair is done
without the use of another CITES species, this comes under
permissible maintenance (see Essential Info).
However, certain UK species (some reptiles and butterflies) will
still require an individual CITES licence regardless of when they
were mounted, while the eggs of native European birds are also
protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and may not
be sold. Likewise any international trade in antique specimens
(trade outside of the EU) will require export and import licences
if listed as a CITES species regardless of when it was
mounted.
Taxidermy is no longer the preserve of a small group of
dedicated enthusiasts or the anglers who have long admired the
skills of John Cooper. The fashion for the exotic has fuelled
demand from interior decorators, while the recognition that the
best taxidermy combines excellent technique with artistic flair and
good cabinetmaking skills has brought nto the fold of the
mainstream antiques trade. The resurgence of interest in taxidermy
has seen the advent of specialist sales (with related natural
history specimens) at Tennants of Leyburn and a healthy section at
Bonhams' Gentleman's Library sales but good individual specimens
and occasionally single-owner collections can appear for sale
anywhere.
In recent times the market has been dominated by the huge prices
paid by Far Eastern bidders for rhinoceros horn. Changes to
legislation have curbed the sale of mounted horns in the UK
although complete rhino heads are still permissible.
The highest prices tend to be paid for the 'big beasts'. A 10ft
2in (3.1m) long tiger skin in exceptional condition sold for
£14,500 at Christie's South Kensington in September 2009. There is
also heavy demand for the most sophisticated displays such as the
elaborate carved walnut cabinet of exotic birds marked for Henry
Ward sold to a North American collector for £8000 at Clevedon
Auctions of Bristol in November 2011. This substantial sum came
after a year when prices for more typical mounts (including Cooper
fish) had, by and large, been falling.
A History of Taxidermy: Art, Science and Bad Taste by
Pat Morris. ISBN 0956487319
Walter Potter and his Museum of Curious Taxidermy by
Pat Morris. ISBN-10: 095455969X
Van Ingen and Van Ingen: Artists in Taxidermy by Pat
Morris. ISBN 10: 0954559630
Follow us on:
