European art history is peppered with peculiar depictions of dolphins, often straying far from their real-life appearance and presenting them as unsettling creatures. From the 17th century to the 19th century, artists like Erasmus Quellinus II, François Boucher, and Gustave Moreau rendered dolphins with features that were more monstrous than marine. Quellinus’s “Cupid on a Dolphin” features a creature resembling a scaly, finned hog, while Boucher’s depictions lean towards a blend of Chinese dragon and Saint Bernard. Moreau’s “Arion on the Dolphin” portrays a particularly menacing wave with eyes eerily similar to those in ancient Roman mosaics, suggesting a historical precedent for these frightening interpretations.
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Cupid riding a strange, scaly creature with fins and a pig-like snout.
The departure from accurate dolphin portrayal puzzled many, including Benjamin Franklin. In his 1726 diary, Franklin documented a sea voyage where he caught and ate dolphins. He noted their vibrant colors—bright green and silver bodies with golden yellow tails—when alive, which sadly faded to a dull gray upon death. Franklin expressed bewilderment at artists’ consistent misrepresentation of dolphins, describing them as “monstrously crooked and deformed” with features like a bull’s head, a hog’s snout, and a tulip-shaped tail. He speculated that artists’ distorted images might stem from a misinterpretation of a leaping fish or, more whimsically, from a desire to prevent pregnant women from craving an unattainable sea creature.
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Arion riding a dolphin that resembles a mythical sea dragon.
While Franklin’s observations shed light on the artistic inaccuracies, they don’t fully explain the persistent fear associated with dolphins. Later analyses, such as a Slate article, highlight the darker side of dolphin behavior, pointing out their capacity for violence, including infanticide and gang-rape, and their predatory nature. This darker reality might contribute to why artists, and perhaps even ancient Romans, chose to depict them with frightening features. One theory suggests a deep-seated cultural memory of a traumatic dolphin encounter, akin to the horror depicted in “Jaws,” influencing their artistic representation.
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A wave with angry, dolphin-like eyes.
Ultimately, the journey through European art reveals a fascinating disconnect between the perceived nature of dolphins and their actual biology. While the idealized, cute dolphins of modern culture, like those by Lisa Frank, evoke a sense of wonder, historical artworks suggest a more complex and, at times, terrifying perception of these marine mammals. This artistic tradition of portraying dolphins as monstrous may linger in our collective consciousness, forever altering how we view even the most cheerful depictions of these creatures.
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The enduring legacy of these misrepresented dolphins in art serves as a reminder that our perceptions are often shaped by historical narratives, cultural biases, and perhaps, a touch of artistic license that leans towards the frightening. As art historian Donna Zuckerberg suggests, these depictions add layers to our understanding of the past, inviting us to question the stories behind the images we encounter.
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This article was originally published on Eidolon.
