Building on existing research, this project takes a new step forward by creating a systematic digital repository dedicated to the identification of animal and plant species in artworks. For the first time, artistic representations of nature will be brought together in an open-access database designed to support research, conservation, and discovery.

By collecting and connecting case studies from different periods and artistic contexts, the project aims to reveal unexpected links across time. Recurring visual models will make it possible to trace continuities showing how certain ways of depicting nature persist and transform through the centuries.

The database will serve as a living platform: a tool for better understanding individual artworks, but also a foundation for future studies and new digital resources that can further enrich it.