A Stag Hunt, with Several Caught in Traps 16th-17th century

Curator: This is Antonio Tempesta's "A Stag Hunt, with Several Caught in Traps." Notice the dynamic energy despite its small size. Editor: It's chaotic, isn't it? A frenzy of limbs and antlers. The hunt, the entrapment, the chase itself… Curator: Tempesta, active during a period of intense artistic exchange, would have understood the market for such prints. The reproduction allowed accessibility. Consider the labor involved—the engraver's skill, the paper production. Editor: The stag, of course, has been a symbol of nobility and virility for centuries, hasn't it? Its capture here feels like a commentary on power. Curator: Or perhaps just the means of acquiring resources. Editor: Maybe. But the visual vocabulary of the hunt is so loaded. I'd say there's much more than simple resource procurement at play here. Curator: A fascinating piece, however you interpret it. Editor: Indeed, the print resonates with lasting symbolic power.