Artwork
Return from the Hunt
Return from the Hunt is an oil painting by Charles Rochussen. It dates from 1845 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Symbolically, the scene juxtaposes the exertion of the hunt with the promise of hearth and home, evoking ideals of industriousness and familial order.
The painting depicts a hunting scene returning to a rural homestead at dusk. In the foreground, hunters carry game and tools, while dogs follow; a woman and children await beside a modest wooden house. Smoke rises from a chimney, suggesting domestic warmth contrasting with the day’s exertions.
Symbolically, the scene juxtaposes the exertion of the hunt with the promise of hearth and home, evoking ideals of industriousness and familial order. The soft light and muted palette reinforce a mood of quiet accomplishment and peaceful return.
Technique & Style
Charles Rochussen's Return from the Hunt, executed in 1845, is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 80 cm in height and 102.5 cm in width. Classified as a landscape painting, the composition depicts a scene of a return from the hunt, featuring trees as a central visual element. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
History & Provenance
Charles Rochussen created the oil painting Return from the Hunt in 1845. The work was executed on a canvas support and depicts a landscape scene centered on the theme of a return from the hunt. It is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The painting measures 80 cm in height and 102.5 cm in width.
No specific details regarding the original commission, the identity of the initial patron, or the intermediate ownership chain prior to its acquisition by the museum are provided in the available records.
Return from the Hunt, an 1845 oil painting by Charles Rochussen, is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. According to the Wikidata record, the work is located at the Rijksmuseum and forms part of its holdings, with the canvas measuring 80 cm in height and 102.5 cm in width.
No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Context
Charles Rochussen's 1845 oil on canvas painting Return from the Hunt, measuring 80 cm by 102.5 cm, exemplifies Dutch Romantic landscape genre conventions through its depiction of a tree and hunting narrative. The work is housed in the Rijksmuseum collection and was created within the broader context of 19th-century Dutch landscape painting, where artists like Rochussen specialized in idyllic rural scenes. Scholarly attention to Rochussen's oeuvre situates this piece within his focus on hunting subjects, though specific critical reception details of the work itself are not documented in the provided sources.
The painting's classification as a landscape genre work aligns with its composition and material execution on canvas, reflecting contemporary artistic standards. Its presence in a major institutional collection underscores its historical significance within Dutch art, though further scholarship on its critical legacy remains limited based on available documentation.
Overview
Created in 1845, Return from the Hunt is an oil painting by Dutch artist Charles Rochussen. The canvas presents a pastoral scene where a small group moves along a meandering riverside path, accompanied by horses and hunting gear. In the background a hilltop castle and a solitary tree punctuate the sky, while a gentle cloudscape hovers above.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Rochussen (1 August 1814 in Kralingen – 22 September 1894 in Rotterdam) was a Dutch illustrator and printmaker.
