Female Angler Fish with Parasitic Male

Tim Jerman, Female Angler Fish with Parasitic Male, 1999, flameworked glass, 5 584 381 58 in. (14.211.24.1 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
Dimensions
5 584 381 58 in. (14.211.24.1 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

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 (1036 items)

William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Man, ca. 1935-1938, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.814
Portrait of a Man
Dateca. 1935-1938
oil on burlap
On view
William H. Johnson, Tehran Conference, ca. 1945, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.647
Tehran Conference
Dateca. 1945
oil on plywood
On view
William H. Johnson, Jim, 1930, oil on canvas, mounted on masonite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.748
Jim
Date1930
oil on canvas, mounted on masonite
On view
William H. Johnson, Ferry Boat Trip, ca. 1943-1944, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1011
Ferry Boat Trip
Dateca. 1943-1944
oil on paperboard
On view

Audio

TIM JERMAN

Born: Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 1957

Female Angler Fish with Parasitic Male

1999, glazed earthenware

 

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