Naked man wearing an elaborate helmet viewed from behind holding a banner, a lion seated on the ground 1495 - 1539

This engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi presents a scene brimming with symbols of power and vulnerability. A nude, muscular man, viewed from behind, wears an elaborate helmet and firmly holds a banner. A seated lion rests at his feet. Here, the lion traditionally represents courage, pride, and royalty, yet its submissive posture introduces a tension. The figure’s nudity contrasts sharply with the helmet— a symbol of war, but his bare skin implies exposure and humanity. This echoes in earlier depictions of Hercules, strength and heroism combined with human suffering. Consider the banner, a sign of victory, yet here it seems heavy, a burden. This harks back to classical antiquity where such symbols were intended to inspire awe and obedience. Raimondi subtly questions the emotional weight carried by these symbols, their power to both elevate and oppress, a question that resurfaces across art history, each time colored by its own era's anxieties.