Entree van het Altes Museum, Berlijn met de Löwenkämpfer van Albert Wolff en een wacht 1868 - 1870

This photograph by Johann Friedrich Stiehm captures the entrance of the Altes Museum in Berlin, dominated by Albert Wolff's sculpture "Lion Fighter." The sculpture depicts a man on horseback battling a lion—a motif resonant with ancient symbolism. This image echoes the classical theme of the hero's triumph over primal forces, a concept seen in the myth of Hercules battling the Nemean lion. Over time, the figure of the lion has also been associated with Saint Mark. This symbolism of man versus beast carries profound psychological weight. The struggle against the lion, deeply embedded in our collective memory, represents the human struggle to overcome base instincts and achieve higher ideals. Such displays of dominance were often commissioned to project power, engaging viewers on a visceral level and reinforcing cultural values through visual rhetoric. These images resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings, weaving a non-linear, cyclical progression through history.