Describe the characteristics of the Second restoration in Lion Attacking a Dromedary's Exhibition in Pittsburgh.
In 2016, Lion Attacking a Dromedary was restored by the museum for a second time. As part of the restoration, the museum conducted tests on the animals using X-rays and DNA analysis techniques of the taxidermied animals to determine if they were genuine. Verreaux was known to fake records to inflate the selling price of his dioramas. The human figure was determined to be mostly synthetic, but, to the surprise of the museum, the head contained a human skull. It is unknown to whom the skull belongs or from where Verreaux collected the skull. Previously, it was thought that the human figure was only made of plaster, but there was some speculation that there could be human remains in the diorama. When asked about the chances of there being human remains in the male figure in 2009, the museum denied it was a possibility stating that "European sensibilities would not have embraced an exhibit that used human parts, even in 1867".In January 2017, the diorama went back on display in the foyer of the museum, after the museum rejected a proposal to move the diorama to the Carnegie Museum of Art and show it with other orientalist art. While the piece was moved, the name was changed from Arab Courier Attacked by Lions to Lion Attacking a Dromedary to better contextualize the piece. As a part of the unveiling, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History hosted a symposium about the restoration, the diorama, and its misrepresentation of North Africa.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History diorama taxidermied Dromedary DNA analysis techniques symposium orientalist Carnegie Museum of Art