Lion Taxidermy

When taxidermy’s techniques were perfected, in the 18th century, it was largely to assist amateur naturalists in their study of birds. A new decorative obsession, however, sees today's top designers making mounted and preserved animals such as taxidermy lions key elements of their projects.

Taxidermy captures animals in an eternal moment of animation, so perhaps it’s fitting that the deployment of these preternaturally preserved creatures — lion mounts, giraffe taxidermy and other natural specimens — as decorative accents has endured far longer than the sell-by-date for most design trends. Certainly, the style-setting enthusiasts of tasteful decorating with taxidermy are as passionate as they are many.

Martha Stewart is a lifelong lover of the preservationist’s art, and she has proudly posed with the vintage game birds, foxes and bears that adorn Skylands, her 1920s retreat in Seal Harbor, Maine. Angelina Jolie began an avian menagerie when her daughter Shiloh brought home a dead bird she wanted to keep as a pet. Danielle Steel has an elegant Paris residence packed with exotic specimens, including a giraffe in the foyer. Over-the-top taxidermy remains the flashy signature of party planner and decorator extraordinaire Ken Fulk.

Curiously enough, the latest iteration of this decorative trend had rather modest, if wry, beginnings. Mounted deer heads and antlers started appearing on the walls of hipster pads and boîtes around this century’s turn, when the young and design savvy were blending urban and rustic styles as part of a new back-to-nature movement. Then, in 2003, Brooklyn designer Jason Miller supercharged the movement’s ironic posture with his pricey ceramic-cast Superordinate Antler chandelier, which became a ubiquitous fixture in posh homes.

Today the king of the jungle can dramatically alter a space — in Manhattan, paired with an authentic Barcelona daybed, a roaring taxidermy lion takes the term "den" to a whole new level in a loft owned by American entrepreneur and conservationist Eric Goode. 

Find real taxidermy lions for sale on 1stDibs.