Wezen half hond en half geit before 1650

This etching, "Wezen half hond en half geit" by Antonio Tempesta, presents us with a chimeric creature rendered in meticulous detail. The image is dominated by the figure of a bizarre hybrid animal leaping across the frame, its body a fusion of canine and caprine forms. Tempesta's use of line is striking, creating texture that animates the creature's shaggy coat. The careful cross-hatching and varied line weights give depth to the landscape and volume to the figures. This evokes a sense of curiosity mingled with unease. The deliberate combination of incompatible forms challenges fixed categories, embodying a kind of visual paradox. The artwork prompts us to question the boundaries of nature, and the instability of meaning when confronted with the unfamiliar. Tempesta uses form to express the limits of what we accept as natural or possible, turning the very structure of the image into a philosophical statement.