Lion, Dragon and Fox
1520/30
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 11.3 × 15.8 cm (4 1/2 × 6 1/4 in.); Sheet: 11.4 × 16.1 cm (4 1/2 × 6 3/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
43219
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Based on a lost drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, this oval allegory of battling mythical beasts was translated into several different engravings by Italian Renaissance artists as well as by Jean de Gourmont. The banner above the three animals reads “Ergo,” literally meaning “therefore,” a term whose broader significance within this setting is unknown. The print may be a civic political emblem of the lion of Venice attacking the Milan dragon, with an unaffiliated fox as onlooker.