To capture the unique face of this orangutan, taxidermists built the facial structure with clay, using the death mask and other measurements as references.
Sculpting this clay maquette helped the team envision the pose in 3-D and plan the life-size model.
After days of prepping the hair, the orangutan is finally finished. Look for it in the “Primates” case, towards the back of the hall.
The secret to a lifelike mount is in finding just the right supporting structure and parts—from the perfect eyeball to an accurate head shape. This selection of commercially available glass and plastic eyes, ears, and tongues and plaster death casts of mammal features represent some of the products and processes that the taxidermists used to create the mounts.
PHOTO CREDITS
Carl Hansen
Paul Rhymer
Heather Rostker
Because primates are rarely mounted and commercially available forms did not suit the required pose, the team needed to build the entire supporting forms themselves—a huge collaborative effort that resulted in one of the most striking specimens in the hall.
Click on the photos to the left to view an enlarged version.
© 2006 Smithsonian Institution
