Risk circa 1600
Two Children Teasing a Cat
Annibale Carracci (Italian, Bologna 1560–1609 Rome).
Was thrilled to see this risky moment at the MoMa recently. "Two Children Teasing a Cat."
The picture may well carry a moralizing lesson similar to our expression "playing with fire." One of the children will surely get scratched. (source)
Somehow I doubt the message was intended for the children depicted in the painting.