Alexander de Grote laat de manen en staarten van paarden en muilezels afsnijden c. 1655 - 1665

Leonaert Bramer created this drawing titled "Alexander the Great Orders the Manes and Tails of Horses and Mules to be Cut Off," using brush in gray. Notice how Bramer uses the monochromatic palette to emphasize the forms and actions within the scene. The composition is structured around a series of active figures attending to horses, set against a backdrop of tents. The artist employs a subtle gradation of tones to define the shapes and textures. The very act of cutting the manes and tails—an alteration of natural form—raises interesting questions. What does it mean to modify, control, or manipulate the organic for strategic or symbolic purposes? It destabilizes our understanding of the relationship between power, control, and the natural world. Bramer’s work invites us to reflect on how these elements might intertwine to communicate profound ideas about authority, order, and the manipulation of nature.