Discomedusae Schweibenquallen by Hernst Heackel

From Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur, this plate depicts Discomedusae Schweibenquallen — disc-shaped, free-swimming jellyfish arranged with Haeckel's characteristic eye for symmetry and biological truth. Each specimen is rendered with fine radiating lines that define the bell's structure, while trailing tentacles are drawn with a lightness that implies motion through water. The overall composition is dense but ordered, a scientific chart that reads as pure visual rhythm. The colour palette — cool blues, greens, and translucent whites — is both accurate and deeply atmospheric.

Printed as a canvas print in our Berlin studio, archival pigment inks give Haeckel's cool palette warmth and substance on cotton canvas. The woven surface adds physical depth to the translucent forms, making the medusae appear to float within the fabric of the print itself.