Atelier Van Lieshout

Predatory, Wise And Persistent

2021

Bronze

The eagle, owl and vulture are three of the many birds that have symbolic meaning as heraldic charges, but their degree of popularity varies greatly. The eagle is by far the most frequently employed heraldic bird. It was already used by the Holy Roman Empire and now graces the US’s Great Seal, the Albanian flag and the coat of arms of countries varying from Panama to Namibia. The owl was the primary symbol of Athens, its image the eyecatcher on the Greek drachma as well as part of the heraldry of aristocratic families. The vulture is the least appealing of the three. The scavenger plays a minor role in Iceland’s coat of arms and can be seen in Mali’s national seal, although some people argue the bird is a dove in flight.

The eagle symbolises strength while the owl stands for wisdom. The vulture’s opportunism is a considerably less attractive trait, but it is complementary to the other two. Together, the three birds are like the trio of monkeys from Japan: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. They don’t represent the morality of an ideal state, but reflect the reality of politics where the three forces interact.

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