Discomedusae – Jellyfish Size:50×70 cm Source: Rijksmuseum

Source: Rijksmuseum

art historian and lawyer

Because the composition is gentle and pattern-led

and the violent Bleeding Kansas period (featuring abolitionist John Brown

Reproduced on heavyweight museum-quality matte paper for deep

Discomedusae – Jellyfish Size:50×70 cm Source: RijksmuseumThis is the image many people picture when they think of Ernst Haeckel: jellyfish drifting through dark water, their domed bells glowing in pinks, golds and violets above long, trailing tentacles. The Discomedusae plate is one of the most beloved in his entire body of work, and it is easy to see why the symmetry is hypnotic and the colours feel almost lit from within. It belongs to Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms in Nature), the series of 100