Artwork
Hunting Hare with a Ferret and Hound
Hunting Hare with a Ferret and Hound is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Paulus Potter. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The ferret is typically employed to flush prey from its subterranean refuge, a dynamic emphasized by the inclusion of a hole in the scene.
The painting illustrates a hunting scene centered on the capture of a hare. The composition features a man participating in the hunt, accompanied by a hound and a ferret. The ferret is typically employed to flush prey from its subterranean refuge, a dynamic emphasized by the inclusion of a hole in the scene.
As a work of genre art, the picture represents a localized, everyday rural activity rather than a grand historical or mythological narrative, reflecting contemporary 17th-century pastoral and sporting practices.
Technique & Style
Paulus Potter's Hunting Hare with a Ferret and Hound is an oil painting executed on a panel support. Created in 1650, the work measures 17 cm in height and 19.8 cm in width. As a genre scene, the composition depicts a man accompanied by a hound and a ferret engaged in the act of hunting near a hole.
The piece is classified within the genre art tradition, focusing on a specific narrative moment of rural activity.
History & Provenance
Paulus Potter created the oil painting Hunting Hare with a Ferret and Hound in 1650. The work was executed on a panel measuring 17 cm in height and 19.8 cm in width. The piece depicts a hunting scene featuring a man, a hound, and a ferret near a hole. Today, the painting is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
Hunting Hare with a Ferret and Hound is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum. According to the Wikidata record, the painting's location is the Hermitage Museum, where it remains part of the institution's holdings. The work is catalogued as a panel painting executed in oil paint, dated to 1650.
While the Wikidata entry confirms the painting's current repository, no specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Created circa 1650 by Dutch artist Paulus Potter, this oil painting portrays a lively countryside chase. A man reclines on the ground, amused, while a hound pursues a hare across a dry, flower‑dotted field. A ferret peeks from a wicker basket, and another hare lies motionless nearby, all set against a hazy horizon marked by a distant church tower.
Context
Potter, known for his specialization in animal subjects, produced roughly one hundred works before his untimely death from tuberculosis. This piece exemplifies his focus on everyday rural activities, aligning with the Dutch Golden Age’s fascination with realistic depictions of nature, labor, and leisure.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Paulus Potter (Dutch pronunciation:; 20 November 1625 (baptised) – 17 January 1654 (buried)) was a Dutch painter who specialized in landscapes featuring animals, often from a low vantage point.
