Female Angler Fish with Parasitic Male

Tim Jerman, Female Angler Fish with Parasitic Male, 1999, flameworked glass, 5 5⁄8 x 4 3⁄8 x 1 5⁄8 in. (14.2 x 11.2 x 4.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund, 2000.26.2

Artwork Details

Title
Female Angler Fish with Parasitic Male
Artist
Date
1999
Location
Dimensions
5 5⁄8 x 4 3⁄8 x 1 5⁄8 in. (14.2 x 11.2 x 4.1 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
flameworked glass
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — fish — angler fish
Object Number
2000.26.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2000.26.2

Artwork Description

This piece illustrates the bizarre bond between the male and female anglerfish. The male attaches himself to the female to tap into her bloodstream for food. After a while, the male’s eyes and gills seal shut, his heart and respiration stop, and he becomes an appendage, living only to fertilize the female’s eggs. Tim Jerman’s vivid caricature accentuates the contrast between the large, dominant female and tiny, dependant male.

Works by this artist (5 items)

View all artworks
Henry Wolf, Howard Pyle, She Was Silent, 1889, wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.35
She Was Silent
Artist
Date1889
wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Henry Wolf, Howard Pyle, May Be "Shipwrecked", 1890, wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.41
May Be ​“Shipwrecked”
Artist
Date1890
wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Henry Wolf, Howard Pyle, Cooking a Camp Dinner, 1877, photomechanical wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.1
Cooking a Camp Dinner
Artist
Date1877
photomechanical wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Henry Wolf, Howard Pyle, Washington the Young Surveyor, 1888, wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.29
Washington the Young Surveyor
Artist
Date1888
wood engraving on paper
Not on view

Audio

TIM JERMAN

Born: Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 1957

Female Angler Fish with Parasitic Male

1999, glazed earthenware

 

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