#WorldOstrichDay
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krspeace.bsky.social
#WorldOstrichDay #Ostrich #flightlessbirds #Africa #Africananimals #Africanbirds #Wildlife #artmonday #Largestbird #aiartcommunity #aiartwork #aiartist #artlover #aiillustration #artdaily #artcommunity #minimalism #artsky #blueskyai #randomart #nightcafeartist #minimalistic #artchallenge #krspeace
February 3, 2025 at 11:37 AM
cwart.bsky.social
Today is #GroundhogDay and #WorldOstrichDay.

#illustration
Aubrey Ostrich and Ginny Groundhog are dancing together on pointe. The message on the top left says "Happy Groundhog Day and World Ostrich Day".
February 2, 2026 at 10:04 AM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
#WorldOstrichDay:
Mimi Korach Lesser (USA, 1922-2018)
Modernist #Ostriches, n.d.
Acrylic on canvas, 50" x 68"/ Framed 54" x 72"
www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6509873...
official auction photo of the artwork in thin frame “Large Modernist realist painting of Ostriches with eggs.”
February 2, 2026 at 10:29 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay :
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Feb 3
#WorldOstrichDay :
In Raphael's fresco mural of Pope Urban I at Sala di Costantino, Vatican Palace (c.1519-20), Lady Justice is depicted with her usual scales in left hand, but her traditional sword in right hand is replaced with...an #ostrich. But why? 🤔 See ALT & follow-up posts for answer!
Detail of Raphael's fresco mural of Pope Urban I depicting Lady Justice (labeled JVSTITIA) seated to his right, with her usual scales in left hand but with an ostrich in her right instead of the usual sword. Sala di Costantino, Vatican Palace, c.1519-20. So here's how an ostrich got in there: "Raphael’s oil mural Lady Justice in the Sala di Costantino, Vatican Palace, 1519-20. Replacing the traditional sword in Justice’s hand with a naturalistically-painted ostrich, Raphael paints an enigma. The ostrich had meant many things in the Middle Ages and Antiquity, but not justice. Instead, Raphael’s invention is based upon a Renaissance understanding of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. In ancient Egypt, the soul’s passage to the underworld was determined by weighing the heart against an ostrich feather [Ma'at's Feather of Truth], and so the hieroglyph for justice is an ostrich tail feather.* Raphael brought this arcane hieroglyph to life and playfully hid the tail, forcing the viewer to search for the meaning. Justice is labeled, but what is the bizarre exotic bird doing in the halls of power of the Vatican?" [from The Ostrich: An Unexpected Allegory, linked in follow-up post] * *Here is how that hieroglyph is currently interpeted (Gardiner number H6) - it's not a direct symbol for Justice, but as a symbol for Maat, who in turn was the goddess of truth, cosmic balance, and yes, justice: bliateral phonogram for "Shu" logogram for "feather" logogram for "Maat" determinative in "Maat"
February 2, 2026 at 10:01 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay :
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Feb 2
#WorldOstrichDay :
#Ostrich in the #Byzantine Diakonikon-Baptistery Mosaic, Mount Nebo, Jordan, 530 CE.
Look how it has the right # of toes - only living bird species w/only 2!
🆔There was an ostrich subspecies native to the Levant & Arabian Peninsula that persisted into mid-20th c.: S. c. syriacus.
detail of the ostrich from the Diakonikon-Baptistery mosaic, walking in side profile with leash around neck, depicted with two toes on each foot
February 2, 2026 at 10:01 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay :
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Feb 4
For a belated #WorldOstrichDay here’s Picasso's ostrich:
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973)
The Ostrich (L'Autruche)
Plate XVI from Eaux-fortes originale pour des textes de Buffon (Histoire naturelle)
1936, published 1942
aquatint & drypoint, 26.5x21.8cm (page 36x28.5cm)
www.moma.org/collection/w...
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) The Ostrich (L'Autruche) Plate XVI from Eaux-fortes originale pour des textes de Buffon (Histoire naturelle) 1936, published 1942 aquatint and drypoint from an illustrated book with thirty-one aquatints Dimensions: composition (irreg.): 10 7/16 x 8 9/16" (26.5 x 21.8 cm); page: 14 3/16 x 11 1/4" (36 x 28.5 cm) Publisher: Fabiani, Paris Printer: Lacourière, Paris Edition: 226 Credit: Museum of Modern Art, New York The Louis E. Stern Collection Object number 976.1964.16 © 2023 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York [educational use]
February 2, 2026 at 10:01 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay :
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Jan 17
Enameled gold mounted baroque pearl jewel in form of #ostrich set with diamonds & rubies
Flemish, 16th c.
55 x 32 mm
Collection of Anna Maria de'Medici (#2556), Treasury of the Grand Dukes, Palazzo Pitti, Florence.
#BirdsInArt
archival photo of the object on side profile against white background Baroque pearl used as body of the ostrich upon which the rest of the bird was formed with gold and jewels as described; one leg is raised and holding large ruby in its claws; entire bird is set upon a pedestal Anna Maria de'Medici had a passion for collecting such baroque pearl curios, each fashioned into different figures that could be animal or human, real or fantastical. image via http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2014/08/09/30385242.html
February 2, 2026 at 10:01 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay :
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Mar 19
#MetalMonday:
#Ostrich egg ewer
England (London), c.1675
Ostrich egg with silver gilt mounts
27.5 x 22.2 x 13cm (10 13/16 x 8 3/4 x 5 1/8in.)
On view at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
#birdsinart
“Ewer is composed of an ostrich egg set vertically on a stepped spreading foot embossed w/ acanthus leaves against a matted ground. 4 flat vertical straps w/ foliate outline support egg & are attached at top to spool-shaped neck that is embossed w/ bands of acanthus foliage. Spout is in the form of an ostrich's neck & head. S-shaped handle is modeled w/ acanthus foliage & abstract auricular motifs surrounding claw. Domed cover is embossed w/ acanthus foliage; has a finial in the form of a berry & a thumbpiece in the form of bud. Foot is raised, embossed, & chased & has applied base wire. It is soldered to raised cup-shaped disk w/ pierced & engraved border that supports base of egg. 4 straps arc formed of flat sheet w/ pierced & engraved borders; hinged at base to disk & at top to shoulder of ewer. Shoulder & neck are formed of 3 raised pieces, embossed & chased. Handle is cast in 2 pieces; it is pinned to cast cluster of acanthus leaves soldered onto one of the straps.”
February 2, 2026 at 10:01 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay :
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Feb 2
#WorldOstrichDay :
Marianne North (British, 1830-90)
'Coming Out' of a Cape Beauty
South Africa, c.1882
Oil on board, H 25.4 x W 35.4 cm
Marianne North Gallery @ Kew Gardens MN451
www.kew.org/mng/gallery/...
via ArtUK
artuk.org/discover/art...
🆔 Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) chicks
#WomenArtists
oil painting in landscape orientation of two hatching ostrich eggs, one on left with chick peeking out of a hole in the shell, one on right with chick's head and part of body emerged from shell, with bits of eggshell strewn about
February 2, 2026 at 10:00 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Sorry it's a day late - the February social media calendar is now up: arthistoryanimalia.com/calendar/
Today (2 Feb) is a busy day - it is #GroundhogDay (USA) / #MarmotDay (Alaska) / #HedgehogDay (Europe), #WorldOstrichDay, AND #WorldWetlandsDay! Stay tuned for posts for all of them! :)
CALENDAR (New!) – ART HISTORY ANIMALIA
This is a brand new feature and I am still working on filling in events for the year. Right now only January is up and running. Stay tuned for further updates!
arthistoryanimalia.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:48 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
#BookRecommendation for #WorldOstrichDay :
Ostrich [Animal series] (2013)
amzn.to/4aKCPCN via #AmazonAssociates
Ostrich (Animal)
Buy Ostrich (Animal) on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders
amzn.to
February 3, 2025 at 2:18 AM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
#WorldOstrichDay :
In Raphael's fresco mural of Pope Urban I at Sala di Costantino, Vatican Palace (c.1519-20), Lady Justice is depicted with her usual scales in left hand, but her traditional sword in right hand is replaced with...an #ostrich. But why? 🤔 See ALT & follow-up posts for answer!
Detail of Raphael's fresco mural of Pope Urban I depicting Lady Justice (labeled JVSTITIA) seated to his right, with her usual scales in left hand but with an ostrich in her right instead of the usual sword. Sala di Costantino, Vatican Palace, c.1519-20. So here's how an ostrich got in there: "Raphael’s oil mural Lady Justice in the Sala di Costantino, Vatican Palace, 1519-20. Replacing the traditional sword in Justice’s hand with a naturalistically-painted ostrich, Raphael paints an enigma. The ostrich had meant many things in the Middle Ages and Antiquity, but not justice. Instead, Raphael’s invention is based upon a Renaissance understanding of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. In ancient Egypt, the soul’s passage to the underworld was determined by weighing the heart against an ostrich feather [Ma'at's Feather of Truth], and so the hieroglyph for justice is an ostrich tail feather.* Raphael brought this arcane hieroglyph to life and playfully hid the tail, forcing the viewer to search for the meaning. Justice is labeled, but what is the bizarre exotic bird doing in the halls of power of the Vatican?" [from The Ostrich: An Unexpected Allegory, linked in follow-up post] * *Here is how that hieroglyph is currently interpeted (Gardiner number H6) - it's not a direct symbol for Justice, but as a symbol for Maat, who in turn was the goddess of truth, cosmic balance, and yes, justice: bliateral phonogram for "Shu" logogram for "feather" logogram for "Maat" determinative in "Maat"
February 3, 2025 at 12:56 AM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
#WorldOstrichDay :
#Ostrich in the #Byzantine Diakonikon-Baptistery Mosaic, Mount Nebo, Jordan, 530 CE.
Look how it has the right # of toes - only living bird species w/only 2!
🆔There was an ostrich subspecies native to the Levant & Arabian Peninsula that persisted into mid-20th c.: S. c. syriacus.
detail of the ostrich from the Diakonikon-Baptistery mosaic, walking in side profile with leash around neck, depicted with two toes on each foot
February 2, 2025 at 10:35 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
#WorldOstrichDay :
Marianne North (British, 1830-90)
'Coming Out' of a Cape Beauty
South Africa, c.1882
Oil on board, H 25.4 x W 35.4 cm
Marianne North Gallery @ Kew Gardens MN451
www.kew.org/mng/gallery/...
via ArtUK
artuk.org/discover/art...
🆔 Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) chicks
#WomenArtists
oil painting in landscape orientation of two hatching ostrich eggs, one on left with chick peeking out of a hole in the shell, one on right with chick's head and part of body emerged from shell, with bits of eggshell strewn about
February 2, 2025 at 10:12 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Mar 5
#MonochromeMonday:
Chiura Obata (Japanese-American, 1885 – 1975)
Untitled (#Ostrich), c. 1930s
sumi-e; ink on paper
Private collection; photographed on display at Smithsonian American Art Museum’s “Chiura Obata: American Modern” exhibition in 2019
photograph of the work in white mat on display at museum: sumi-e (traditional Japanese ink brush painting), black ink, naturalistic illustration of a single standing ostrich against an empty background, back end profile with face turned towards viewer; signature + red stamp on lower right corner
February 2, 2025 at 8:24 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Mar 19
#MetalMonday:
#Ostrich egg ewer
England (London), c.1675
Ostrich egg with silver gilt mounts
27.5 x 22.2 x 13cm (10 13/16 x 8 3/4 x 5 1/8in.)
On view at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
#birdsinart
“Ewer is composed of an ostrich egg set vertically on a stepped spreading foot embossed w/ acanthus leaves against a matted ground. 4 flat vertical straps w/ foliate outline support egg & are attached at top to spool-shaped neck that is embossed w/ bands of acanthus foliage. Spout is in the form of an ostrich's neck & head. S-shaped handle is modeled w/ acanthus foliage & abstract auricular motifs surrounding claw. Domed cover is embossed w/ acanthus foliage; has a finial in the form of a berry & a thumbpiece in the form of bud. Foot is raised, embossed, & chased & has applied base wire. It is soldered to raised cup-shaped disk w/ pierced & engraved border that supports base of egg. 4 straps arc formed of flat sheet w/ pierced & engraved borders; hinged at base to disk & at top to shoulder of ewer. Shoulder & neck are formed of 3 raised pieces, embossed & chased. Handle is cast in 2 pieces; it is pinned to cast cluster of acanthus leaves soldered onto one of the straps.”
February 2, 2025 at 8:24 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Jan 17
Enameled gold mounted baroque pearl jewel in form of #ostrich set with diamonds & rubies
Flemish, 16th c.
55 x 32 mm
Collection of Anna Maria de'Medici (#2556), Treasury of the Grand Dukes, Palazzo Pitti, Florence.
#BirdsInArt
archival photo of the object on side profile against white background Baroque pearl used as body of the ostrich upon which the rest of the bird was formed with gold and jewels as described; one leg is raised and holding large ruby in its claws; entire bird is set upon a pedestal Anna Maria de'Medici had a passion for collecting such baroque pearl curios, each fashioned into different figures that could be animal or human, real or fantastical. image via http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2014/08/09/30385242.html
February 2, 2025 at 8:23 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
Resharing for #WorldOstrichDay
animal-aspects.bsky.social Animal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · Feb 4
For a belated #WorldOstrichDay here’s Picasso's ostrich:
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973)
The Ostrich (L'Autruche)
Plate XVI from Eaux-fortes originale pour des textes de Buffon (Histoire naturelle)
1936, published 1942
aquatint & drypoint, 26.5x21.8cm (page 36x28.5cm)
www.moma.org/collection/w...
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) The Ostrich (L'Autruche) Plate XVI from Eaux-fortes originale pour des textes de Buffon (Histoire naturelle) 1936, published 1942 aquatint and drypoint from an illustrated book with thirty-one aquatints Dimensions: composition (irreg.): 10 7/16 x 8 9/16" (26.5 x 21.8 cm); page: 14 3/16 x 11 1/4" (36 x 28.5 cm) Publisher: Fabiani, Paris Printer: Lacourière, Paris Edition: 226 Credit: Museum of Modern Art, New York The Louis E. Stern Collection Object number 976.1964.16 © 2023 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York [educational use]
February 2, 2025 at 5:07 PM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
For a belated #WorldOstrichDay here’s Picasso's ostrich:
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973)
The Ostrich (L'Autruche)
Plate XVI from Eaux-fortes originale pour des textes de Buffon (Histoire naturelle)
1936, published 1942
aquatint & drypoint, 26.5x21.8cm (page 36x28.5cm)
www.moma.org/collection/w...
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) The Ostrich (L'Autruche) Plate XVI from Eaux-fortes originale pour des textes de Buffon (Histoire naturelle) 1936, published 1942 aquatint and drypoint from an illustrated book with thirty-one aquatints Dimensions: composition (irreg.): 10 7/16 x 8 9/16" (26.5 x 21.8 cm); page: 14 3/16 x 11 1/4" (36 x 28.5 cm) Publisher: Fabiani, Paris Printer: Lacourière, Paris Edition: 226 Credit: Museum of Modern Art, New York The Louis E. Stern Collection Object number 976.1964.16 © 2023 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York [educational use]
February 4, 2024 at 3:49 AM
animal-aspects.bsky.social
#BookRecommendation for #WorldOstrichDay:
Raphael's Ostrich by Una Roman D’Elia (2016) amzn.to/3JBxWAs via #AmazonAssociates
(which, despite the name, doesn't only focus on Renaissance ostriches but also offers a broad survey of ostrich iconography going back to ancient Egypt)
Raphael’s Ostrich: D’Elia, Una Roman: 9780271066400: Amazon.com: Books
Raphael’s Ostrich [D’Elia, Una Roman] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Raphael’s Ostrich
amzn.to
February 4, 2024 at 3:10 AM
leppeppel.bsky.social
It's #WorldOstrichDay, and in fiction, they're often shown burying their head to hide from perceived threats. In actuality, they don't do this.
In older works, they're shown holding a horseshoe in their beak, based on the idea they eat and digest metal. (They don't do this either.)

#MythologyMonday
an ostrich holding a horseshoe in its beak from a medieval manuscript
February 2, 2026 at 6:33 PM
leolupus.bsky.social
Today is #WorldOstrichDay! We all know they're the world's largest bird, but did you know they only have two toes on each foot? Here's a male on a misty morning in Ngorongoro Crater. #birds #animals #wildlife
February 3, 2024 at 6:31 PM
dailybillboardblog.bsky.social
Happy #WorldOstrichDay
Ostrich In Denial Free HIV test billboard
February 2, 2026 at 4:33 PM
onoonoono.bsky.social
Happy #WorldOstrichDay !
2nd February
February 2, 2026 at 6:11 AM