Depiction of a hunter deceiving a Tiger, a tale found in Pliny’ s Natural History. The image itself is based on that from the bestiary Ashmole 1511, fol. 12r. Painted with white egg tempera mixed with mineral pigments, as well as a 24 karat gold leaf background.

The tiger in medieval literature

Tigers are first mentioned in the writings of some Greek and Roman authors, and described “as swift as an arrow”. In Pliny’ s Natural History the story of the tiger takes further shape:

“Pursued and surely to be overtaken on even the swiftest horse, which is frequently changed for a fresh one, the hunter is forced to give up the stolen cubs one at a time, each of which the tigress hurriedly returns to her den before again setting out in pursuit.”

Retrieved from penelope.uchicago.edu on 11-07-2022

However, in the image we don’ t see the thief giving up any cubs. This is a later transformation of the story, that originated from the end of the 4th century. Instead of giving up the stolen cubs one by one, the thief resorts to a deception:

“He throws down a glass sphere. The tigress is deceived by the image in it, and believes it is her cub. […] She […] sits down as if to suckle her cub. So the intensity of her motherly love betrays her, and deprives her of both her revenge and her cub.”

“Barber, Richard; “BESTIARY”, The Boydell Press, 1993 (p.29)”

This alteration appeared a few years after a dispute on religious tolerance between Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, and a pagan senator. His goal probably promoting a Christian moral, writing “just as the wild animal instinctively loves its brood, so parents should not be estranged from their own children, a son despising his father, a father disinheriting his son—all oblivious to the dictates of nature.”

If you would like to learn more about the origins and transformation of this story on the tiger, we recommend reading this excellent (external) web article.