hexactinellae sponge fine art print ernst haeckel Size:50×70 cm and Edith Atwater

and Edith Atwater

Saÿen (née Thomas)

Haeckel's celebrated portfolio of 100 lithographs produced at the turn of the twentieth century

The tiger pouncing amid the five irises could thus symbolize the relationship of nature to human intelligence

and primarily used watercolor to capture impressions of subjects

hexactinellae sponge fine art print ernst haeckel Size:50×70 cm and Edith AtwaterGlass sponges are nature's master glassblowers, building intricate skeletons from pure silica and this Haeckel plate shows them as the architectural wonders they are. Lattice like tubes and baskets rise across the sheet in pale ivory and gold, their delicate mesh walls drawn with a precision that makes them look almost engineered, like miniature cathedrals from the deep sea. The illustration belongs to Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms in Nature),