Itt: people before print and other information revolutions attempting to illustrate animals...

Itt: people before print and other information revolutions attempting to illustrate animals, buildings and people they've never seen. I'll start with a nice crocodile

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mashable.com/2014/06/24/weird-medieval-animals/#6UAAq9o1iuqQ
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I really like manuscripts. Gives a sense of how they had a pretty limited perspective and had to put the things they read into that context. I believe this is alexander vs the Indians, not sure.

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This one is actually pretty accurate

Why. I'm in public and I can't stop laughing. You ruined this for me user

Guardian Lions are based off Ancient Chinese interpretations of lions they've heard from the Indian Buddhists and Iranics.

For the longest time they thought they were dogs until some were brought over during the Tang Dynasty.

I couldn't help myself

looks like he's part of davy jones' crew

cases of being cooler than reality. here's another crocodile

Turtle?

mashable.com/2014/06/24/weird-medieval-animals/#6UAAq9o1iuqQ

I mean you don't ever have to leave the monastery and study nature since Aristotle already did right?

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Here's one in reverse: there are no Premodern depictions of Panda in Chinese art. Not a single one.

The only people who knew Pandas existed were a few scholars and some Emperors. The Tang Dynasty for example gifted the Japanese embassy with a pair of Pandas. But Imperial and Ancient China was not as densely populated as it is nowadays and Panda populations have always been extremely low so a lot of people never knew this existed. To stumble upon one during those times must be like seeing a unicorn.

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>tfw you try to get enough sleep night before an exam

The cows look like they are walking in circles to power the paddle wheels on the river barge to be honest.

>he made that drawing purely from second hand sources

Durer was a legend

I don't recall which of his engravings it refers to, but I distinctly remember reading that one of the horses he drew is regarded by art historians as the best horse drawn, ever, by anyone, in the whole history of mankind.

That's so cute

How do I get as wise as monk 2.

Crocodiles were real fucking mysteries, huh? Are there any of hippos?

>Hew hew

Spend a lifetime writing and reading old tomes