"Peacock"

(B. 160) 1932 woodcut
Title print for the series "XXIV Emblemata"
one of only 25 fully signed examples of this rare print
(there were also 275 unsigned examples)

The peacock's radiating feathered tail follows a pattern quite similar to Escher's much later prints of Circle Limits and Path of Life. To illustrate such symmetry from nature is, to me, a strong statement of Escher's motivation and perception of art and order in the world. The patterns in the border are also quite remarkable, with complex geometry and reversals of black and white.