A Man Trapped between a Lion and a Serpent c. 1790s

Richard Cosway created "A Man Trapped between a Lion and a Serpent" using pen and brown ink, and brown wash. Cosway was an Englishman who lived through the upheaval of the American and French Revolutions. In this drawing, a nude man is caught between a lion and a serpent. It feels allegorical, as if the man is caught between two major threats. He strains against the lion, using a rock as a shield. The serpent, lurking below, presents another kind of danger. One might read this image as a commentary on the political tensions of the late 18th century, but Cosway was also a deeply eccentric man, interested in the occult and known for his flamboyant style. What does it mean to be trapped? The man is trapped in the landscape, but also in the social and political moment. The drawing evokes feelings of vulnerability. The viewer is invited to contemplate the precarious balance between power and fragility.