Jaguar

Panthera Onca
Box Canyon, Near Guaymos, Western Sonora, Mexico
Hall of North American Mammals

This diorama is remarkable for its beautifully rendered sky. The colors descend in perfect gradation from crystal blue at the sky's zenith to a warm reddish glow at the horizon near the setting sun. Few artists would attempt such a challenge, and even fewer could successfully create this effect so convincingly. James Perry Wilson's ability to fuse what he recalled from nature with his knowledge of meteorology, astronomy, and the physics of light set his work apart.