Hunting, game & painting
in the Dutch Golden Age of Painting
Available from now onwards
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- Video
The unique exhibition Hunting, Game & Painting in the Dutch Golden Age of Painting tells the story of how rich and poor hunted in the 17th-century Netherlands.
Hardly anything was known in the museum world about hunting practices in the 17th century. This exhibition sheds new light on Old Master paintings portraying this subject: still lifes and landscapes, as well as portraits, genre and mythological paintings.
Thrilling lifesize hunting scenes show what a hunt was like in the Golden Age. Particular attention is paid here to details that reveal how people from different social classes hunted as part of their day-to-day life. See for instance a hunting party with elegantly dressed aristocrats on horseback, chasing through woods and country estates in a painting by Abraham Govaerts. Enjoy the beauty of colourful still lifes in which prize game is displayed surrounded by luscious ripe fruit. Shiny pelts and fabulous feathers are depicted in meticulously lifelike fashion by masters such as Jan Fijt, Melchior d’Hondecoeter, Abraham Hondius and Jan Weenix.
The fascinating picture story of Hunting, Game and Painting is told in 5 chapters:
- Portraits
- Mythology
- Hunting Practice
- Still Life
- Special Pictures
The exhibitions lends itself very well for educational purposes. Workshops and guided tours for children, students and adults can be provided with trending topics such as sustainability, nature and aesthetics.
All museum quality paintings are lent from private European collections and are never seen in public.