Lizard 1882 - 1892

This bronze Lizard by Emmanuel Frémiet is a curious menagerie of symbols. With the head of a lion, the body of a lizard, and goat horns, Frémiet’s chimera recalls the ancient world's fascination with hybrid creatures that served as guardians and symbols of power. The lion, traditionally a solar symbol associated with royalty, courage, and strength, here is melded with the lizard, an earthbound creature associated with regeneration, but also with the shadows and the subconscious. The presence of goat horns, attributes of Pan, adds a layer of raw, untamed nature to the creature's mystique. Such composite beings appear throughout history, from the Egyptian Sphinx to the Babylonian Lamassu, embodying a culture’s attempt to synthesize and control the natural world. Perhaps this Lizard mirrors our own internal struggle to reconcile intellect and instinct. The way we have always projected subconscious desires and fears onto the animal kingdom speaks to our perpetual quest for meaning. It serves as a potent reminder of our primal connection to the world.