Who painted Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat?

Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat was painted by Allart van Everdingen in 1662.

Where can I see Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat?

Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat?

Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat is associated with Baroque.

Can I buy a print of Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat?

Museum-quality prints of Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat

Allart van Everdingen , 1662

Reynard the Fox: The Disloyal Cat is a print by the Baroque artist Allart van Everdingen. It dates from 1662 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 1982.179.51
Credit line: Gift of Ellen V. Kloppman in memory of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Vixseboxse

About this work

Overview

The image illustrates a episode from the Reynard the Fox cycle, a collection of tales in which the wily fox repeatedly outwits other animals.

Created in 1662 by Allart van Everdingen, a Dutch artist active in the Golden Age, this print belongs to the tradition of narrative works that draw on medieval folklore. The image illustrates a episode from the Reynard the Fox cycle, a collection of tales in which the wily fox repeatedly outwits other animals. Van Everdingen’s composition captures the episode’s comic irony through a staged tableau of anthropomorphic figures.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure is a fox dressed in clerical garb, complete with a halo and a book, masquerading as a saintly cat. Below, a group of genuine cats watches with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. In the original stories, cats symbolize honesty, while the fox embodies deceit; the print therefore satirizes false piety and the ease with which pretended virtue can be displayed.

Technique & Style

Executed as an etching, the work displays van Everdingen’s skillful handling of line and tone. Soft brown washes render the fox’s fur, contrasting with the sharper, more alert eyes of the surrounding cats. The artist employs delicate cross‑hatching to suggest the texture of clothing and the glow of the halo, while the overall composition balances detailed figuration with a lighthearted narrative tone.

History & Provenance

The print emerged during the height of Dutch printmaking, when artists frequently reproduced literary and mythological subjects for a growing market. Although the original owner is unknown, the piece has been catalogued in several 19th‑century collections of Dutch prints and now resides in a public institution, where it is displayed alongside other animal-themed works from the same period.

Reynard the Fox: The Freeing of the Wolf and the Bear, Allart van Everdingen

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Artist & collection

Artist

Allart van Everdingen

Allaert van Everdingen (Dutch pronunciation:; bapt. 18 June 1621 – 8 November 1675 (buried)), was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker in etching and mezzotint.