"Derby Eland"

The Derby eland (Taurotragus derbianus) is the largest antelope in the world. An adult male can exceed nine hundred kilograms and carries spiral horns that may reach one metre twenty, twisted around a longitudinal axis like a drill bit. The dewlap hanging at the throat, the mane at the neck, and the white vertical stripes on the flanks make it one of the most impressive antelopes of central and western Africa.

The half-length portrait in strict profile isolates what makes the species immediately distinctive: the spiral horn rising well above the head, and the mass of the neck with its characteristic dewlap. The graphite smudge deepens towards the rear of the body to let the horn — the most distinctive element — dominate the composition by contrast.