Hazewindhond en een patrijshond 1617 - 1681

Cornelis Saftleven made this drawing of two dogs with pen in brown and grey and watercolour. In the 17th century, hunting was associated with the upper classes. The dogs we see here would have been expensive animals, carefully bred and trained. They are shown here in a moment of rest, perhaps after a hunt, which tells us something about the cultural life of wealthy people in the Netherlands at that time. The choice to depict them together may also be symbolic, contrasting the different qualities of the two breeds: the sight hound, or ‘hazewindhond’, is alert and elegant, whilst the more heavily-built partridge dog, or ‘patrijshond’ is sturdy and dependable. Saftleven was a prolific artist who also painted genre scenes and landscapes. By looking at his work alongside historical sources, we can build a better understanding of the social and cultural context in which he was working.