A Stag Hunt

This picture shows an imaginary landscape with a stag hunt. The fashionable attire of the hunters underscores the fact that hunting on horseback was a privilege reserved to the aristocracy in 17th-century Holland. The beautifully drawn horses, the white horse in particular, are a trademark of Wouwermans. On the hill on the right a hermit outside his hut can also be made out. This was perhaps intended as a moralising counterpoint to the leisurely pursuits of the elegant hunters. The fluid style of this picture is characteristic of the artist's later years.