Who painted Leaving for the Hunt?

Leaving for the Hunt was painted by Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde in 1660-01-01.

Where can I see Leaving for the Hunt?

Leaving for the Hunt is held by Hermitage Museum.

What movement is Leaving for the Hunt?

Leaving for the Hunt is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Artwork

Leaving for the Hunt

Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde , 1660

Leaving for the Hunt is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

These elements convey the ceremonial preparation and aristocratic leisure associated with the hunt, symbolizing status and the orderly control of nature.

The canvas portrays a man poised to depart on a hunt, accompanied by a horse, a hound, and a fountain set within an estate landscape. These elements convey the ceremonial preparation and aristocratic leisure associated with the hunt, symbolizing status and the orderly control of nature.

The composition reflects the Dutch Golden Age preoccupation with outdoor recreation among the elite, where the hunt served as both sport and a display of wealth. The presence of a fountain and well-kept grounds underscores themes of order and prosperity, while the inclusion of a hound hints at loyalty and the partnership between man and animal in the pursuit.

Technique & Style

Leaving for the Hunt is an oil painting on canvas executed in 1660 by Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde. Measuring 53.8 by 62.5 cm, the work depicts a landscape scene featuring an estate with a man, horse, hound, and fountain. Berckheyde's handling situates the composition within the Dutch landscape tradition, combining architectural elements, the estate and fountain, with figures and animals to create a narrative hunting scene.

The relatively modest dimensions suggest an intimate scale typical of cabinet pictures from the period, while the oil-on-canvas support was standard for Dutch Golden Age production.

History & Provenance

Painted in 1660 by Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde in the Netherlands, Leaving for the Hunt is an oil-on-canvas landscape depicting an estate scene with figures, a horse, hound, and fountain. The painting is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

Context

Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde painted Leaving for the Hunt in 1660; the landscape is now in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. It depicts a man with a horse and hound beside a fountain on an estate, reflecting the Dutch Golden Age interest in pastoral settings and aristocratic leisure. Its composition and subject matter align with seventeenth-century Dutch landscape traditions and the period's growing taste for naturalistic detail and genre specificity.

Overview

Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde, a Dutch painter of the mid‑seventeenth century, completed the oil painting Leaving for the Hunt in 1660. The canvas presents a lively departure scene set on a cobbled street before an imposing manor, populated by riders, pedestrians and a running hound. The work is part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection.

The Departure for the Hunt, Philips Wouwerman

Artist & collection

Artist

Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde

Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde (1638 – 10 June 1698) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, active in Haarlem, Amsterdam, and The Hague, who is best known today for his cityscapes.

Museum

Hermitage Museum

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