Getroonde Amor met dieren- en mensenparen 1790

Antoni Zürcher created this print, "Throned Amor with pairs of animals and people," sometime before his death in 1837. The imagery of this print offers an intriguing glimpse into the historical and cultural contexts that shaped ideas about love and relationships in the 18th and 19th centuries. Note the idealized figures of Justice and Religion who preside over the scene, implying that human and animal relationships are divinely ordained. Look at the depiction of Cupid sitting above the crowd, under an archway of palm trees. Animals and people are depicted in pairs, suggesting that relationships should be harmonious and balanced. But what happens when these relationships fall outside traditional expectations? Does it maintain established norms, or does it begin to question them?