Cartoon for the Frankfurt Butcher Philipp Mohr and His Wife Catherine 1596

Adam Elsheimer rendered this ink drawing, "Cartoon for the Frankfurt Butcher Philipp Mohr and His Wife Catherine," in 1596. Note the symbolic weight of the butcher's tools: the axe held by the figure emerging from the shield, and the ram's head above it, referencing sacrificial animals. Consider how motifs of sacrifice and power echo through time. The axe, an ancient symbol of authority, reappears in Roman fasces, bundles of rods signifying power and justice. The ram, too, has evolved, from ancient pagan offerings to its Christian adaptation representing Christ as the sacrificial lamb. These symbols tap into our collective unconscious, evoking primal emotions linked to survival, sacrifice, and societal order. The butcher's trade, providing sustenance, takes on a sacred dimension, connecting to age-old rituals. The artwork reflects a deep-seated human need to reconcile the taking of life with the sustenance it provides. The cyclical nature of these symbols shows how we negotiate these fundamental aspects of existence across generations.