Artwork
Rocky Landscape with Animals
Rocky Landscape with Animals is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Roelant Savery. It dates from 1615 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Roelant Savery, a Flemish-born artist active in the early seventeenth century, completed the oil painting *Rocky Landscape with Animals* in 1615. The work belongs to the Dutch Golden Age and is currently housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a rugged forest setting where towering, twisted trees loom over scattered boulders. A waterfall descends along the right edge, while deer and other wildlife move through the undergrowth. Birds are shown in flight above, creating a sense of a lively, natural environment.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, the painting demonstrates Savery’s meticulous approach to detail; each leaf, stone and animal is rendered with precise brushwork. A muted palette of earth tones—browns, greens and blues—dominates, while subtle lighting produces deep shadows that enhance spatial depth and realism.
History & Provenance
Created during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, the piece reflects contemporary interest in naturalistic scenery. It entered the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it remains on display as part of the institution’s European paintings holdings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Roelant Savery (or Roeland(t) Maertensz Saverij, or de Savery, or many variants; 1576 – buried 25 February 1639) was a Flanders-born Dutch Golden Age painter.
