Jagers en jachthonden met hun buit bij een herberg 1794

William Ward’s print depicts a hunting scene outside an inn. Note the inn sign hanging overhead, emblazoned with a lion rampant, a symbol of courage and nobility that echoes through heraldry from medieval banners to modern emblems. Consider how the lion, a primal symbol of power, has been tamed here, domesticated into an inn sign, much like the hunting dogs resting at the huntsmen's feet. Dogs have long been symbols of loyalty, vigilance, and the hunt, stretching back to ancient Egypt and Greece, where they were companions and guardians. They are seen here as symbols of protection and companionship, yet also tools in the pursuit of game. The scene evokes a sense of triumph and repose, a cyclical return to hearth and home after the hunt. This image captures a moment laden with symbolic weight, a testament to the enduring power of symbols to shape our perceptions and emotions across time.