Beehive, historical artwork. Bees are seen in and around the beehive, which is set in a recess known as a bole. The rest of the artwork includes mythical figures at left and right (fauns), and at top, either side of a sheaf of wheat, two lions rampant (a common heraldic symbol). Medieval European beehives, like this one, were generally made from coils of grass or straw, and as such are more properly called skeps. The process of obtaining honey from a skep destroyed it and the bee colony. This artwork is from a book published in 1580.