Bear Hunt, from the series Venationes Ferarum, Avium, Piscium...
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
image: 7 3/8 x 10 1/4 in. (18.7 x 26 cm) sheet: 8 1/16 x 10 1/4 in. (20.5 x 26 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.95.886
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling print workshops of 16th-century Antwerp, Flemish artist Jan van der Stra, known as Stradanus collaborated with master engraver Philips Galle to *Bear Hunt*, a dynamic print from the renowned series *Venationesarum, Avium, Piscium* (Hunts of Beasts,, and Fishes). Produced around 1578, this engraving captures the thrill of a perilous bear hunt, featuring armored hunters, fierce dogs, and a massive bear in a chaotic melee. Stradanus, who spent much of his career in Medici Florence, drew inspiration from ancient Roman mosaics and texts, evoking the grandeur of imperial spectacles w...
About the Artist
Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus|Philips Galle · 1523–1605
Jan van der Straet, known as Stradanus or Giovanni Stradano, was born in Bruges in 1523 into an artistic family. He received his earliest training in his father Jan van der Straet's painting workshop until the latter's death in 1535, followed by an apprenticeship with Bruges master Maximiliaen Francken from 1535 to 1537. Stradanus then moved to Antwerp, studying under Pieter Aertsen from 1537 to 1...