Oil on canvas; 21 ½ by 18 in; 54.5 x 46 cm; held in a polished dark wood frame
Provenance: Private Collection , England
This striking painting combines a scene of a stag-hunt in progress with a fine panoramic view of a verdant forest. The diagonal based composition gives the effect of depth and urgency as the riders, accompanied by dogs and followers chase after the stag, seen leaping across the open woodland path in the middle distance. The composition and style of this picture is heavily indebted to Roelof van Vries (1630-c.1681), a Haarlem landscape painter who worked in Jakob van Ruisdael’s (c.1628-1682) circle.
Hunting scenes were a common subject of British and European painting since early times. However, the genre increased in popularity from the early 18th century as demand for such pictures reflected the popularity of sporting and related activities, especially racing, breeding and betting. Traditionally, hunting had been an activity enjoyed only by rich landowners with their own private land. During the 1700s it became more widespread and publicly accessible as subscription allowed wealthy middle and merchant classes to participate.
I am grateful to Raphael Valls for his views based on first hand inspection of the painting
