Return from the Hunt

No painter before Wouwerman had rendered horses and riders in such a lifelike way and in true-to-life situations – such as the urinating brown stallion with a docked tail shown here, demonstrating the artist’s precise powers of observation. He was considered the best horse painter of his time, known for showing the noble steeds from all aspects. His clientèle included virtually all the royal houses of Europe – hunting being enjoyed as both a leisure pursuit and an opportunity to demonstrate prestige. The splendid saddles and the elaborate costumes of the three huntswomen show their high rank. At a watering place, part of the kill is laid over a gun. An assistant shoulders a hare hanging on a stick. Hounds drink from the water, leap around the rider with horn and lapdog, bark at the people approaching over the hill, and one of them sniffs at the shot birds.

Ducke Astrid: Philips Wouwerman, Return from the Hunt, in: Ducke Astrid, Habersatter Thomas (Hrsg./Edi.): von | from 0 auf | to 100. Residenzgalerie Salzburg 1923-2023. Salzburg 2023, S./p. 236-237