Manticore before 1650

Antonio Tempesta created this engraving of a Manticore sometime between 1575 and 1630. During this time, the Western world was expanding through exploration and colonialism, leading to increased encounters with new cultures and species. The Manticore, a mythical creature with the body of a lion, the face of a man, and the tail of a scorpion, embodies this era's fascination with the exotic and unknown. How does it feel to look at this creature, a hybrid of human and animal? Such representations often reflect the prevailing cultural attitudes towards the "Other," where the monstrous symbolizes what is foreign or not understood. These images frequently served to reinforce the boundaries between the civilized and the uncivilized, the human and the bestial. The Manticore, therefore, is not just a fantastical beast, but a mirror reflecting the anxieties and biases of a society grappling with an expanding world.