Although unusual in paintings, tortoises can have several different readings, from love to slow and faltering political reforms.
Carducci
Two of Velázquez’ teachers, Herrera and Pacheco, his rival at court, the Italian Vicente Carducho, and his successor, Murillo. Paintings of a Golden Age.
Why are there two tortoises in the foreground of Moreau’s ‘Orpheus’? After a journey through Zen Buddhism, fables, and political allegory, the answer may be more obvious.
The Eclectic Light Company 