Studie af Lucius med æselhoved. Nedenfor studie til katten i Simo betror sig til Sosia 1743 - 1809

Nicolai Abildgaard rendered this pen and brown ink drawing, “Studie af Lucius med æselhoved. Nedenfor studie til katten i Simo betror sig til Sosia”, a title rather too long for such a small work. The composition is divided into two distinct zones, each containing a figure sketch. Above, Lucius, with his donkey’s head, sits hunched, contemplating a cup. Below, a cat is crouched low to the ground. The artist uses line and shadow to delineate form. Abildgaard’s study here reflects a broader artistic interest in exploring themes of transformation, identity, and the grotesque, influenced by classical literature and mythology. The choice of stark ink on paper serves to highlight the raw, almost unfinished quality of the study, inviting us to consider the process of artistic creation itself. Ultimately, it is Abildgaard's use of simple lines that conveys complex ideas about human and animal nature, and the porous boundaries between them. The sketch is not merely representational but an active interrogation of form and meaning.