Letting go
In this piece, a female Gigantopithecus blacki holds onto the mummified corpse of her deceased infant - a behaviour observed in modern primates today who carry corpses of relatives, sometimes for weeks on end until they become mummified and skeletal. I thought it would be interesting to depict this in an ancient animal, along with showing complexity, grief and sentimental value.
Gigantopithecus blacki lived in Southern China during the early and middle Pleistocene. Although only fragments of teeth and jaw have been discovered, the general consensus is that it was the largest primate that ever lived - potentially over 600lbs and was probably similar to an orangutan in appearance. Despite it's size, it's diet likley consisted of grasses like bamboo, along with fruits and seeds.
Prints available on Red Bubble, Society 6 and Fine Art America.
A female Gigantopithecus blacki holds onto the mummified corpse of her deceased infant.