Syncerus caffer caffer (Cape buffalo) Possibly 1777 - 1786

Robert Jacob Gordon rendered this Cape buffalo in watercolor and graphite. The dominant visual symbol here is the buffalo itself, an animal that embodies raw power and untamed nature. In numerous cultures, the bull is associated with fertility, strength, and virility. The image of the bovine, with its curved horns, takes us back to ancient Minoan culture, where bulls held a central place in religious rituals, symbolizing male potency. The curved horns of the buffalo echo the crescent moon, further connecting it to cycles of nature. Yet, the placid expression of the buffalo in Gordon’s rendering tempers the virility and power of the animal, perhaps hinting at the domestication and subjugation of the natural world by colonial forces. This shift embodies the cultural and psychological tension of the observer. The emotional resonance of this image is deeply rooted in our collective memory, and the image of the buffalo triggers primal associations of power, nature, and the complex relationship between humanity and the animal kingdom. This illustrates how symbols recur and transform, their meanings ever in flux.