Lion's head 

Editor: Here we have a pencil drawing of a Lion’s Head by Johann Heinrich Hasselhorst. It’s powerfully rendered, and the lion’s expression, that almost human furrow of the brow… what strikes you most about this drawing? Curator: I’m fascinated by the choice of subject. Lions, throughout history, have symbolized everything from royalty and courage to primal ferocity. What do you think this artist was trying to evoke by depicting this animal in such detail? It clearly isn’t a neutral study. Editor: That’s interesting! I suppose I hadn’t considered the lion as a loaded symbol. Maybe it was a comment on power? The expression definitely has a regal air, but also a sense of suffering, of being caged, perhaps? Curator: Exactly! The romantic era often wrestled with these kinds of conflicting ideas, and animals are frequently vehicles for communicating complex social commentary through symbolism. Does this portrayal alter your perception of lions, or of power structures of the era? Editor: Definitely. I’ll never see lions in quite the same way! It’s made me think about how artists can subtly imbue meaning through careful choices of subject and expression. Curator: It speaks volumes about cultural memory, doesn’t it? How an image, charged with history and symbolism, can echo through the ages, prompting us to question established orders. Thank you for noticing that detail, your insights about the suffering, in the king, ring true for a troubled, and caged, society.