article_snippet: When Western explorers first discovered set eyes on animals in far-flung locations, artists had the difficult job of depicting artists from artists exotic descriptions.
article_snippet: show will examine the history of animal representations and how art was used to bring newly discovered creatures into the public eye, especially before the days of  zoos, the television and the internet.
article_snippet: Researchers’ stories include medieval accounts of exotic creatures and art from the ages of exploration.
article_snippet: Researchers’ stories include medieval accounts of exotic creatures, art from the ages of exploration and empire, sailors who faked ‘dragon’ specimens by manipulating dried fish and even contemporary knitted craft taxidermy.
article_snippet: For the dragons, sailors would cut rays and skates in a certain way, and then dry sailors out.
article_snippet: This created specimens that were then sold as dragons and angels, Grant Museum Manager Jack Ashby who curated Strange Creatures, told MailOnline. '
article_snippet: Naturalists drew This created specimens that were then sold as dragons and angels, Grant Museum Manager Jack Ashby who curated Strange Creatures for engravings in Naturalists books, which others would copy. '
article_snippet: Each time, the artist might embellish the picture to make the picture more dragon-like, and soon books appeared to show genuine specimens of dragons.
article_snippet: We have engravings of They reproduced in the exhibition.'
article_snippet: Sometimes the pictures were created from explorers’ written descriptions, while other artists copied existing drawings but added other artists own interpretations of those descriptions,’ said Dr Chiara Ambrosio who contributed to The exhibition.
article_snippet: Sometimes This work by 18th century painter, George Stubbs were created from explorers’ written descriptions, while other artists copied existing drawings but added other artists own interpretations of those descriptions,’ said Dr Chiara Ambrosio who contributed to the exhibition.
article_snippet: The imagery was picked by palaeontologists, historians of science and exploration and art experts.
article_snippet: It’s not only historic artworks which misportrayed these amazing species’.
article_snippet: We also see It in the practice of taxidermy, where skins were shipped back to Europe and fleshed-out to recreate the animal based on a few notes.
article_snippet: Illustrated scenes in the early modern Bible were seen as opportunities to depict exotic animals from distant lands .
highlights_snippet: Such images were used to bring newly discovered animals into the public .