Allegory: Combat of Animals in the Presence of a Man with a Shield c. 16th century

Editor: This is an intriguing engraving, titled "Allegory: Combat of Animals in the Presence of a Man with a Shield," by an anonymous artist. It looks like some sort of mythological battle scene. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Oh, how I love these chaotic dreamscapes! It feels like the artist has conjured up all the creatures from their wildest nightmares. Is the man with the shield a protector, or merely a spectator to this bestial madness? Perhaps he's trying to conjure the beast to show itself. What do you think? Editor: I'm not sure, but it does make me wonder about the shield. I hadn't considered it that way before. Curator: Exactly! And that's the beauty of art, isn't it? Each of us brings our own baggage, our own interpretations, to this strange and wonderful circus.