Tijgerkop 1874 - 1886

August Le Gras created this image of a tiger's head in an unknown year using etching. The tiger, a symbol of raw power and untamed nature, stares out at us. For millennia, across cultures, this majestic creature has embodied both fear and reverence. From the tiger hunts of ancient Rome to its symbolic role in Asian mythology, the tiger represents primal forces, courage, and even destruction. Think back to the mosaic floors of Pompeii depicting wild beasts, or forward to the Romantic paintings of Delacroix, where lions and tigers embodied the sublime power of nature. The tiger’s symbolism is not static, however; it evolves. In some Eastern traditions, it’s a guardian, a protector, while in the West, it often signifies untamed aggression. It is a creature laden with our own projections and fears. The emotional impact of the image lies in this duality, this tension between admiration and dread, triggering a subconscious connection to our deepest, most primal selves. This image speaks to a collective memory, a shared understanding of the tiger’s potent symbolism that transcends time and geography.