Meet 'Queen Lillirat' — a taxidermy rat of the late Queen, made by a B.C.-born artist
Call it a royal with cheese. A Kamloops-born artist has created a loving tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth: a taxidermy rat wearing pearls, dressed appropriately with a handbag, and a corgi in tow.
Madi Lowe, who started selling taxidermy art in 2016, said she wanted to make the piece in "as respectful taste as [she] could" following the former Queen's death on Sept. 8.
Lowe, who describes herself as a fan of the Royal Family, said she got the idea for the piece after a friend gifted her a stress ball in the shape of a corgi — the late Queen's favourite breed of dog.
"My friend had bought me that corgi just because she thought I would like something weird," Lowe said with a laugh. "It's just been sitting up on display for a long time, so I'm so glad that it has a really, really good use now."
Lowe's piece features the stuffed rat — which she dubbed "Queen Lillirat" — in a tiny red woollen pantsuit sewn by Lowe herself, and a large hat.
The taxidermied animal is posed in front of a miniature picture of a sitting room in Buckingham Palace, along with a mini tea set.
"It is early days but people have reacted really well," said Lowe, who currently lives near Devonport, in northern Tasmania, Australia. "This is the first one that I've done in a while, so I think my first post back did pretty well.
"Most people are saying she looks so regal. It's beautiful."
Lowe's creation is now on sale on eBay for $75 Aus (approx. $67 Cdn), and she says she hopes there's something there for Royal Family fans like her.
First taxidermy workshop in England
Lowe says she has a deep connection to the Royal Family. She was in England, as part of a trip across Europe, for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
It was in England that she attended her first taxidermy workshop, where she practiced on mice as part of a beginner's course.
After that, she found herself out of work for a while — which meant she could harness her craft some more. Shortly after, she decided to make money off her hobby, making multiple commissions.
"I just continued doing markets and I made an Etsy shop," she said. "It's just grown from there. It's really great.
"There's a niche for everybody. When I first did my Etsy shop and I filled the shop, it was empty in so little time."
While she uses Barbie clothes, and occasionally commissions clothes for her rats, Lowe also learned how to sew as part of her process.
"I did go to a sewing class in Kamloops and it was just me and some older ladies who were making clothes for their grandkids," she said. "I brought my little rat and said I'm making something that will fit this rat, and freaked everyone out."
Lino Grifone, a taxidermy practitioner and instructor based in Castlegar, B.C., said the hobby has been taking off in the last few years.
"I've been teaching it now for nearly three decades, and I find that probably eight out of 10 of the students I take on are young ladies and women," he said.
As for the most critical part of her work — the dead rodents themselves — Lowe largely sources them from pet food suppliers, who use them to feed snakes.
"I try to keep it ethical in that way," she said. "Or if I have found naturally already dead animals that are in good enough condition … instead of them staying as roadkill, [I] can turn them into something."
Achieved fame as part of CBC fan contest
Lowe's rats have been famous before. In 2019, she made an installation depicting the family from CBC comedy show Schitt's Creek. It was part of a CBC Superfan Contest.
Though her rats didn't win the contest, she said she was pleasantly surprised to see the rats with series creator Dan Levy anyway — on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
"With the time difference, I had no idea. I woke up and just saw that this had blown up," she said.
However, she said she has no plans to go to England and present the Royal Family with Queen Lillirat.
"For some reason, I feel like King Charles might not react the same."
