Lion of Gripsholm Castle
The Lion of Gripsholm Castle is a notable example of bad taxidermy, in the museum of Gripsholm Castle, in Sweden. The lion is badly stuffed; and has a comically unrealistic face.
In 1731, the Bey of Algiers presented King Frederick I of Sweden with a lion, one of the first lions in Scandinavia. When alive, the lion was kept in a cage near Junibacken. When the lion died, it was stuffed and mounted; however, the taxidermist and the museum-keepers had never actually seen a lion before, and did not know how they were supposed to look. As a result, the lion was anatomically inaccurate, with a notably poorly modeled face.
In the 21st century, the badly-stuffed lion has been widely mocked.
