This painting is about the legend of a runaway slave called Androcles who hid in a cave, but found there a lion in pain, with a thorn stuck in its paw. He helped the lion by removing the thorn, but he was soon recaptured and returned to slavery. His captors entertained themselves by throwing slaves to lions to fight them, and one day it was Androcles turn, but like the biblical story of Daniel in the lion's den, Androcles escaped death because one of the lions was the one he had helped, and it helped him too in return. The story's theme is the positive power, and reciprocal nature, of true kindness. Briton Rivière was an English painter known mostly for his paintings of animals, sometimes with their owners. Growing up in London, he would visit London zoo and sketch the animals. This painting is also like the strength card in the tarot. Also see our other painting by Briton Rivière like this called 'Una and The Lion.'
"I got a lot to say... I can't remember now." Ramones.
I am just a nice, normal person, the multi-creative, arty-hippie type, probably like most people on here, doing various things online and offline to make money...
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