Illustration til O. Specter, "Fabler for Børn" 1838

This is an illustration for O. Specter’s “Fabler for Børn” by Vilhelm Kyhn. Kyhn made the image in Denmark, during the 19th century, a time when the country was experiencing social change. As a genre, fables use animals to comment on human behaviour. Here, we see a fox stalking a rooster standing proudly on a heap. Behind him are the hen house and some chickens. It might be thought of as a metaphor for social hierarchies, perhaps the emerging middle classes challenging the old aristocratic order. Kyhn studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, which played a crucial role in shaping Danish art. He later became a professor, suggesting the importance of the art academy in the artistic production of this time. By looking into sources such as Kyhn’s diaries, letters, and teaching materials, we might understand the significance of this artwork, which, like all art, is shaped by the society in which it was made.