Hertenjacht 1580 - 1625

This print, Hertenjacht, or Deer Hunt, was created in the Netherlands, most likely between 1600 and 1625, by Jan van Londerseel. It depicts an aristocratic hunting party in a forest, but this is more than a simple record of a leisure activity. In the Dutch Republic during this period, hunting was a highly regulated activity, closely tied to land ownership and social status. Images of hunting scenes, like this one, served to reinforce the power and privilege of the ruling classes. The prominence of nature in the image, and its relationship to social structures, is revealing. Note how the composition carefully balances images of untamed wilderness on the left, against symbols of social life on the right such as the bridge and distant architecture. To truly understand this artwork, we need to examine historical documents that might tell us more about hunting regulations and the social status of the individuals depicted. We could then better understand the ways in which art actively constructs and reinforces social hierarchies.