Twee jachthonden met een haas bij een watermolen 1715 - 1763

"Twee jachthonden met een haas bij een watermolen," or "Two Hunting Dogs with a Hare at a Watermill," was created by Quentin Pierre Chedel, an 18th-century French artist. This print presents a pastoral scene that's anything but peaceful. We see hunting dogs, symbols of aristocratic leisure, cornering a hare in a landscape marked by both nature and human industry. What does it mean to see this act of violence framed within a seemingly idyllic setting? Chedel was working during a time of rigid social hierarchies, and hunting was a privilege, reserved for the upper classes. Here, the wild hare, a symbol of vulnerability, falls prey to the instruments of power. The mill in the background is a reminder of labor and the economic structures that support this lifestyle of leisure. Consider the power dynamics at play here. The hunt embodies themes of dominance, class, and control over the natural world. What feelings does it evoke in you?