ARMOR & ANIMALS

A museum educator takes a stab at comparing medieval arms and armor to lobster tails and other animal defenses.

Baill juxtaposes stock animal photos, some in color, some not, with photos of full suits or pieces of armor (ditto) from the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. These accompany either discussion-starting questions like “What do slimy snails and shining armor have in common?” or such audience-friendly observations as “A group of rhinos is called a crash.” Several of the photographed figures are too dark to make out smaller details easily, though, and except for a ladybug on a blade of grass, all are placed without visual context against low-contrast monochrome backgrounds that sometimes darken them further. Claims that rhinos can reach “their top speed in no time” and that armored knights could still run and jump are at best credulity stretching. A comment that every ring in a shirt of chain mail “is stamped with the name of an important person” is, frustratingly, not backed up with a closer look at the shirt. An appendix offers further details about the artifacts but not the animals—which leaves readers to guess, for instance, how that ladybug’s “bright color is a warning to other creatures.” Younger museumgoers might better arm themselves with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Can You Find It? series.

The premise of this series kickoff is better than the presentation.