Luipaard met twee honden 1739 - 1797

Pierre François Basan created this etching, "Leopard with Two Dogs," sometime in the 18th century. It presents us with a scene of captivity, a leopard seemingly enclosed in a menagerie, with two dogs straining against their own enclosure, their aggression palpable. This image speaks to the Enlightenment-era fascination with the natural world, but also to the way that world was being categorized, controlled, and consumed by European society. The menagerie, a precursor to the modern zoo, was a place where the wealthy could display their power and knowledge, and where the public could gawk at the exotic. But what does it mean to reduce a creature to the status of spectacle? Is Basan critiquing this culture of display? To fully understand, we need to delve into the print culture of 18th-century France, looking at scientific illustrations, popular entertainments, and philosophical debates about the relationship between humans and animals. Only then can we begin to unpack the complex social and ethical questions that this image raises.