Artwork
Reynard the Fox: The Animals Complain of Reynard's Pardon
Reynard the Fox: The Animals Complain of Reynard's Pardon is a print by the Baroque artist Allart van Everdingen. It dates from 1662 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Reynard the Fox: The Animals Complain of Reynard's Pardon is an etching created by Allart van Everdingen in 1662. It is a representative work of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of significant artistic output in the Netherlands.
Subject & Meaning
The etching depicts a scene from the medieval Reynard cycle, a popular European folktale featuring the cunning fox Reynard. A crowd of animals, including rabbits, birds, and a bear, gather around the fox, reacting with anger or confusion to his pardon, conveying a moral lesson through narrative and animal symbolism.
Technique & Style
The work showcases Everdingen's skill in etching, a technique he mastered alongside mezzotint. The chaotic composition, with a central figure surrounded by a crowd and a detailed landscape background, reflects the artist's engagement with narrative and visual drama.
Context
The etching is part of the broader tradition of Dutch and Flemish art, which often incorporated animal symbolism and narrative themes. The work's dramatic and emotive qualities are characteristic of the Baroque era, during which such storytelling was common.
Artist & collection
Artist
Allaert van Everdingen (Dutch pronunciation: ; bapt. 18 June 1621 – 8 November 1675 (buried)), was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker in etching and mezzotint.
