Artwork
A Hunter with a Dog
A Hunter with a Dog is an ivory painting by the Neoclassicist artist Mortier. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition functions as a portrait, capturing the subject dressed in a suit while emphasizing his role through the inclusion of the canine companion.
Created in 1798 by Mortier, this ivory miniature portrays an unidentified man characterized as a hunter accompanied by a dog. The composition functions as a portrait, capturing the subject dressed in a suit while emphasizing his role through the inclusion of the canine companion. The presence of the dog alongside the titled figure establishes the iconography of the hunt, a common theme in portraiture used to signify the sitter's status, leisure pursuits, or connection to nature.
As a genre piece executed on ivory, the work represents a specific moment in late eighteenth-century miniature painting where individual likeness is merged with symbolic attributes of the sporting life.
Technique & Style
A Hunter with a Dog is a miniature executed on ivory, a support traditionally favored for small-format portrait work of this period. The composition is compact, measuring approximately 7 cm in height by 8.3 cm in width, with the horizontal orientation accommodating the pairing of the hunter and his dog. Classified as a painting rather than a drawing or print, the work adopts the conventions of the miniature genre, depicting an unidentified man in a suit alongside the animal.
The handling is consistent with late-eighteenth-century ivory miniature practice, in which fine brushwork on the smooth, pale ground allowed for precise rendering of facial features and costume details at a reduced scale. The ivory support itself contributes to the luminosity characteristic of the medium, lending tonal subtlety to the figure and the surrounding pictorial space.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1798 by the artist Mortier, A Hunter with a Dog is an ivory miniature whose early commission remains undocumented. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been housed since accession; no prior ownership chain has been recorded in available sources. The work, classified as a miniature portrait depicting a hunter and his dog, measures 7 by 8.3 cm. The available documentation does not provide a specific accession or inventory number for this piece.
Legacy
A Hunter with a Dog, painted by Mortier in 1798 on ivory, exemplifies the late eighteenth-century miniature tradition and is classified as a hunting-genre work. Its inclusion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection has contributed to its recognition as a representative example of Mortier's output and of miniature hunting scenes in European art.
Overview
This painting, titled "A Hunter with a Dog," is rendered on ivory and presents a tranquil outdoor scene. It features a man in a tan suit, seated with his arm resting on a rock, while his hand gently holds a brown and white dog. The background, composed of trees and a cloudy sky, establishes a natural setting. The artwork's warm colors and soft illumination contribute to an overall sense of intimacy and calm.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Late-18th-century Dutch painters favored tiny ivory scenes of everyday life. Mortier's A Hunter with a Dog (1794) fits that pocket-size tradition, showing a man in a forest clearing with his pointer. Painted on ivory,…
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