a historical taxidermy
Benedito Taxidermia
For two years I have collaborated with Benedito, the oldest taxidermy in Spain.
Benedito was founded in Valencia in 1870 by José María Benedito Mendoza, an excellent taxidermist of his time. Among his many positions was as a Preparer of the Cabinet of Natural History of the University of Valencia where he made a superb collection of birds and mammals that are currently preserved in the Museum of Sciences of Valencia.
Two of his seven sons followed the family tradition: Luis Benedito Vives, expert in mammals and introducer of the novel technique of dermoplasty and José María Benedito, expert in birds. They were the architects in the first half of the twentieth century to give life to the biological groups of the National Museum of Natural Sciences of Madrid.
The third generation, José Luis Benedito López, son of Luis, was a complete taxidermist as he made both birds and mammals perfectly. He was responsible for creating the numerous dioramas of the Museum of hunting of the Riofrio Palace in Segovia.
Currently and, after more than 150 years of art in taxidermy, the great-great-grandson of the founder, Carlos Benedito with the technical help of José Luis’s disciple René Soto, head of the workshop, together with a large team of taxidermists are in charge of continuing with this historic and exclusive family legacy.