Artwork
Wild boar hunt in a rocky landscape
Wild boar hunt in a rocky landscape is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Roelant Savery. It dates from 1620 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1620 by Roelant Savery, a Flemish-born painter who worked in the Dutch Golden Age, this oil on canvas belongs to the landscape tradition. The composition presents a rugged, forested terrain punctuated by rocks and a solitary tree, and it is currently displayed in the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
At the centre of the scene a calm deer stands while two hunting dogs pursue a wild boar through dense undergrowth. A pale sky stretches above, dotted with a few birds in flight, suggesting a moment of tension within an otherwise tranquil natural setting.
Technique & Style
Savery renders foliage, fur and stone with meticulous attention to texture, employing strong contrasts of light and shadow that heighten the illusion of depth. The palette of earthy browns and greens is softened by lighter tones on the rocks and distant ruins, creating a subtle chiaroscuro effect that animates the shadowed forest.
History & Provenance
The painting has remained in the public domain since its early acquisition, eventually entering the Rijksmuseum’s holdings where it has been conserved as part of the museum’s Dutch Golden Age collection. Its provenance reflects the typical trajectory of 17th‑century Dutch landscape works moving from private collections to national institutions.
Context
Savery’s work reflects the period’s fascination with detailed, naturalistic landscapes that combined genre scenes with hunting motifs. The inclusion of a boar hunt aligns with contemporary interests in depicting aristocratic pastimes, while the meticulous rendering of flora and fauna demonstrates the era’s growing scientific curiosity about the natural world.
Own this work as a print
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.
