Earless seal (Phocidae)

While in Prague, De Boodt could study living animals from distant lands in Rudolf II’s menagerie (zoo) and had access to preserved specimens in the emperor’s Kunstkammer (Cabinet of Curiosities). He also sketched some animals after existing images, such as prints. The detailed rendering of this seal’s rough skin suggests that De Boodt likely saw a real one, probably a taxidermied specimen, as the sea was too far away.