The Black Panther Near the Botanical Garden

20179 1⁄2 x 9 inches unframed, 16 x 16 1⁄2 inches framed $1,200

Watercolor on paper. Courtesy of the artist.

This unique drawing by Ido Michaeli is part of a series of preliminary studies for a tapestry by the artist titled Black Panther Got Loose from the Bronx Zoo (2017). The tapestry is based on a story reported in the New York Times in 1902 of a young panther that escaped from the Bronx Zoo, evaded a police pursuit, dove into the Bronx River, and swam to freedom. In this study, the panther experiences a moment of peace and reflection in the New York Botanical Garden. The project is inspired by the tradition of European tapestry making, and references The Hunt of the Unicorn (1495-1505), a tapestry from the late Middle Ages that depicts a hunt for a unicorn in the French countryside, which is part of The Met Cloisters collection in New York.

Ido Michaeli, *The Black Panther Near the Botanical Garden*, 2017, watercolor on paper.