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Killing and skinning a polar bear, 12 February 1597
Veer, Gerrit de
In the foreground, a polar bear approaching the house is shot with a musket, then skinned. To the top right, its remains are buried, to avoid them attracting other bears. A crew member who had died on the 17th of January is also buried.
From the Wahrhafftige Relation, the German version of Gerrit de Veer’s journal, published in 1598. (See under ‘documentation’ for details.)
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