Artwork
Eine Eberhetze
Eine Eberhetze is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Frans Snyders. It dates from 1618 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Frans Snyders’ oil painting dated 1618, titled *Eine Eberhetze*, is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek. The work depicts a lively hunting episode set in a forest, where dogs chase a stag amid a tangle of trees and undergrowth. The composition is dominated by the dynamic interaction of the animals, conveying a sense of immediacy and motion.
Subject & Meaning
The scene captures a traditional hunt, focusing on the pursuit of a male deer by a pack of hounds. The animals are rendered in various poses—some mid‑leap, others collapsed—illustrating the chaos and vigor of the chase. While the narrative is straightforward, the painting also reflects contemporary interest in the spectacle of the hunt as a display of skill and control over nature.
Technique & Style
The brushwork varies from fine detailing on the animals’ fur to broader, more gestural strokes in the background trees, enhancing the overall sense of movement.
Snyders employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, juxtaposing bright, sun‑lit flesh tones against deep, shadowed foliage to model form and create spatial depth. The brushwork varies from fine detailing on the animals’ fur to broader, more gestural strokes in the background trees, enhancing the overall sense of movement. A limited yet rich palette of earth tones and muted greens reinforces the natural setting.
History & Provenance
Created in 1618, the work entered the holdings of the Alte Pinakothek, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Snyders, a leading Flemish specialist in animal and hunting scenes, aligns with his prolific output during the early seventeenth century. The painting’s presence in the museum’s collection underscores its role in representing the genre within the broader European baroque tradition.
Artist & collection
Artist
Frans Snyders or Frans Snijders was a Flemish painter of animals, hunting scenes, market scenes, and still lifes.
Still life of fruit in a basket together with game, a bowl of fraises-de-bois, artichokes, asparagus and a squirrel upon a table draped with a red cloth
The Fruit Shop
Fish Market
Still Life with Dead Game, Fruits, and Vegetables in a Market
Larder Still life
Still Life with Huntsman
Still Life with a Dead Stag
A bull overpowered by dogs
