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Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein

This etching represents a zoomorphic reinterpretation of the famous Laocoön Group sculpture, which, during the eighteenth century, was widely regarded as the paragon of classical artistic tradition. As he created this work, Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein was actively experimenting with comparative physiognomy, a practice that explored analogies between the human and animal world. The transformation of the sculpture’s human figures into lions is not the only alteration; the etching also embeds the scene into a rich natural landscape. Formal echoes, such as similarities between the lion’s tufted mane and the vegetation draped over the rocks, suggest a continuation of Tischbein’s interest in metamorphosis into the vegetal world. The rocky outcroppings meticulously frame the tumbling arrangement, giving the impression of a drama that has been momentarily paused. This raises the question: is the natural world around us a stage?

— Ellis LeBlanc