art_history_animalia, 16 days ago to random

Topping off #InternationalChameleonDay with this collection of pâte de verre glass #chameleons by Amalric Walter (French, 1870-1959) & Henri Bergé (French, 1870-1937), all c.1920:

1. paperweight H8.5cm
2. tray (vide-poche) H8.5 x L15 x P11.2 cm
3. tray (vide-poche) L25.5cm
4. pendant 60x60mm

"A chameleon-shaped tray low receptacle in yellow and orange glass paste, chameleon in shades of green with finely chiseled scales" https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/A-chameleon-shaped-tray/6E9E6476839A0CFA6547A9A0BDA9BFD9
"VIDE POCHE WITH CHAMELEON AND OLIVE BRANCH translucent glass" (chameleon sitting on edge is green with spots, tray base golden yellow) https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/VIDE-POCHE-WITH-CHAMELEON-AND-OLIVE-BRAN/2CC5270231A5D9FE
"This French pate-de-verre (glass paste) pendant...was made by Amalric Walter to designs of his friend Henri Berge at their glass studio in Nancy, Lorraine, which produced decorative glass objects for discerning clients between 1919-35. They excelled at using the complex technique of pate-de-verre casting, which they perfected while working at the Daum glassworks before WWI. They pressed layers of coloured glass granules into wax moulds before firing them the kiln. The technique offered endless colour combinations & Walter experimented with the chemicals used to colour the glass, even using uranium to achieve the bright yellow seen in this pendant. ... A distinctive characteristic was the use of naturalistic motifs which were becoming simpler as the modern Art Deco style began replacing Art Nouveau in the 1920s. Issued alongside chameleon paperweights & bowls, this pendant is an example of this stylistic transition." https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/170539

art_history_animalia, 16 days ago to random

#InternationalChameleonDay :
#Chameleon Headdress
Burkina Faso (Bobo style)
“The chameleon is abundantly represented in the art of Burkina Faso peoples (Bwa, Bobo, Lobi, Nuna). It’s considered one of the original primordial creatures created by God. They are considered magical & powerful because of their ability to change color when aroused or frightened. Its deliberate manner of walking also makes it an animal to fear.”
https://www.hamillgallery.com/BOBO/BoboChameleons/BoboChameleon02.html

art_history_animalia, 16 days ago to random

New on the blog for #InternationalChameleonDay : ANIMAL ART OF THE DAY for International Chameleon Day: Sean Kenney's Lego masterpiece https://arthistoryanimalia.com/2024/05/09/animal-art-of-the-day-for-international-chameleon-day-sean-kenneys-lego-masterpiece/

art_history_animalia, 17 days ago to random

#InternationalChameleonDay :
Ustad Mansur (Indian, d.1624, fl.1590-1624)
A #Chameleon, 1612
Brush & ink with green bodycolor on discolored paper 11.0 x 13.8 cm
RCT 912081 https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/-/collection/912081

see ALT text for notes on possible species ID...

art_history_animalia, 17 days ago to random

#InternationalChameleonDay :
Hans Christian Scherfig (Danish, 1905-1979)

1. Kameleoner [Livet i skoven], 1964
   Lithograph in colors, 59×42 cm
2. Two Chameleons, 1950
   Tempera on masonite, 25 x 44 cm
3. Chameleons III, 1950
   Tempera on masonite, 25×50 cm
   https://mutualart.com/Artist/Hans-Christian-Scherfig/E506158AACE23273

painting of two chameleons perched on branches in foliage, one blue and one green, landscape orientation
painting of three chameleons perched on branches in leafy foliage, one blue, one green, and one brown (with foliage/background behind each shifting along a gradient in similar matching tones), portrait orientation

art_history_animalia, 17 days ago to random

#InternationalChameleonDay:

1. Plate 1 in Bilder-Atlas zur wissenschaftlich-populären Naturgeschichte der Wirbelthiere, 1867
   🆔 Indian Chameleon (Chamaeleo zeylanicus)
2. "Sudanchamäleon" plate in Brehms Tierleben: Allgemeine kunde des Tierreichs, Bd.2, 1913
   🆔 African Chameleon (Chamaeleo africanus)
   via BHL:
   https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/4024187#page/23/mode/1up
   https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2982216#page/302/mode/1up

digital scan of color book plate, portrait orientation: illustration of 3 chameleons perched in foliage, one with tongue extended catching an insect, identified as African Chameleons - each with different colors/patterns (all earthtoned green/brown/tan)

art_history_animalia, 17 days ago to random

#InternationalChameleonDay :
#Chameleons by Robert Jacob Gordon (Dutch, 1743-1795), from The Gordon African Collection, 4 albums of illustrations made during his Cape Colony (South Africa) expeditions (1777-86). Now at @rijksmuseum.

1. Chamaeleo namaquensis (Namaqua Chameleon)
2. Bradypodion pumilum (Cape Dwarf Chameleon)
3. Bradypodion pumilum in three poses (Cape Dwarf Chameleon)
   drawings on paper, H 660mm × W 480mm ea.
   https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/RP-T-1914-17-99
   https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/RP-T-1914-17-101
   https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/RP-T-1914-17-100

Title: Bradypodion pumilum (Cape dwarf chameleon) Object type: drawing annotation (possibly false): ‘Caapse Cameleon. van de vaste wal. / veel op het robben eiland’ Description: A Cape pygmy chameleon that is common on Robben Island. Material: paper, ink, pencil, chalk Technique: pen / brush
Title(s): Bradypodion pumilum in three poses (Cape dwarf chameleon) Object type: drawing annotation: ‘Cameleon (links) vangende een vlieg. (rechts)’ Description: Three dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion pumilum), one of which has just caught a fly on its rolled-out tongue. Material: paper, ink, pencil, chalk Technique: pen / brush

art_history_animalia, 17 days ago to random

For #InternationalChameleonDay :
Maurits Cornelis Escher (Dutch, 1898-1972)
Stars, 1948
wood engraving on Japan paper, 32 x 26 cm
"Escher writes that [chameleons] were chosen as its inhabitants 'because they are able to cling by their legs and tails to the beams of their cage as it swirls through space.' The chameleon on the left sticks out his tongue, perhaps in commentary; H. S. M. Coxeter observes that the tongue has an unusual spiral-shaped tip."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars_(M._C._Escher)