Dimensions: image: 250 x 191 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This print, by an unknown artist from the British School, depicts two lions wrestling in a forest. I find the image quite intense. What symbolic significance do you see in this composition? Curator: The lion, a potent symbol across cultures, traditionally embodies courage, royalty, and primal power. Here, engaged in conflict, their struggle can be seen as a reflection of internal or external battles for dominance. Editor: So, the viewer is left to interpret what that conflict means in a broader sense? Curator: Precisely. The wrestling lions become a vessel, inviting us to project our own understanding of power, conflict, and perhaps even the darker aspects of human nature onto the scene. Editor: That's fascinating. It changes my perspective on the print entirely. Curator: Mine as well. It’s in that continuous interpretation that the symbolic resonance of the image lives on.