A Lion and Lioness after the Kill

Like many of his fellow Hungarian artists in the 19^th century, Géza Vastagh worked throughout Europe before returning to his homeland later in his career. After receiving his initial artistic training under his father, who was also an artist, the young Vastagh was sent to Munich, alongside his brother György, for formal training. He made his exhibition debut there in 1883 at only 17 years old. A trip to Tunisia and Algeria in 1890 would prove formative for the artist, as it was there that he began painting lions, the subject for which he is best known today. Eventually he would come to travel extensively though the Middle East but maintained a regular presence at the major artistic exhibitions in Europe throughout his lifetime. He exhibited at the Paris Salon and received an honorable mention at the Exposition Universelle in 1900. The present work is a typical example of the artist's ability to capture the majesty and brute strength of the big cats he so often made his subject. While both lions and tigers make appearances in Vastagh’s oeuvre, the present work possibly depicts a liger, a hybrid between the two animals, as illustrated by the stripes on the back legs of the male.