Untitled: sea anemone
This chalk drawing of a British sea anemone is by PH Gosse and was probably used as a teaching aid in lectures. It shows the anemone contracted (right) as it would be when exposed to the air or threatened, and expanded (left) which allows it to feed. One of Gosse’s most famous books ‘Actinologia Britannica the British Sea Anemones and Corals’ contains numerous beautifully coloured plates of sea anemones.
Object Summary
- Accession Loan No.
- 809/1997/65
- Category
- Fine Art
- Collection Class
- Drawings
- Medium
- coloured chalks on paper painted black
- Common Name
- untitled: sea anemone
- Simple Name
- drawing
- Inscription Transcription
- The two drawings on the upper half of this sheet represent a common British sea-anemone as it appears when contracted and expanded. These animals are commonly found attached to rocks between tide marks and are able to move slowly from place to place. The body is bag shaped and the mouth is surrounded by tentacles used for capturing prey. Sea-anemones are very voracious and grow rapidly, shedding the skin at frequent intervals. Their flower like appearance and beautiful colours render them very attractive objects in an aquarium.; 1 left N
- Period Classification
- Victorian (1837-1901)
- Production Town
- Production County
- Devon
- Production Country
- United Kingdom: England
- Production Person Initials
- Philip Henry
- Production Person Surname
- Gosse
- Production Year Low
- 1850
- Production Year High
- 1880
