The Head of a Tigress (felis Tigris). Etching with Engraving 1825

John Frederick Lewis created this etching with engraving, titled "The Head of a Tigress". The tonality is subdued, dominated by shades of grey and black, evoking a sense of calmness and introspection. The composition focuses on the tigress's head and upper body, cropped to create an intimate encounter. Notice the use of line and shadow to articulate the animal's musculature and fur. The formal elements here—line, texture, and the strategic use of chiaroscuro— invite us to consider the animal not merely as a subject but as a study in form. Lewis's work invites a semiotic reading. The tigress, a symbol of raw power, is presented with a soft gaze, challenging traditional associations of wildness and aggression. How do these visual strategies destabilize established meanings? It's this tension between the symbolic coding of the subject and its formal representation that makes this piece particularly compelling.