The Fight with the Lion, 1830

Around 1829, the Biedermeier painter Friedrich Gauermann (1807–1862) started to depict wild animals, especially bears, wolves and lynxes in their typical habitats. This rendering of a lion killing a horse, however, is a singular occurrence in the artist’s oeuvre. The figure with the cudgel to the right may be a mythological allusion to Hercules fighting the lion. It is believed that Gauermann was granted access to the Imperial zoo in Vienna, where he created animal studies, via the Imperial-Royal court physician of Schönbrunn castle, Cajetan Fink. The artist was further inspired by engravings of animal fighting scenes by Johann Elias Ridinger (1698–1767). In this washed pen and ink drawing, with a strong chiaroscuro, Gauermann did not commit to any details. The sweeping lines further invest the rendering with a sense of drama and dynamics.

AGW 2023