Gevleugelde zeestier met een sik c. 1526 - 1606

Curator: This engraving, dating from the late 16th century, is attributed to Adam Fuchs, and it’s titled *Gevleugelde zeestier met een sik* - or, in English, Winged Sea Bull with a Beard. Editor: My immediate impression is one of controlled, almost playful energy. The meticulous hatching creates a sense of robust form, but the subject itself—a mythological chimera—tempers any potential for bombast. Curator: Indeed, the image pulls from a very old tradition. Hybrid creatures such as this carry incredible symbolic weight. Throughout Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East, we see bulls associated with strength, virility, and kingship. Attaching wings elevates the concept, imbuing it with divine qualities. Editor: I'm struck by the dynamic composition. The engraver uses contrasting linear patterns—the tight coils of the bull's tail versus the parallel lines suggesting water—to lead the eye and articulate depth. It’s a tour-de-force of mark-making, isn’t it? Curator: The "sik", or beard, is a really interesting addition here as well. It adds a layer of wisdom and maturity. Think about the Mesopotamian Lamassu figures, or even the Greek Minotaur – they were rarely depicted with any signs of advanced age. Editor: I think it lends the creature a somewhat benevolent air, too. The geometric forms which suggest the waves upon which it rests provide an elegant contrast to the organic shapes, lending stability to the whimsicality of the subject. The image suggests potent, generative power, carefully contained and meticulously represented. Curator: And that careful representation—this very deliberate engraving—makes the image particularly powerful for its original audience. These images would've circulated, carrying artistic motifs across Europe. We see echoes of this in later heraldry, art, and architecture. Editor: It's quite striking how much cultural memory can be contained in something so small and unassuming. I admire Fuchs’ handling of space and line. There's a balance, and everything feels meticulously calibrated. Curator: Seeing this print reminds me that myths aren't just stories but vessels through which civilizations transmit core beliefs and understandings about their world. Editor: Absolutely. Even through this lens of centuries, we find formal strategies and compositional balances offering meaning and generating wonder.