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Confuciusornis as the Phoenix
12" x 13.75" |
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Confuciusornis is a common fossil from China, and is the first known bird with a full, toothless beak. Its most distinctive feature exists on only half of the several hundred known specimens. A pair of long, thin tail feathers were presumably the male's display. Those tail feathers can't help but bring to mind the beautiful tail feathers of China's other famous bird, the phoenix. Feng huang is the name for the Chinese phoenix, which parallels nicely with the sexual dimorphism of Confuciousornis. Traditionally, phoenixes were separated by sexes - feng, the female, and huang, the male. |
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| Fossils of Confuciusornis have been examined by x-ray, and trace metals have been discovered that indicate two types of melanin pigments. The bird's colors are revealed in areas of whites, blacks, grays, and rusts. The feng huang bears the five sacred colors of China - white, black, red, yellow, and blue. It was a fun and a different kind of challenge to find a plausible color arrangement that fit the mythology, the science, and the visual aesthetics of the piece. |
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