By Ralph MorseLIFE Photo Collection
Ever since humans first applied materials to surfaces as a form of artistic expression, animals have featured heavily, whether for religious or mythical purposes, or simply a representation of the world. Drawing, painting and sculpting animal life still has huge appeal.
Take the quiz below and see if you can identify some of the animals that crop up in famous works of art throughout the ages.
Hedgehog (12th Dynasty, c. 1800 BCE) by Artist unknownNeues Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Animal 1
Since about the 4th century BC, this animal has enjoyed popularity among artists and art patrons as it was thought to symbolise the natural world at peace.
Created during the 12th Dynasty, around 1800 BCE, sculptures like these were commonly found in the tombs and burial sites of wealthy people.
But what is this prickly creature?
Hedgehog
The humble hedgehog is thought to have had no real religious meaning, but is believed to have brought peace to the recently deceased. This piece, located in the Neues Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany is of unknown origin.
Rhinoceros (1515) by Albrecht DürerBritish Museum
Animal 2
This famous woodcut, created by Albrecht Dürer in 1515 is unusual as it is believed he had never seen the animal in the flesh but was working by sketches from another artist. Despite these limitations, the creature is very anatomically accurate.
The woodcut depicts the substantial armor plating around the creature's hide, as well as what look like rivets at the joins. The picture was wildly popular for several centuries after its creation. In fact, it has been said that: 'Probably no animal picture has exerted such a profound influence on the arts'.
But what is it?
Rhinoceros
This famous woodcut is currently on display in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
The Lincolnshire Ox (1790) by George StubbsWalker Art Gallery, Liverpool
Animal 3
This vast beast is a famous work by George Stubbs. The painting is of a real animal, thought to have weighed about 1300 kg, 3 times the average specimen at the time.
Stubbs is widely regarded to be one of the greatest painters of animals in the history of art, a practice which stemmed from his interest in science and animal anatomy.
But what creature features in this picture?
Cow
This monumental picture is The Lincolnshire Ox (1790) by Stubbs, which can be found in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, the city of the artist's birth.
Animal in the Mist by Tom MboyaGoDown Arts Centre
Animal 4
Kenyan artist Tom Mboya's work focusses on a wide range of subjects, from social and economic conditions to animals and nature.
Mboya started his career working in the hospitality industry before making the move to become a professional artist.
What animal features in this dynamic painting?
Elephants
Animal in the Mist by Tom Mboya is from the collection of the GoDown Arts Centre.
The Goldfinch (1654) by Fabritius, CarelMauritshuis
Animal 5
Carel Fabritius was a pupil of Rembrandt who worked in his studio in Amsterdam. His work often focusses on the interplay between light and dark.
This 1654 work is one of his best known, exhibiting strokes with loaded brushes and complex spatial effects.
Can you name the animal in the picture?
Goldfinch
Carel Fabritius's The Goldfinch can be found in the Mauritshaus Gallery in Den Haag, the Netherlands.
Horses Fresco (grotte Chauvet, Adèche) (2008/2008) by L. Guichard/Perazio/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Want to know more about animal art?
Then why not start at the beginning? You can learn more about animals in prehistoric art here.
