A Deerhound with Dead Game and Implements of the Chase
- Artist: Jan Weenix
- Date: 1708
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "A Deerhound with Dead Game and Implements of the Chase" by Jan Weenix. Painted in 1708, it's a large oil-on-canvas work that showcases the artist's impressive skills in depicting texture.
The painting is full of life - or rather, dead game - as a powerful hound pauses amidst all these still creatures, alert to the call of a horn blown by the huntsman on the right. Light bounces off the belly of a hare and the dog's snout, giving them a sense of movement. The delicate frills of white hair on the dog's breast are just one example of Weenix's attention to detail in rendering texture.
As you look closer, you can see that this isn't just about the dog - it's also about the vast landscape beyond. A tower, river, and distant hills are visible through a hazy view of the background, giving us an idea of where the hunt is taking place. And if you squint, you might even catch glimpses of riders on horseback galloping downhill at the edge of the woods.
This painting would have been right at home in the Elector's hunting lodge, possibly commissioned by him for that very purpose. It celebrates a world where hunting was still largely reserved for the aristocracy - a way to sustain a large household and part of the training for young boys destined for battle.
See it in person
A Deerhound with Dead Game and Implements of the Chase hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
