{"id":22812,"title":"Temminck's Tragopan. A Day at The Museum","description":"My latest drawing and gentle reference subject is the spectacular Temminck\u2019s Tragopan. Early in October I went to the Natural History Museum in London where I saw a cabinet of 38 pheasants and their close relations.","content":"

\"pqpmfifqx7qmjqlwnhhp9gaw75homtjwhbtcgb1ghbhipw9r.jpg\"My latest drawing and gentle reference subject is the spectacular Temminck\u2019s Tragopan (Tragopan temminckii<\/em>). Early in October 2023 I went to the Natural History Museum<\/u><\/a> in London where I saw a cabinet of 38 pheasants and their close relations. This (relatively) new display is part of the reinvigorated Hintze Hall and was overseen by bird curator Hein Van Grouw. I love taxidermy, despite it\u2019s rather questionable reputation, though it does still have scientific value, according to Van Grouw in this<\/u><\/a> article on the NHM website, quoted below.<\/p>

\u2018For a lot of people it feels old-fashioned, but taxidermy is a vital tool that allows us to teach about the huge range of life on Earth. Good taxidermists can display animals in anatomically correct positions, so that they come to life before your eyes. We haven\u2019t found a better way to do that yet, even with all the technology available to us. Having the real thing in front of you will always make more of an impact than a plastic model, digital reconstruction or photo.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\"z2k8qbmpmifpixtajesw2sle1uva2qemtljhfmcawgfh4hhv.jpg\"Above, Temmink\u2019s Tragopan alongside it\u2019s cousins in the Natural History Museum<\/em><\/p>

I personally think it\u2019s a brilliant way to understand the scale of a bird especially when one is about to draw it, and contemporary taxidermists are now much more eco-friendly, they mount found birds or those that have died of natural causes, rather than shooting them for their work. I follow Elle Kaye<\/u><\/a> on Instagram, they only use birds that die of natural causes, check them out, their work is amazing.<\/p>

\"oxeibppe16ebp60lzcpvkpdsylpkajrqotzffho3iwqzt1mi.jpg\"Above, Temmink\u2019s Tragopan (Tragopan temminckii<\/em>)<\/p>

I\u2019d explored the display at the Natural History Museum before and had been amazed at the many birds I hadn\u2019t appreciated, many of them have spectacular plumage and are ripe for gentle referencing, so I returned to select my next subject. Perched high up amongst the display was the Temmink\u2019s Tragopan. I couldn\u2019t believe that I\u2019d never really seen <\/em>this bird before and fell in love with it\u2019s vibrant wattle. After wandering around the museum for the morning, I went for lunch and sat pondering how I would recreate the wattle for my next look. After I discovered that the wattle inflates (!) when the tragopan is in courtship mode, I considered painting a large deflated balloon, though this material didn\u2019t feel particularly eco-friendly. I thought about quilting and tufting and this was the direction I planned on. After several failed attempts at hand tufting I settled on what I thought would be easier'; embroidery. \u00a0<\/p>

\"xrnspyrjn9pbvvzg8athtyfgblv0inhxxzpzbzdljva42fzq.jpg\"Above, the project in progress<\/em><\/p>

I purchased a canvas frame and re-stretched it with a monks cloth (initially bought for tufting) and with wool purchased from my new favourite haberdashery Macculloch & Wallis <\/u><\/a>on Poland Street, went about sketching out the pattern. I then embarked on my mission, I assumed this would take a day or two, hilariously I was still working on it weeks later, callouses built up on the tips of my fingers, and still remain as I type.<\/p>

\"0ga8adcjteya9gqiy82ofmvaouyzjglgogtwkhg5wuojmmuj.jpg\"Above, the final object<\/em><\/p>

I could not be happier with the result, unintentionally the shape is slightly convex and nestles rather pleasingly on my chest, resembling a rather extravagant bib. By comparison the \u2018horns\u2019 (that also inflate - on the bird!) were relatively easy and took a morning, though I did make them a little long initially and had to shorten them digitally for the final image. These objects now hang amongst the many artefacts of my gentle references that are amassing in my bedroom cum studio. For the first time ever, these clothes are not mine, I borrowed this perfect little jacket and the terracotta trousers from my cousin Ian<\/u><\/a>, a fellow artist, he also has excellent taste in clothing, I\u2019d had my \u2018gentle referencing\u2019 eye on his jacket for a while, thinking that it would work for a \u2018pheasanty\u2019 sort of bird. Thanks Ian!\u00a0With my blue eye make-up, including a dusting of turquoise eye shadow on my ear, my gentle reference was complete. This is perhaps one of my favourites yet, though I do always think that when it\u2019s freshly baked.<\/p>

\"a234hy4xaons5prsuwjd1yxscuzpl8140v6klctsl2t8yiz1.jpg\"So to the bird, I went about discovering as much as I could, despite it\u2019s spectacular appearance and unusual courtship devices this bird does not seem to have the following of other beloved birds. This little tragopan has no where near the presence of some other striking fellows, such as the hummingbirds, the birds of paradise or it\u2019s close relation the peacock. Initially I thought\u00a0 my lack of knowledge was my oversight, though when I began sharing clues to the gentle reference on my socials, I was surprised that the general public didn\u2019t immediately recognise the bird either, especially as my embroidery piece so closely resembles the wattle in colour and shape.<\/p>

\"ckyllsm5948ttp7kgaotcxjvmfx8osvcbkdt3c8irqykxvip.jpg\"Above, the drawing, in pencil and pen, before it is scanned in and coloured on Photoshop.<\/em><\/p>

A particularly astute follower did recognise the bird I was gently referencing and pointed me in the direction of a 2008 documentary series made by the BBC called \u2018Wild China<\/strong>\u2019. In an episode called \u2018Shangri-La\u2019 the program makers used the Temminck\u2019s Tragopan to evoke a sense of a mystery in this forest of China. The Temminck\u2019s Tragopan is native to the mountains of far northeast India, central China, far northern Myanmar and northwestern Tonkin. The bird is apparently rare, though is considered to not be threatened, for now.<\/p>

The clip (linked below) is the best example I have found showing how the \u2018wattle\u2019 is inflated and their elaborate dance to showcase it. According to the clip the Temminck\u2019s Tragopan has rarely been filmed in the wild and may be why this bird is not more well known.\u00a0<\/p>

\"u2z98l5qfl7aehhjzczmv69kskkrepaiczgvmzq6keaotyx8.png\"Wild China<\/em><\/strong>, clip <\/em>here<\/u><\/em><\/a><\/p>

One of five of the genus, the Temminck\u2019s Tragopan is named in honour of Dutch ornithologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778-1858) another example of a white western ornithologist being honoured in this way. The bird was first described by western science by John Edward Grey in 1831 and was included in Illustrations of Indian zoology<\/u><\/a>, there it is described as a \u2018horned pheasant\u2019 for obvious reasons. The term \u2018tragopan\u2019 is in reference to a horned mythological purple headed bird referenced by Roman authors, Pomponius Mela and Gaius Plinius Secundus. After some searching I was unable to find any evidence of indigenous names for this bird, as described elsewhere, local communities may not have felt the need to give this bird a particular name.<\/p>

\"t3wr8ttio3kkzuwtmpos7akqc3z72ppidvldwkwcdhfsoil4.jpg\"And so it is known as Temminck\u2019s Tragopan, Temminck has been honoured with many other species of animals, plants, and birds listed here.<\/u><\/a> Temminck was the first director of the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden in south of Holland, the museum has recently had a complete renovation explore it here<\/u><\/a>. Temminck was elected to the American Philosophical Society and as a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1836 he became member of the Royal Institute, predecessor of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Temminck appears to have had a few friendly disagreements with Charles Darwin about the existence of a hypothetical large jungle fowl known as Gallus giganteus<\/em>, this intriguing nugget of information is something I will continue to explore. The mention of Darwin brings this all to a little pause as my research continues, and I recall the famous bust of Darwin that reigns over the great hall in the Natural History Museum.<\/p>

\"orzlmzgfz4cfatsixsdfjdvd7syq9tciysg4sqsarc5z3yhy.jpg\"<\/p>