Armature

Armature

Animation armatures made for a pilot for a Tim Burton Film

From an exhibition at LACMA

Comparative Anatomy

The Galarie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie Comparée in the Jardin de Plants in Paris has a fantastic collection of mammal skeletons, which are even more wonderful when seen amassed as a forrest of skeletons in the museum. I have posted some stereoscopic pictures of the palaeontology gallery previously (see here), but the mammals downstairs are also very impressive.

If you have trouble resolving the images  make them smaller and concentrate on a common object in the middle ground. The lower image is not the easiest to assemble by going cross-eyed but it work quite well when you find it. Once you have registered the 3D image try and relax, and the three dimensions will pop out a bit more.

Comparative Anatomy

Minneapolis armature

Minneapolis armature

I was in Minneapolis at the weekend and went to the Science Museum (to see the medical quackery exhibit – another story). They had a few dinosaur skeletons on display, all with integral armatures running within the bones. It is quite a common practice but I have rarely seen it done well (one in Vienna comes to mind). The two pictures here – sorry for the poor image quality – show a couple of places where the demands on the steel are greater than the cross sectional depth of the bones, so the steel emerges through the casts of the bones. The confusion between the skeletal and steel structures feels unconvincing to me, but as you know from my posts a few days ago I am prejudiced towards the less bashful armatures.

AMNH Armature

As promised, a few images of the armatures at the American Museum of Natural History. A friend of mine who knows far more about these things than I do finds them a bit fussy but I think they are exquisite -very sensitive to the particular animal and the possibility of attaching to each bone. Well worth a visit if you are going to see the dioramas.

AMNH Armature

AMNH Armature

AMNH Armature

AMNH Armature

AMNH Armature

AMNH Armature

I will post a few more in a day or so.

Armature, Museum of comparative anatomy, Paris

One of the fascinations that has emerged out of hanging around natural history museums is for the armatures that support skeletons, often of dinosaurs. These carefully crafted structures not only hold the form of the animal but also discuss the character and poise of the beast. Here are some samples form the museum of comparative anatomy in Paris. I will post some more form the ‘States.

Armature, Museum of comparative anatomy, Paris

Armature, Museum of comparative anatomy, Paris

Armature, Museum of comparative anatomy, Paris

Armature, Museum of comparative anatomy, Paris

Armature, Museum of comparative anatomy, Paris

Armature, Museum of comparative anatomy, Paris

Armature, Museum of comparative anatomy, Paris