Artwork
The Hare Hunt
The Hare Hunt is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Philips Wouwerman. It dates from 1653 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. Created circa 1653, this oil on canvas depicts a bustling hunt set within a Dutch landscape.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work exemplifies the Dutch hunting landscape tradition, where the chase symbolizes both sport and the natural order.
The painting depicts a hunting scene centered on the pursuit of a hare. A mounted huntsman in period attire holds a firearm, while his dogs pursue the hare across an open landscape. The composition foregrounds the hare’s flight as the focal point of the chase, with the hunters and horses positioned to guide the viewer’s eye toward its movement.
The work exemplifies the Dutch hunting landscape tradition, where the chase symbolizes both sport and the natural order. The hare, as prey, functions as the emblematic subject of the hunt, while the surrounding elements, horses, dogs, and the huntsman, reinforce the narrative of pursuit and mastery over nature.
Technique & Style
The Hare Hunt is an oil painting executed on a panel support by Philips Wouwerman. Measuring 35 cm in height and 47 cm in width, the work belongs to the landscape genre and depicts a hunting scene featuring hares, horses, men, and dogs. Created in Haarlem, the piece is currently held by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
The artist's handling of oil paint on panel allows for the detailed rendering of the equestrian figures and animals within the landscape setting.
History & Provenance
The Hare Hunt is attributed to Philips Wouwerman and dated to the Haarlem period of his career. The painting entered the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, where it remains housed. Dimensions recorded by the holding institution are 35 cm in height by 47 cm in width, and the support is identified as panel.
The Hare Hunt is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. The work, an oil painting on panel depicting a hunting scene, was created by Philips Wouwerman in Haarlem. The museum houses the piece as part of its permanent holdings, where it remains accessible for public viewing. No specific accession number or exhibition history is provided in the available records.
Overview
Created circa 1653, this oil on canvas depicts a bustling hunt set within a Dutch landscape. Riders on galloping horses, accompanied by dogs, pursue a fleeing hare across a foreground that leads into a tree‑lined background under a cloud‑filled sky. The composition captures a moment of kinetic energy typical of mid‑seventeenth‑century genre scenes.
Context
During the mid‑1600s, Dutch painters frequently rendered hunting scenes as symbols of wealth and leisure, reflecting the prosperous mercantile society of the Republic. Wouwerman specialized in such subjects, integrating landscape elements with narrative action. This painting exemplifies the period’s blend of genre painting and landscape, illustrating both the technical skill and cultural interests of the era.
Artist & collection
Artist
Philips Wouwerman (also Wouwermans) (24 May 1619 (baptized) – 19 May 1668) was a Dutch painter of hunting, landscape and battle scenes. He became prolific during the Dutch Golden Age and joined the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke.
