lion and tortoise | pen & ink

This artwork captures a moment of pure curiosity — a lion cub encountering a tortoise, one of the bush’s most puzzling little creatures. Young lions learn about the world through play. Everything becomes an opportunity to test, explore, or chase, and tortoises, with their slow movements and hard shells, are irresistible targets for investigation. Cubs will paw, nudge, and roll a tortoise, trying to figure out what it is and how it works. The tortoise’s tough shell offers excellent protection, allowing it to withdraw safely while the cub experiments. These encounters rarely cause harm; instead, they teach the young lion important lessons about patience, problem-solving, and the limits of its developing strength.