The Lion’s Den
In depth
This mural by Ceepil tells a story about the Prinsenhof district in Ghent. The (today inaccessible) Lion’s Den was also located near the Prinsenhof, referring to a zoo that already existed here in the 14th century.
At its peak, the Lion’ Den counted up to nine lions. There was also at least one bear in a bearhouse. Ceepil's style is perfect to refer to the cages in which these animals were kept and to show how much they were connected in this story.
According to stories, the animals were supposed to fight each other as entertainment. In 1360 an escaped lion killed three people and in 1549 a carer died after a lion bite.
The buildings depicted in the background of the work refer to the Zuiderpoort, the southern entrance to the Prinsenhof. The wall itself still has one of the very last remnants of the old structure. Only the Noordpoort is still intact.
Is there a historical story of your city that can be highlighted by street art? A nice addition to one of your tours? Wallin' will be happy to look with you at how we can illuminate this story!
About the
Artist
Cee Pil makes quality work at top speed, which makes it a pleasure to see him live somewhere. Through his experience in traditional painting and making hyper-realistic portraits of animals in particular, he is able to skillfully create this unique optical illusions. He combines several images with each other and achieves astonishing results every time.