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The image shows a figure in a lion's den feeding or battling the lions. The setting is a hexagonal arena with the central figure, covered with a red hood and a sleeveless garment, holding a piece of meat towards a pack of lions. One lion reaches towards the figure with an open mouth, while others surround the figure in a dynamic stance. The walls of the enclosure have architectural designs, with a barred door or window at the lower section, and trees with green foliage outside. The artwork features detailed lines and muted earth tones, resembling medieval manuscript illuminations.
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The image shows a figure in a lion's den feeding or battling the lions. The setting is a hexagonal arena with the central figure, covered with a red hood and a sleeveless garment, holding a piece of meat towards a pack of lions. One lion reaches towards the figure with an open mouth, while others surround the figure in a dynamic stance. The walls of the enclosure have architectural designs, with a barred door or window at the lower section, and trees with green foliage outside. The artwork features detailed lines and muted earth tones, resembling medieval manuscript illuminations.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

"Feed Not Things That Have Sharp Claws" [fol. 38 recto]

French early 16th Century

Date
1512/1514
Medium
pen and brown ink with watercolor on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 16.3 x 10.9 cm (6 7/16 x 4 5/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2006.11.44
Credit line
Woodner Collection, Gift of Andrea Woodner
Time span
1501 to 1550
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Portfolio and series

Series
Speculum principis (Mirror for Princes)

Subjects and terms

  • French
  • figure
  • Tree
  • Lion
  • Philosophy
  • Food
  • Jester
  • Wall
Provenance

(Sale, London, Sotheby's, 13 July 1937, lot 64); (sale, London, Sotheby's, 15-17 November 1937, lot 546); (sale, London, Maggs Bros., Ltd., catalogue 709, 1941, no. 30); (purchased by William H. Schab Gallery via Paul Graupe); purchased by Ian Woodner, New York, by 1973; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990.

NGA object ID 86052. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.