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Hunters Resting by Dirk Stoop

Dirk Stoop · 1650-01-01

Dirk Stoop painted under four different names. His Hunters Resting (c. 1650) hangs in the Rijksmuseum, a quiet witness to a Dutch hunting party mid-pause.

In the painting, a hunter on horseback sounds his horn. His companion kneels to his dog in a moment of trust. The hats, the horn, the tack on the horses, every detail places the scene in precisely 1650.

Stoop traveled across Holland, France, Italy, and Portugal as the Dutch Republic reached the peak of its prosperity. He painted for a rising middle class that wanted the countryside on their walls.

A woodland pause, mid-hunt. What do you see in the black dog's stillness?

Details

A hunter sounds his horn across the clearing.
A hunter sounds his horn across the clearing.
The black dog waits at the edge of the woods.
The black dog waits at the edge of the woods.
One dog has already started running.
One dog has already started running.
A man kneels to his dog. The hunt rests.
A man kneels to his dog. The hunt rests.
Transcript

1650. The Dutch Republic is the richest nation in Europe. A hunter sounds his horn across the clearing. His horn and hat: a Dutch huntsman's kit of 1650. The black dog waits at the edge of the woods. One dog has already started running. A man kneels to his dog. The hunt rests.