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Lace Coral, Adeona cellulosa

James Ripper1879

Museums Victoria

Museums Victoria
Carlton, Australia

This scientific illustration of Adeona cellulosa by James Ripper was commissioned by Sir Frederick McCoy, Director of Museum Victoria as part of his zoological research. The illustration forms part of the much larger Prodromus Collection. Many of the original illustrations in the collection informed the production of the two-volume work The Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria which was Museum Victoria's first major publication beginning in 1878.Lace corals or byrozoans are easily-overlooked marine animals, being often small, cryptic and dull-coloured. Bryozoans are rarely the focus of taxonomists, therefore the number of species covered in the Prodromus, some 300, along with the clarity with which they were illustrated, has given their part of the publication long-standing value. Their true beauty is often only revealed through a microscope. Illustrations such as this showcase their delicate and ornately-sculptured calcareous skeletons. The Prodromus project followed a popular formula of the time, seeking to identify and classify the natural wonders of the 'new world'. Such publications reached a peak in popularity with the work of John Gould in England and the earlier work of James Audubon in America. In Australia, many professional and amateur publications, including Aldine's systematic studies of the colonies and Louise Anne Meredith's Bush Friends From Tasmania, contributed to the genre.The publication of the Prodromus was an enormous undertaking, utilising the work of numerous artists, collectors, lithographers and publishers, over an extended period of time. Although costly in both financial and professional terms, it was met with critical acclaim and wide popular support. Financial battles were waged and lost by McCoy, but ultimately the Prodromus has stood the test of time and remains one of Museum Victoria's finest publications. McCoy died without completing his systematic study, but even at the time few believed that 'any of us will live to witness the completion of the work, if the entire Fauna of Victoria is to be illustrated.'

Details

  • Title: Lace Coral, Adeona cellulosa
  • Creator: James Ripper
  • Creator Lifespan: 1840 - 1916
  • Creator Nationality: English
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Victoria, Australia
  • Creator Birth Place: Cornwall, United Kingdom
  • Date Created: 1879
  • Type: Image
  • Rights: Copyright expired: Source: Museum Victoria / Artist: James Ripper, Copyright expired: Source: Museum Victoria / Artist: James Ripper
  • External Link: Museum Victoria Collections
  • Medium: Pencil on paper
  • Themes: bryozoan
  • Artist biography: James Ripper was described as one of Bendigo's most talented Cornish-born citizens. Although he made his living from tuning instruments he was also a gifted bassoonist, vocalist and recognized authority and exponent of the arts. Little is known of his lithographic and drafting training and yet, his work in the Prodromus is his most lasting legacy.Ripper's Prodromus contribution was limited to the Bryozoan plates, as he worked exclusively for Paul Howard McGillivray. It is unclear whether this professional arrangement was due to anything other than geography. The arts-centric Ripper would likely have crossed paths with McGillivray at the Bendigo Institute, where the latter was both founder and an influential member.James Ripper was first employed in the lithography of the Bryozoan plates for decade five, published in 1880. Within five years this had developed to the stage where he and McGillivray co-drafted the illustrations for decade ten, but Ripper ceased drafting for the final six decades, although he continued the lithography.This may have been due to the rather simplistic nature of Ripper's drafting, or simply McGillivray's frugality in the economic climate of the late 1880s. But as has been noted, Ripper's rendering, whilst simpler than earlier works, was much larger and clearer.While it appears Ripper did no other lithographic or drafting work in his lifetime, he had a lucrative career as an instrument tuner. At the conclusion of the Prodromus, he returned to an amateur interest in art.Ripper died in 1916 at the age of 76, the head of a prodigiously large family. Although no photos survive, his great great nephew Don Ripper provided a vivid description: 'James, like all Ripper men would have been a short man - 5'8", relatively rotund, a bit ruddy in the cheeks, and definitely a Methodist.'
  • Artist: James Ripper

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