According to Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a terrible, mythical beast with the head of a bull and the body of a man. Due to its monstrous form, King Minos of Crete ordered Daedalus, an inventive craftsman, to build an impossible maze in which to house the beast. The story of the Minotaur was a subject to which Ayrton dedicated an extensive portion of his career; alongside drawings, paintings, literature and even theatre, the artist created numerous bronze sculptures depicting this creature. In a similar vein to Picasso, whose many depictions of bulls aimed to dissect the animal to its essential qualities, Ayrton’s Minotaurs – though strong and imposing – humanise this beast by depicting him in surprisingly vulnerable poses. This particular bronze shows a seated Minotaur with his head lowered, perhaps deep in thought or engaged in lonely reflection. Ayrton’s sculpture empathetically presents us with a creature far less terrible than the myth would suggest.