Vossenjacht 1612 - 1652

This print, “Vossenjacht,” or “Fox Hunt,” was made by an anonymous artist through engraving, a process of cutting lines into a metal plate, inking it, and pressing it onto paper. The material qualities of the print - its monochrome palette, fine detail, and precisely delineated forms - all result from the labor-intensive engraving process. The artist would have used specialized tools to incise the image into the metal, line by line. Look closely, and you can see the burin’s marks defining the figures of the hunters, horses, and dogs, as well as the landscape they inhabit. The medium of printmaking allowed for the mass production of images. This speaks to the social context of the artwork - enabling broader audiences to access and circulate visual representations of aristocratic pastimes like fox hunting, reflecting and reinforcing class structures and social hierarchies of the time. By considering the materials, processes, and social context of "Vossenjacht," we can move beyond a simple appreciation of its aesthetic qualities and gain a deeper understanding of its cultural significance.