ID Tortoise species from a painting

kameya

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Messages
282
Location (City and/or State)
Orange County, California
Hi Forum members,

I visited Getty Center in Los Angeles yesterday and discovered a painting that has two well-depicted tortoises among other animals. Due to the size and scale of the painting, these two tortoises were painted fairly small compare to other animals in the painting. I was able to recognize one of the tortoises to be Hermann tortoise, but was not able to get a clear read on the other. Just want to share the photos I took on this painting to see if anyone on this forum able to ID the tortoises in the painting. Thanks.

IMG_20220717_114639286_HDR.jpg

IMG_20220717_114656784.jpgIMG_20220717_114741740.jpg
 

zovick

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
3,386
Hi Forum members,

I visited Getty Center in Los Angeles yesterday and discovered a painting that has two well-depicted tortoises among other animals. Due to the size and scale of the painting, these two tortoises were painted fairly small compare to other animals in the painting. I was able to recognize one of the tortoises to be Hermann tortoise, but was not able to get a clear read on the other. Just want to share the photos I took on this painting to see if anyone on this forum able to ID the tortoises in the painting. Thanks.

View attachment 347462

View attachment 347463View attachment 347464
The second tortoise looks as though it could be a Pancake Tortoise or a Spider Tortoise. It also might be considered a Star Tortoise going by its pattern, but the shell is not highly domed enough for a Star Tortoise IMHO.
 

Gillian M

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Messages
15,417
Location (City and/or State)
Jordan
Lovely paintings. Thanks for sharing.

I have a feeling that the one on the "left" is a leopard tort - but I'm not sure.

@Yvonne G
@ZEROPILOT
@Tom

please help. Thank you all.
 

Farcryjj

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
164
😮‍💨 Russian tortoise didn't even make it on the painting...
 

JTH

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2018
Messages
39
Location (City and/or State)
East Lansing, MI
Knowing what was most familiar to a European artist helps— I think the top (left hand) tortoise is a European species, probably Testudo hermanni. The other (right) is different though, with the carapacial rays... it does look something like a pancake tortoise, but wondering what might most likely turn up in a Brussels menagerie in the 1600s. The other exotic animals in the painting are largely African, so guessing that the second tortoise is African might be logical. So if not a pancake, perhaps leopard tortoise is a good guess!
 

TeamZissou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
1,048
Location (City and/or State)
Albuquerque, NM
I went to the Getty in January and noticed the tortoises in this painting as well. I am going to go with Hermann's tortoise (upper), and Geometric tortoise for the lower!
 

William Lee Kohler

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2015
Messages
879
Location (City and/or State)
Eugene, OR
I went to the Getty in January and noticed the tortoises in this painting as well. I am going to go with Hermann's tortoise (upper), and Geometric tortoise for the lower!
I tend to agree with the Geometric. I don't know the mediterraneans though.
 
Top