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Painted portrait of a gray short-coated Devon Rex cat with large ears in a navy velvet coat with gold epaulettes and braid. 17 / 24

All Hands on Deck: the Admiral Is Watching, and He Has Very Big Ears

AI imagedevon rexroyal portraittudor

All hands on deck: the admiral is watching. A gray Devon Rex with huge, wing-like ears, fine wavy fur, and sharp golden eyes stares out with a no-nonsense expression worthy of any fleet commander. His navy velvet coat is heavily decorated with golden braid, embroidered roses, and oak leaves, and a pair of fringed gold epaulettes sit squarely on his shoulders. A high stiff collar frames his slender neck. Behind him, a deep red and olive wall hanging is patterned with stylized pomegranates and thistle-like blossoms.

Henry VIII invested heavily in the English navy, building up a fleet of warships to defend the coasts and project royal power. His most famous ship, the Mary Rose, sank in 1545 during a battle with the French, and its remains were raised from the seabed in 1982. Remarkably, archaeologists found the skeleton of a small dog aboard, believed to have been a ship's dog, and he has since been nicknamed Hatch. Animals were common on ships of the period, where cats and dogs helped keep rats away from food stores. As for those fringed epaulettes, they belong to naval uniforms of later centuries.

Our admiral, however, seems confident that he has always been in charge of the seas. With ears like radar dishes and a stare that could stop a mutiny, he looks more than ready to steer the royal fleet through any storm.

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