A man and a lion dispute which of them is superior. The man points to a statue of a lion being subdued by a man as his evidence. And the lion shows him his own sweet memories. The Man and the Lion (Fables of La Fontaine), J.J. Grandville, cca.1837.

Hunting Animals, Kawanabe Kyōsai, 1831 - 1889. Published in The Studio magazine, 1898.

Make it dizzy. Illustration by Robert Lumley for The Sly Fox and the Little Red Hen story by Vera Southgate, 1968.

Fatal workplace injury. Paul Hey's 1939s illustration for German Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm, 1857.

Nessie and the cow, Gino D’Achille, born 1935.

Payback, Rudolf Sieber-Lonati, 1924-1990.

This is Air. Or perhaps Arcimboldo knew exactly what he was doing. A highly skilled artist, a brilliant entertainer, and somebody well-aware of the trends of his day. Did he get sick of producing these portraits, or did he delight in giving his audience what they wanted?

Drink like a monkey! Invitation courtesy of David Teniers, whose birthday we (and the monkeys) have been celebrating.

Interviewer: So how would you describe your "ideal" job? Me:

Darklings! #ofdarkandmacabre's Ratcatchers & Rum Rodents theme climaxes into "But Ask Now The Beasts – Of Baleful Butterflies, Tenebrific Toads and other Inauspicious Animals” as #FaustianFriday topic! RTs Friday between 10am-10pm CET 🎨 Otto Marseus van Schrieck

The Tonga bat, circa 1840 hand colored etching 🦇 #Baturday #bat

JJ Grandville in Portraits Compared, from Le Magasin pittoresque, August 1844.

Albrecht Dürer's study of a little owl from 1508. Inescapably cute!

Flying city whale

A well informed badger is a must in the animal community and it looks like this chap is the one who is the ‘go to’ for news of ‘woodland gossip’ Chris Dunn illustrations. Loved by children and adults. Splendid work.

It's #MewseumMonday, and ALL HELL IS BREAKING LOOSE. (Paul de Vos, Cats Fighting in a Larder)

SNEEZING can expel demons, likening the body to a burning Hellmouth. According to folk belief the soul can also fly out of the mouth whenever a person sneezes. Saying 'Bless you' is said to help this (& death during the plague)🎨Books of Hours

It’s never too early for The Yule Cat! ✨ The Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn in Icelandic) is a monstrous feline from Icelandic folklore that roams the snowy countryside during the Christmas season. This enormous creature is said to peer into homes on Christmas Eve, with a terrifying