Pristis pristis
around 1950
93 x 19 cm
108 x 21 cm (with stand)

Provenance: Swiss school collection

In the classical cabinets of curiosities of the 16th century, the sword of the saw-ray could not be missing. Its fascination lies not only in its iconic appearance and symmetry, but also in the implied interplay of danger and beauty. The brute and simple form is reminiscent of prehistoric times, of fantasy creatures and of dinosaurs. The saw ray is native to the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans and usually grows to around 5 metres in length. It uses the sword both as a weapon to strike back and forth quickly in a school of fish and as a tool to dig for food in the sand.
This is a particularly large and beautiful example of this naturalia, which was in a Swiss school collection for educational purposes.