Lopende leeuw 1565 - 1630

This is Antonio Tempesta’s ‘Lopende leeuw,’ or ‘Running Lion,’ an etching made sometime between 1570 and 1630. The lion strides across the frame, rendered in fine, closely-knit lines that build up a sense of texture and volume. Look closely at how Tempesta uses hatching to define the muscles and contours of the lion’s body, creating a rich interplay of light and shadow. The lion's mane is a flurry of curls. The landscape is minimal, yet enough to suggest that the lion’s energy is contained and directed, as if caught within a constructed space. The lion strides confidently, but his rather bewildered expression, in combination with the small scale of the print, undermines any reading of the lion as a symbol of power. Rather, the image destabilizes the conventional image of the lion as regal and dominating. The dense network of lines and textures invites prolonged visual exploration. It is this emphasis on line and form that positions the image as an intriguing study in how a symbolic animal can be refigured through artistic technique.