Manticore 1730 - 1740

This small porcelain sculpture of a Manticore was crafted in Vienna. The white glaze punctuated by touches of purple creates a striking visual contrast that accentuates the creature's bizarre features. The Manticore, a mythical beast with the body of a lion, a human face, and a scorpion's tail, is a composite being. Its construction challenges our innate understanding of natural forms, and destabilizes the established categories of the animal and human worlds. The smooth, almost ethereal quality of the porcelain lends a surreal touch to the already fantastical subject. Notice how the artist used subtle gradations in the glaze to bring out the texture of the fur. The unnerving, hybrid nature of the Manticore confronts us with the fluidity of identity and the instability of fixed meanings. Ultimately, the Manticore invites us to question the boundaries we impose on the world and to embrace the power of the imagination to transcend limitations.