We are very fortunate to have amongst our clients, some individuals who entrust to us their vision for a particular project or individual piece, which is far above the average in terms of normal commercial taxidermy.
Taxidermy, particularly in the UK, tends to exist inside a set of invisible constraints or boundaries set by traditional ideas of presentation. Many people, almost subconsciously, remain hefted to these traditional ideas of the way a mounted animal should be presented. Fish, with fins out at unnaturally stiff angles and rod straight bodies, adorned with enough garden greenery to decorate Covent garden, are placed in black cases with bent glass. Deer and antelope are mounted staring, chin up, ears forward, straight headed directly out of the wall, as if in a trance, showing them off from the least flattering angle possible. How often does anyone look at an animal from five feet underneath it, staring up at its chin?
Today, with a small amount of imagination, we can break free of these antiquated rules and ludicrous constraints of tradition, to show a beautifully marked fish, magnificent stag, antelope or even a small bird, in a way that demonstrates the true character and dynamic beauty of the animal. These days, most people would imagine it impossible to display a large red stag in a “normal house. By that I mean a house with ceiling height of around eight feet. Most stags (mounted in the traditional manner) are relegated to the stairs wall. This need not be the case; a stag or large antelope can be mounted on a free standing pedestal, designed for the room it is to go in, in a pose which shows it off to its best.
In the following pages we would like to share with you some of these projects, and explain the thinking and background to them, where applicable. Sadly some projects we cannot show, though they may be in the public arena, as they were undertaken in confidence.
We welcome the prospect of this type of work. If you are thinking of, or would like to explore the possibilities of having something done, which is outside the norm or perhaps for an artistic endeavour, please email us with your proposals and we will be happy to explore your ideas with you.