Ontwerp voor een jachtstuk met dood wild en jachthond 1677 - 1755

Elias van Nijmegen’s sketch presents us with the spoils of the hunt: dead game hanging from a classical stone structure, observed by a hunting dog and a reclining lion. These elements, rendered in delicate lines, resonate with symbolic weight. The motif of dead game—the animals are hung upside down, drained of life—is a familiar vanitas symbol. Such images find their echoes in ancient Roman and Greek friezes. Similarly, the lion, often a symbol of power and dominion, appears here in a more passive role, perhaps alluding to humanity's triumph over nature. This links it to ancestral pagan traditions of animal sacrifice to the gods. Over time, this motif evolved, losing its religious significance and becoming a symbol of aristocratic power and dominance. Its impact is subconscious; this type of composition elicits a primitive awe, engaging our collective memory related to hunting, survival, and the conquest of nature. The artist seems to have a need to dominate the animal world and to establish hierarchy. Thus, what we see in van Nijmegen's drawing is not just an image of dead game but a complex interplay of symbols that reflect a deep-seated human fascination with power, death, and the cyclical nature of existence.