Johannes Gutenberg (German, 1398-1468) // Cock, 1453 // Printing press || Voted the “most provocative illustration of the 15th century” by readers of Esquire Magazine, this seductive depiction of a rooster captured the hearts and minds of blacksmiths and noblemen alike in the Rhone Alps region of south east France in the 1450s. Although the painter was tragically sentenced to death by public quartering for inciting and promoting a sexual revolution, the painting remains a timeless classic in art galleries across the world.