George Dante Studios

George Dante Studios Taxidermist, sculptor, naturalist. Focusing on specialized museum services.

isn’t just preservation, it’s transformation. It’s a multi-medium artform where organic meets inorganic, and biology b...
04/08/2025

isn’t just preservation, it’s transformation.
It’s a multi-medium artform where organic meets inorganic, and biology blends with sculpture, painting, sewing, and storytelling.

Each mount is a collaboration between nature and the artist’s hand: real bone and hide meet glass eyes, wire armatures, and clay forms. It’s beauty built in layers.

Preserving History at Sagamore Hill: Our Taxidermy “Stand-In”We were honored to take on a unique challenge at Sagamore H...
02/12/2025

Preserving History at Sagamore Hill: Our Taxidermy “Stand-In”

We were honored to take on a unique challenge at Sagamore Hill—the historic home of Theodore Roosevelt. Hanging in the front hallway is a Cape Buffalo trophy from Roosevelt’s 1910 safari.

Despite careful preservation by NHS Curatorial Staff, severe cracking due to temperature and humidity fluctuations required immediate action.

Our task? Create a temporary replacement that closely matched the original while ensuring it fit the existing space and hardware.

We began by sculpting a custom form that replicated the period-correct style of the original mount, paying special attention to the artistic details of the taxidermist’s work.

To reduce weight and stress on the existing hanger, we used a replica set of horns, making installation safer and easier. Every detail mattered—from sourcing glass eyes from the same era to fine-tuning the facial expression and eye set for an authentic look.

Swipe through the images to see the transformation and final installation. The first images are the original, the last is our new taxidermy.

Have you visited Sagamore Hill yet? Let us know if you’ve spotted our work!

A huge thank you to and for making this project possible.

While reflecting on what an incredible year 2024 has been, I was about to post a few of my favorite highlights when it s...
01/01/2025

While reflecting on what an incredible year 2024 has been, I was about to post a few of my favorite highlights when it suddenly hit me.

I can go on and on listing the many projects and accomplishments we enjoyed, how incredibly thankful we are for our clients, students, employees, and colleagues.

My appreciation is genuine, I want you all to know how much we love and respect you, but I saw how this can quickly turn from a message of thanks to a bragging session.

While playing with my girls today it dawned on me that having success in a career is not always about racking up accomplishments or wealth. It’s really about the precious gift of time. The hours, minutes, and seconds spent with those you love.

I am eternally grateful for a career that allows me to spend time with those who need me, and today, I raise this tiny glass and wish you all a happy, healthy, New Year.
- George ❤️
#2025

With a serious addiction to habitat material, a quick run to our plant supplier usually turns disastrous! ...
12/11/2024

With a serious addiction to habitat material, a quick run to our plant supplier usually turns disastrous!

The ethical and respectful persuit of game offers us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in nature and develop a deep, ...
11/26/2024

The ethical and respectful persuit of game offers us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in nature and develop a deep, personal understanding of the wildlife around us.

It’s about sight and sound — it’s learning to rely on all our senses, becoming attuned to the environment, and moving quietly within it.

Hunting becomes a form of meditation, a careful game of strategy and patience. It must be a respectful practice, where every action is guided by an understanding and appreciation for the creatures we share this world with.


If you know, you know……
07/11/2024

If you know, you know……

What an incredible class this past weekend!!!!!!
06/26/2024

What an incredible class this past weekend!!!!!!

Properly cleaning taxidermy is far beyond a feather duster and a bottle of Windex. In fact, the common ways in which we ...
05/22/2024

Properly cleaning taxidermy is far beyond a feather duster and a bottle of Windex. In fact, the common ways in which we clean taxidermy can actually do more damage, causing it to lose its value and shorten its lifespan. Through we’re offering a rare opportunity to learn proper cleaning and care in an intensive 2-day, hands-on workshop at our studio. This course is lead by 2 of the world’s leading museum conservators Bethany Palumbo and Fran Richie There are a few spots left, follow the link tree in bio to learn more. I hope to see you there!

Most know I have made it my mission to push for more education on historic museum exhibits, the process of how they were...
01/29/2024

Most know I have made it my mission to push for more education on historic museum exhibits, the process of how they were created, and the artists who carried it out. If you don’t already, please follow us over at for more!

Here’s a rare look at the foreground artists working on Carl Akeley’s Gorilla Diorama at the American Museum of Natural History.
Botanical models including wild celery, Ruwenzori blackberry, Cusso and Tutsan trees were painstakingly created by these talented foreground artists.
We often talk about how many of the artists who built dioramas were never credited and sometimes forgotten. The least credited were the foreground artists. These individuals would accompany the expeditions and work tirelessly collecting the plants, soil, rocks, mosses, and more from the chosen site.
They were highly skilled at preserving material in the field, making molds and field notes of what could not be preserved, and packing this all safely for a return trip.
Once the construction of the diorama began, it was time to re-assemble all these parts of the puzzle exactly how they found it. This is another reason why some dioramas are valued as historic records of areas that may sadly no longer exist.

Replica Great Horned Owl - 100% artificial! Custom commissions now available through our partnership with ...
01/15/2024

Replica Great Horned Owl - 100% artificial! Custom commissions now available through our partnership with

01/11/2024

We are thrilled to announce that George Dante Studios is now the sole distributor in US and Canada for Gruber & Gruber's art work. Our collaboration with Ricardo and Guillermo is allowing us to bring our museums and private collectors a new level of hyper-realistic bird models and sculptures.
If you would like to discuss a custom project please email us at [email protected]

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!! ❤️
12/26/2023

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!! ❤️

Address

192 LACKWANNA Avenue
Woodland Park, NJ
07424

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

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