A group of hunters, some on horseback and others on foot, attack a wild boar. The hunters' dogs join in the attack, whilst two horsewomen look on approvingly. In the background a man blows a bugle.
This and its companion, 'Return from the Hunt', are not allegories of Europe and Asia respectively, as was once thought, but are a pair of gallant hunting scenes.
In the painting Parrocel may well have borrowed figures from engravings of hunting scenes by Antonio Tempesta and after Rubens.
Their magnificent frames decorated with carved animal heads are of the period 1710-30.
Key facts
Artist
Artist dates
1646 - 1704
Full title
The Boar Hunt
Group
Date made
about 1700
Medium and support
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
109 x 104.1 cm
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1982
Inventory number
NG6473
Location in Gallery
Other paintings in the group: Two Hunting Scenes
