DEAD LIVING THINGS: A Cabinet of Curiosities in the Postcolony

DEAD LIVING THINGS A Cabinet of Curiosities in the Postcolony

professor doctor jd pretorius doctorum et litterature et philosophie historia studii magister atrium notitia consilio honoribus es historia baccalaureus artium denique artes altius educationem diploma mmxxi

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Introduction Ammonite Baboon Tooth Coral Dung Beetle Gannet Skull Guinea Fowl Feather Ostrich Egg Shell Porcupine Quills Shark Eggs & Tooth Shell, cockle Shells Springbok Horn Wart Hog Tusk Zebra Molar Bull Ornament Crocodile Sculpture Elephant Ornament Human Skull Ornament Rhinoceros Ornament Coin, 1 Penny Coin, 1 Cent Coin, 20 Cents Commemorative Bowl, Great Trek Commemorative Plate, Scenic Views Pendant Rosary Postage Stamps, Bechuanaland

2 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59

Postage Stamps, South Africa Postage Stamps, South Africa Postage Stamps, South-West Africa Postage Stamp, Swaziland Postage Stamp, Basutoland Postage Stamp, Bophuthatswana Postage Stamps, Rhodesia Postage Stamps, Mozambique Postage Stamp, Transkei Commemorative Cup, Coronation ERii Commemorative Cup, Jhb Jubilee Commemorative Badge, Empire Souvenir Carved Shell Dried Mud & River Stone Desert Rose Fool’s Gold Stone Aloe Buchu Jacaranda Seed Pod Lucky Bean Seed Pod Magnolia Grandiflora Seed Pod Maize Protea Leaves Rosehips Various Books Sources Consulted

61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 101 103 105 107 109 111 112

INTRODUCTION

T

his work is the result of a self-initiated research-led practice project which was driven by my interest in the link between colonialism and cabinets of curiosities.

In particular, I explored how a cabinet of curiosities can be used to tell stories informed by postcolonial theory that confront colonial narratives in the contemporary South African context.

Hazel and Dean (2009:7) use the term “research-led practice” alongside the better known and more frequently used term “practice-led research,” as it more overtly asserts that creative work can result from scholarly research.

My textual research, which I frame as Design History, spans across multiple disciplines, including historical-, visual-, material- and cultural studies and I am intrigued by the question of how this research, which usually results in textual output in accredited journals, can inform and be extended into my creative practice. This work is the result of that exploration.

The work consists of three components.

The first is a physical cabinet exhibited in the Faculty of Art Design and Architecture (FADA) Gallery in August 2021 at the University of Johannesburg. The second is a catalogue which accompanies the cabinet and the third is a conference paper delivered at the South African Visual

Arts Historian’s (SAVAH) Annual Conference at the end of September 2021.

The physical cabinet is inspired by the cabinets of curiosities which first appeared in Europe during the Renaissance. A cabinet could refer to a piece of furniture, but also a room, or series of rooms filled with natural and humanmade objects, referred to as naturalia and artificialia respectively. The development of cabinets of curiosities was closely linked to a time of increased trade and travel (Zytaruk 2011:2, Berry 2018:20) and objects were brought back from voyages of discovery to these “new worlds” (Mauriès 2011:12). Inside my cabinet a wooden crocodile sculpture suspended belly up from the roof is a nod to the practice of suspending stuffed crocodiles from cabinet ceilings, as in the famous cabinet of Ferrante Imperato (1525-1625) which is depicted in an engraving (Zytaruk 2011:3).

Cabinets of curiosities are generally considered to be forerunners of the development of modern museums (Bann 1995:15). While cabinets of curiosities aimed at creating “access to the unknown and the magical,” museums offered “a rational and positivistic view of the world” (Brzezińska-Winkiel 2020:347).

Museums developed on the basis of scientific

2

DEAD LIVING THINGS A Cabinet of Curiosities in the Postcolony principles and used taxonomies, such as the and an adventure story. This indicates some one developed by Linnaeus, for categorization of the sources through which knowledge of (Ross 2019:1087). This practice was driven by Southern Africa was constructed and dissemiEnlightenment thinking. Collections in eight- nated during the colonial period. Surrounding eenth century museums were “classified and the books are objects arranged on the floor and compartmentalized … each specimen worked mounted on the back of the cabinet relating to in hierarchical relationships to others” thereby foundational myths of Southern Africa. moving from the wonder of cabinets of curiThe objects displayed in the cabinet were osities, to the hierarchy of modern museums bought, mainly from second-hand shops and (Barrett 2012:65-66). at junk sales, found, or received as gifts. Most The printer’s tray objects, including the mounted on the back display cabinet and “ I e x pl o r e d how a c abine t panel of my cabinet refers printer’s tray, were of c ur io sitie s c an be use d to the development of sciacquired specifically entific thinking and confor the cabinet during to te l l sto r ie s inf o r m e d by tains a number of objects the time period from arranged in a hierarchical December 2020 postc o l o nial the o r y that order from bottom to top. to July 2021. Some At the base is earth, min- c on fr ont c o l o nial nar r ative s objects are from my erals and water creatures, personal collection i n the c o nte m po r ar y S o uth followed by land and sky obtained on trips or animals, plants and then bought previously in Afr ic an c o nte xt” human-made objects, Johannesburg, others each boxed into its own, separate space. One were gathered on walks through my neighbourlogical conclusion of such thinking is depicted hood, the beach and on a farm. My choice of at the apex of the hierarchy through stamps objects was informed by my research into caband coins: the development of the nation state. inets of curiosities, the history of Southern However, as evidenced in the stamps represent- Africa and Postcolonial theory. ing names of countries that no longer exist, such The second component is a catalogue that divisions are human-made, they are not perma- provides an inventory of some of the objects nent and subject to change. contained in the cabinet. In the catalogue Stacked up from the bottom of the cabinet is the objects are classified into five categories: a history book, three travelogues, and an ency- Animalia, Artificialia, Mineralia, Botanica and clopedia dealing with Southern Africa, the first Bibliotheca. The Animalia category contains Zulu-English dictionary ever printed, the Bible animal remains, including bones, feathers, horns,

3

quills and shells. Artificialia refers to human The policy of a strictly factual approach and made objects such as ornaments, coins, stamps avoiding polemics has obviously been appreciand commemorative ware. Stones and earth ated and continues to be maintained.” Rosenthal constitute the Mineralia section while Botanica here invokes the common perception that encyincludes seed and plant specimens. Bibliotheca clopedias are objective, scientific texts and that provides information on some of the authors knowledge is neutral and value free. However, whose books are included in the cabinet. Each a reading of the encyclopaedia shows how the object is represented in a clear photograph and commonplace biases and prejudices of the time accompanied by information on its date and are reflected in some of the entries. People, place of origin and its size in height, width and and even plants, are labelled with names condepth is provided. Information is given on when sidered extremely derogatory today (Rosenthal I acquired the object, from where, and at what 1967:30, 82, 278) and indicates how racial prejcost, or whether it was free or udice is coded into everyday a gift. Where information is language. Descriptions of “T h e c abine t al l ow s not available, often through my racial groups are far from “facinability to recall the details, it f or r ef l e c tio n o n the tual” and value judgements is noted as such. and hierarchical descriptors Accompanying most pa st o f S o uth Afr ic a such as “primitive” and “curiobjects is a description derived ous” (Rosenthal 1967:87) are f r om o ur c ur r e nt from the fourth edition of Eric drawn on to create a pejorative Rosenthal’s Encyclopaedia of h i stor ic al po sitio n” impression of the Other. The Southern Africa (1967) pubinsistence on obsessively prolished by Frederick Warne viding statistics on the number & Co. Ltd. located in London and New York. of people belonging to the different racial The encyclopedia entry is quoted verbatim and groups codified into law by the apartheid goveither describes the object directly, if such an ernment is particularly striking (Rosenthal entry exists, or offers a description of an aspect 1967:341, 447, 524). The constant references related to the object, its place of origin or name. to the economic value of natural and human Combining the encyclopedia entries with objects resources unveils the predominantly fiscal interallows for consideration of how our understand- est in Southern Africa held by the audience of ing of the world is mediated through language. the encyclopaedia. Factual errors are also presIn the foreword to the encyclopaedia ent, as is evident in the entry on Mandela which Rosenthal (1967:v) is at pains to explain that: “[f] states that he was sentenced to life imprisonor the fourth time since 1961 the insistent public ment on Robben Island for pleading “guilty to demand has made necessary the issue of a new an attempt to start a civil war and insurrection” edition of the Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa. (Rosenthal 1967:338). Of importance also, are 4

the omissions and silences in the encyclopaedia, National symbols, including flags, coats of and its entries provide a view into one particular arms and stamps were designed to support perspective on the status of knowledge about the construction of these nation states. While Southern Africa by the 1960s. these states no longer exist today, the effects of The 1960s was a time period during which such social engineering remain alive in South decolonization in Africa had been accelerat- African society, the most recent example being ing and many independent postcolonial nation the extreme unrests following the incarceration states came into being. However, in Southern of former president Jacob Zuma. The cabiAfrica colonial rulers clung onto power in South net allows for reflection on the past of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique. Africa from our current historical position.

During this time the apartheid government While this past is in many aspects a “foreign started implementing their scheme of creat- country”—the material reminders of which ing “independent homelands” into which to might today seem so peculiar that it is best separate black South Africans according to suited for storage in cabinets of curiosities— their “tribal” affiliation. Transkei was granted the legacy of colonialism and apartheid lives “self-government” in 1964 and “independence” on in the present. This past cannot be denied, would follow in 1976. Three other “homelands” but must be confronted and reflected on to would eventually be granted “independence”, lead to the development of new stories which Bophuthatswana (1977), Venda (1979) and will replace the divisive narratives of the past.

Ciskei (1981), and six others “self-government”. Deirdre Pretorius, July 2021, Jhb.

Sources Consulted Bann, S. 1995. Shrines, Curiosities and the Rhetoric of Display, in, Visual Display: Culture Beyond Appearances, edited by L. Cooke & P. Wollen. The New Press: New York:15-29.

Berry, S. 2018. Marianne Moore’s Cabinets of Curiosity. Journal of Modern Literature.

41(3):18-38.

Brzezińska-Winkiel, A. 2020. Jan Švankmajer’s Kunstkammer: Every thing means everything.

Journal of Education, Culture and Society. 11(2):343-352.

Mauriès, P. 2011. Cabinets of Curiosity. London: Thames & Hudson.

Rosenthal, E. (ed.) 1967. Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa. Fourth edition. London & New York: Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd. Ross, AS. 2019. Recycling embryos: Old animal specimens in new museums, 1660-1840. Journal of Social History. 52(4):1087-1109.

Smith, H. & Dean, RT. 2009. Introduction: Practice-led Research, Research-led Practice – Towards the Iterative Cyclic Web 1, in Practice-led Research, Research-led Practice in the Creative Arts, edited by H. Smith & RT. Dean. Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh:1-38.

Zytaruk, M. 2011. Cabinets of Curiosities and the organization of knowledge. University of Toronto Quarterly. 80(1):1-23.

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Fo s s i l s o f S o u t h e r n A f r i c a

“The sedimentary rocks and other deposits of Southern Africa often contain the fossilised remains of the hard parts of animals and plants. These date from the following periods of the earth’s history: the Devonian, Permian, Triassic, Cretaceous and Pleistocene.

Devonian and Cretaceous fossils are almost exclusively of non-vertebrate marine forms (trilobites, molluscs, shells, etc.) and, as they are well known from other parts of the world, do not deserve the same attention as those of the Permo-Triassic and Pleistocene” (Rosenthal 1967:187).

6

ANIMALIA Ammonite Perisphinctoidea

Date Middle-Late Jurassic Acquired March 2021 Origin Tulear, Madgascar From Rosebank Market, Jhb Size 34mm x 40mm x 14mm Price R50 7

Baboon

“Baboon, Cape (Papio porcarius). Also known to H********* as Chacma; Amazosa, Infene; Zulus and Swazis, Imfena; Basuto Tshweni. Found throughout South Africa to the Zambesi River, in bare, rocky, mountainous country. Feeds on wild fruit, insects, berries, young leaves and sap from certain trees. When driven by hunger, will raid orchards and vegetable gardens. Chief weapons of defence are extremely powerful jaw and well-developed canine teeth. As member of a troop is a formidable fighter. Yellow brown body, face smoky-black” (Rosenthal 1967:30).

8

ANIMALIA B a b o o n To o t h Pa p i o u r s i n u s

Date Undated Acquired April 2021 Origin Nieu-Bethesda, Karoo From Craft Brewery owner Size 20mm x 10mm x 6mm Price Free 9

Coral Fish

“Coral Fish. Small tropical and subtropical East Coast fish, brightly coloured, having, unlike most fish, one nostril only on each side and deep compressed bodies, like the Butterfly fish (q.v.). Found among coral reefs and along rocky shores. There are many varieties, including the Angel Fish (q.v.).”

(Rosenthal 1967:16)

10

ANIMALIA Coral Cnidaria

Date Undated Acquired Between 2006-2016 Origin Jeffreys Bay From Jeffreys Bay Beach Size 4mm x 38mm x 5mm Price Free 11

Dung Roller

“Dung Roller. Beetle so called on account of its habit of making balls of dung in which to deposit its eggs. These are pushed to a suitable place and covered with sand. It belongs to the Scarab family. See INSECTS” (Rosenthal 1967:160).

12

ANIMALIA Dung Beetle Scarabaeidae

Date c2018-2021 Acquired April 2021 Origin Bloemfontein From Origin Size 6mm x 30mm x 12mm Price Free 13

Gannet or Malagas

“Gannet or Malagas (family Sulidae). Semi-oceanic birds, much less bound to the shore than gulls, terns or cormorants. They feed by plunging headlong from a height on to fish swimming near the surface, and from a distance appear gleaming white. Are chief inhabitants of the Cape Guano Islands. See DUIKER and BIRDS” (Rosenthal 1967:199).

14

ANIMALIA Gannet Skull Sulidae

Date c. 2006-2016 Aquired Between 2001-2016 Origin Jeffreys Bay From Origin Size 20mm x 38mm x 26mm Price Free 15

Guinea fowl

“Guinea fowl (family Phasianidae). Common game bird found in thick bush, from Eastern Cape Province northwards. The nearly-bare neck and plump, speckled body are well known. A wary bird, running in flocks and flying well.

Scratches for its food of grubs, roots and insects, in bush country. The Crested Guinea Fowl is a tropical dweller of Natal and Kruger Park. See FRANCOLIN” (Rosenthal 1967:229).

16

ANIMALIA G u i n e a Fo w l Fe a t h e r Phasianidae

Date Undated Acquired April 2021 Origin Sneeuberg, Karoo From Origin Size 215mm x 50mm Price Free 17

Ostrich Calvinia

“Ostrich (Struthio camelus). Indigenous bird connected with an important industry. Of the five local varieties, the predominant one is the Southern Ostrich.

From the earliest days of white settlement, ostriches were hunted for their plumes, for the European market. By 1860 the number had been so much reduced, despite their natural fleetness of foot, that several farmers attempted their domestication.

The earliest efforts were recorded about 1853. In 1865 80 birds were in captivity and the exports came to £17,522 lb., worth 65,736. From then on the industry grew rapidly, being concentrated in the vicinity of Graaff-Reinet and the Eastern Province. Profits were immense and prices rose until over £1,000 was paid for a pair of breeding birds. The first great boom began in 1880 and lasted until about 1885. An even greater one set in from 1910 to 1913, when from 746,736 birds, nearly all in the Cape, some £ 3,000,000 worth of feathers were exported. The onset of World War I caused a crash, both in prices and production, from which the industry has never recovered. Most of the birds were slaughtered to produce leather instead of feathers. In recent times there has been a gradual revival, but there are only about 50,000 birds left to produce less than 100,000 lb. of feathers yearly. Nearly all of these birds are in the Oudtshoorn district. The development of the industry has been largely responsible for the intensive farming practice in this part of the world. The ostrich is peculiar in that its flight apparatus (wings, keeled breastbone and muscles) IS SO RUDIMENTARY AS ALMOST TO HAVE DISAPEARED. The breastbone, for example, is flat, unlike that of such other birds as flightless pigeons and parrots. To compensate, the ostrich has developed a speed and strength adequate for wild South African life. Feathers are drawn only from the males. A few wild birds survive in the Kalahari and Bushveld. See BIRDS” (Rosenthal 1967:400-401).

“Calvinia. Town in North-Western Cape Province at the foot of the Hantam mountains. Founded in 1851 to commemorate John Calvin, the great reformer.

Important sheep district. Wheat is grown near the Zak River. Population: 5,189, including 1,860 Whites” (Rosenthal 1967:92).

18

ANIMALIA Ostrich Egg Shell Struthio Camelus

Date Unknown Acquired December 2020 Origin Calvinia From hantam huis & restaurant Size 40mm x 366mm Price R5 19

Porcupine

“Porcupine (Hystrix africao-australis). Rodent known for its characteristic defensive quills. Upon being driven into the flesh of attackers, they are difficult to remove. Porcupines live on vegetable food and do considerable damage to crops, though they also destroy certain poisonous plants which are a danger to cattle. They are about 28 inches long, live in burrows and are common to most parts of Southern Africa. See MAMMALS” (Rosenthal 1967:423).

20

ANIMALIA Porcupine Quills Hystrix Africao-Australis

Date Undated Acquired March 2021 Origin Unknown From Rosebank Market, Jhb Size 34mm x 20mm x 18mm Price R30 21

Sharks

“Sharks. Many varieties, all differing from ordinary fish in having cartilage in place of bones; skin covered, not with scales, but with rough denticles; teeth usually numerous; 5 to 7 gill-slits on each side; cigar-shaped body and high upper lobe of tail-fin. Length ranges between 5 and 50 feet. Most species are viviparous but the Zebra Shark (Stegostoma fasceatum) lays a few large eggs, each enclosed in a horny case (sometimes found along the sea margin).

The young are born or hatched looking like the adult. Sharks can be recognized from afar by the high tail-fin and by the fact that, because the mouth is greatly under-hung, they turn over to attack and expose their light underside. Although seen scavenging round Cape harbours, they are much more plentiful off the Natal coast. The majority are dangerous. Authenticated attacks on man have mostly been traced to the 5-foot Durban Grey Shark (Carcharinus melanopterus) and the larger Black Fin Shark (C. limoatus) rather than to the 30-40-foot man-eater (Cachasodon carcharias). The 15-foot Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo articus) is aggressive but in the main an offal-eater. A 289-pounder has been caught in Natal with a rod and line.

Of the harmless species, the 40-foot Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) appears to be a Cape summer visitor, which has been seen surfacing off Simonstown

and Hout Bay. Its numerous teeth are small and it lives on tiny organisms strained by its long gill-rakers. Very similar to this and the largest known is the 50 foot Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus). The first South African specimen, washed up in Table Bay in 1829, is preserved in the Paris Museum. Cape Town Museum contains a 20-foot specimen found in Noordhoek in 1934.

The shark of economic importance to South Africa is the 6-foot Vaalhaai (Galerhinus galeus), hunted for its liver oil.

In Australia the fins are dried and exported to China for shark fin soup. The skin is sold for smoothing wood, for leather and for covering ornamental boxes. See Marine resources” (Rosenthal 1967:491).

Acquired Memory Fails From Memory Fails Price Memory Fails

Date Undated Origin Unknown Size 11mm x 17mm x 2mm

22

ANIMALIA S h a r k E g g s & To o t h Euselachii

Date Undated Acquired March 2021 Origin Unknown From Bounty Hunters, Melville Size 62mm x 21mm x 7mm Price Less than R10 71mm x 32mm x 6mm 23

Inhaca

“Inhaca (also known as Inyack). Island in Delagoa Bay, 8 miles long and 3 miles wide. Chosen for its isolation from hostile natives as the earliest Portuguese settlement in Delagoa Bay. Today it is used by fishermen and also as a site for a Biological Research Station, operated by the University of the Witwatersrand in conjunction with the Portuguese authorities” (Rosenthal 1967:260).

24

ANIMALIA Shell, cockle Cardiidae

Date Unknown Acquired 2014 Origin Mozambique From Inhaca Island, Mozambique Size 51mm x 48mm Price Free 25

Eland’s Bay

“Eland’s Bay. Fishing Harbour on the Cape West Coast, north of St. Helena Bay” (Rosenthal 1967:169).

26

ANIMALIA Shells Caenogastr opoda

Date Undated Acquired December 2020 Origin Near Elands Bay Cave From Origin Size 29mm x 45mm x 22mm Largest Price Free 27

Springbok

“Once the most common of all Southern African antelopes, now limited mainly to a few reserves. They derive their name from their habit of characteristic display-leaping or ‘pronking’ (q.v.). At one time vast herds stampeded through the veld over the Karroo, even into villages, doing great damage. Today they can be shot only under authority. The flesh makes very good eating. Springbok are particularly graceful and both sexes carry small horns. The reddish-brown of the back is separated by a dark line from the pure white of the underparts. Height about 30 inches, to the shoulder” (Rosenthal 1967:530).

28

ANIMALIA Springbok Hor n Antidorcas Marsupialis

Date Undated Acquired March 2021 Origin Unknown From Rosebank Market, Jhb Size 49mm x 24mm x 26mm Price R30 29

Wa r t H o g

“Wart Hog (Phacochaerus aethiopicus). Wild animal found over a large part of Southern Africa north of the Orange River, including Natal, the Kruger National Park, Rhodesia, Bechuanaland and Mozambique. Unlike the Bush Pig (q.v.) it prefers comparatively thinly-grown areas, but also likes muddy ground. It is largely nocturnal in habit and lives in holes in the ground. Normally the Wart Hog grows to a height of 2 feet 6 inches. It takes its name from large growths between the tusks and below the eyes. Can be dangerous when hunted. The meat makes moderately good eating” (Rosenthal 1967:606).

30

ANIMALIA Wa r t H o g Tu s k Phacochoerus africanus

Date Undated Acquired March 2021 Origin Unknown From Rosebank Market, Jhb Size 55mm x 22mm x 12mm Price R30 31

Z eb r a

“Zebra (Equus zebra). Once extremely common in South Africa, but now mainly preserved in National Parks. There are several species, most of them varying only in the de-tails of their marking, and all difficult to tame. Of these the Mountain Zebra, only about 4 feet high, has no fore-lock and is more reddish in colour” (Rosenthal 1967:635).

32

ANIMALIA Z eb r a M o l a r Equus Zebra

Date Undated Acquired April 2021 Origin Sneeuberg, Karoo From Origin Size 35mm x 22mm x 30mm Price Free 33

Afrikander Cattle

“Afrikander Cattle. Hardy breed of South African cattle, known to the early settlers and already mentioned in the 1850s. Noted for their large horns and resistance to climatic conditions. Successful experiments in introducing Afrikander cattle to the dry regions of the United States particularly Texas, were carried out in in 1930 and after. Now recognized as a breed peculiar to South Africa” (Rosenthal 1967:169-10).

34

ARTIFICIALIA Bull Or nament B o s Ta u r u s

Date Undated Acquired April 2021 Origin Unknown From Indoor Market, Tyrone Ave Size 28mm x 55mm x 19mm Price R10 35

Crocodile

No entry in Rosenthal (1967).

36

ARTIFICIALIA Crocodile Sculpture Crocodylus niloticus

Date Unknown Acquired April 2021 Origin Unknown From Bounty Hunters, Melville Size 60mm x 540mm x 93mm Price R50 37

Elephant

“Elephant. Largest African land mammal. First found in the environs of Table Bay, but gradually driven north, although a few survive in the Tsitsikama Forest and in the Addo National Park (q.v.). A number have been preserved in the Kruger National Park, in Rhodesia and in Mozambique. The African elephant is larger than the Asiatic and has conspicuously large ears. The animals reach a height of nearly 11 feet, and reports have been received of specimens of over 12 feet. The tusks of African elephants attain enormous sizes, one of the largest on record being 11 feet 5 ½ inches in length, over 1 ½ feet in circumference and weighing close on 300 lb. Elephants are not aggressive but when aroused can do great damage. Elephant hunting is only allowed under control in Rhodesia, and not at all in the Republic. Elephants found at Addo and in the Tsitsikama Forest differ from the normal African type and are considered to be a special sub-variety.

See MAMMALS” (Rosenthal 1967:169-170).

38

ARTIFICIALIA Elephant Or nament Elephas maximus

Acquired March 2021 Date Undated From Rosebank Market, Jhb Origin Unknown Price R25 Size 6mm x 55mm x 25mm 39

Human

No entry in Rosenthal (1967).

40

ARTIFICIALIA Human Skull Or nament Homo sapiens

Date Undated Acquired March 2021 Origin Unknown From Ms. C. Swanepoel Size 25mm x 35mm x 26mm Price Gift 41

Rhinoceros

“Rhinoceros. Largest land mammal in Southern Africa after the elephant.

There are two species. The Black Rhinoceros (R. bicornis), once found all over Southern Africa, is now confined to the Bushveld, the Eastern Transvaal and Rhodesia, while the White Rhinoceros (R. simus), never seen South of the Orange River, is now only found in the Hluhluwe (q.v.) and other National Parks, in Zululand and in certain corners of Rhodesia. At one time believed to be extinct, it was rediscovered towards the end of the 19th century. The Black Rhinoceros stands about 5 feet at the shoulder, the body measuring about 10 feet round. The occasional White Rhinoceros has been found nearly 7 feet at the shoulder, and close on 14 feet round. Both types suffer from poor eyesight and are low in intelligence, but have a keen sense of smell and hearing. The White Rhinoceros has a straight, not a prehensile upper lip. Both have two horns, and cases have been reported of the larger front one reaching nearly 5 feet. The last Black Rhinoceros in the Cape was shot not far from Port Elizabeth in 1853” (Rosenthal 1967:450-451).

42

ARTIFICIALIA Rhinoceros Or nament Rhinocerotidae

Date Undated Acquired March 2021 Origin Unknown From Rosebank Market, Jhb Size 70mm x 95mm x 26mm Price R30 43

1 Penny - George VI

Country:

South Africa

Translation:

George vi King Emperor

King:

George VI (1936-1952)

Engraver:

Thomas Humphrey Paget

Type:

Standard circulation coin

Reverse:

A ship, ‘Dromedaris’,

Years:

1937-1947

sailing to right, a legend

Value:

1 Penny = 1/12 Shilling =

in English and Afrikaans

1/240 Pound (1/240)

either side, with date above

Pound (1825-1961)

and denomination below

Currency:

Composition: Copper

Lettering:

South Africa 1937 South

Weight:

9.48 g

Diameter:

31.0 mm

Engraver:

George Kruger Gray

Thickness:

2.04 mm

Edge:

Smooth

Shape:

Round

Comments:

The Dromedaris is one of

Orientation:

Medal alignment

Africa

the three vessels which

Demonetized: 03-31-1961 Obverse:

Lettering:

brought Jan van Riebeeck

Portrait of George VI, King

and his small group of

of United Kingdom, Great

settlers to South Africa

Britain, Northern Ireland

from Holland in 1652

and other dominions of the

in order to establish a

Commonwealth from 1936

refreshment station on

to 1952, facing left

behalf of the Dutch East

Georgivs vi Rex Imperator

India Company.

htt ps://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces3202.html

44

ARTIFICIALIA Coin, 1 Penny

Date 1937 Acquired Memory Fails Origin South Africa From Memory Fails Size See Information on Left Price Memory Fails 45

1 Cent 1st decimal series

Book truncated to 50 pages. Please contact dpretorius@uj.ac.za for full version

Country:

South Africa

Period:

Republic of South Africa

Lettering:

Eendrag Maak Mag * Unity Is Strength

(1961-date)

Designer:

Willie Myburg

Type:

Standard circulation coin

Reverse:

Covered wagon

Years:

1961-1964

Lettering:

South Africa·1963·Auid-

Value:

1 Cent (0.01 ZAR)

Currency:

Rand (1961-date)

Afrika Designer:

Hilda Mason

Composition: Brass

Edge:

Plain

Weight:

9.42 g

Mint:

Pretoria, South Africa

Diameter:

31.0 mm

Comments:

There is a rare 1961 variety

Thickness:

2.0 mm

(Hern#R5) with full

Shape:

Round

ground cover under the

Demonetized: Yes

wagon on the reverse. Hern

Obverse:

Portrait of Jan van

estimates the original

Riebeeck (1619-1677), Dutch

mintage to be in the region

colonial administrator

of 80 but states that only

and founder of Cape Town.

12 are known.

The motto in Afrikaans and in English : “Power through Unity”

htt ps://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces2879.html

46