Deer Herd Resting 1789 - 1844

Robert Hills painted this watercolor, Deer Herd Resting, in the 18th or 19th century. At its heart, the image depicts a group of deer resting, finding refuge beneath the canopy of a dense forest. The deer, symbols of gentleness and vulnerability, gather together. The stag, with its prominent antlers, has been associated with virility, strength, and the forest's wildness since antiquity. Consider its parallel in classical mythology with Actaeon, the hunter transformed into a stag by Artemis, a potent symbol of man's primal connection to nature, and his vulnerability to its whims. This image of the deer herd resonates with a sense of peace. Yet the forest's edge hints at the unknown. It is a reminder of the non-linear journey of symbols, their echoes appearing in varied forms throughout our cultural memory.