The Deer Hunt of Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and Ubaldino Ubaldini
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 8 11/16 x 11 11/16 in. (22 x 29.7 cm) image: 7 11/16 x 10 7/16 in. (19.6 x 26.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Carolyn R. Vietor, 1964
Accession Number
64.563.60
Tags
Art Historical Context
This 1589 engraving captures a dramatic deer hunt featuring the 12th-century Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa alongside the Italian noble Ubaldino Ubaldini. Designed by Flemish artist Jan van der Straet (known as Stradanus) and engraved by Adriaen Collaert, the print portrays mounted hunters, soldiers, and energetic hounds pursuing deer through a wooded landscape. The scene celebrates the aristocratic pursuit of hunting as both sport and display of power, reflecting Renaissance fascination with medieval chivalric history. Stradanus, who spent much of his career in Italy designing pri...
About the Artist
Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus|Adriaen Collaert · 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...