Monstrous Seahorse in Gold Dots on Purple

You are probably looking at this creature and thinking, “Judith, that’s clearly a Hippocampus,” and you would be correct! But the book I found it in called it ‘Equus marinus monstrosus’, which translates as ‘Monstrous seahorse’. And who can resist a name like that?

The book is the delightfully named Monstrorum historia, or History of Monsters, by Ulisse Aldrovandi; it dates from 1642.

My monstrous seahorse is 4.75 inches wide, stitched by hand on 5x7 inch 100% cotton watercolour paper, which means that it will pop right into any commercial frame in that size, and be ready to hang on your wall.

Materials: Japanese & Thai kozo papers, glass bead, and cotton floss on cotton paper.