Painting: “King’s Helmet”

“King’s Helmet” by Leo Jahaan.
Oil on canvas, 2014.
100 cm x 120 cm.

“King’s Helmet” is based on a diagram originally published in 1856, depicting a type of sea shell known as ‘Cassis Tuberosa’ (common name ‘King Helmet’). In past centuries ‘Conchology’, the study of mollusc shells, was an extremely popular past-time. Each shell was of course once the exoskeleton of a living creature.  Cassis Tuberosa shells contain giant sea snails and shells have been found up to 30cm in length.