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Lot Essay
Recently praised by Dr. Birgit Schumacher for being 'extraordinarily rich in detail' (loc. cit.), this is one of Philips Wouwerman's most elaborate late hunting set-pieces, closely comparable in terms of its style and ambition to the picture sold in these Rooms, 6 July 2010, lot 18 (£1,200,000).
Schumacher dates the present work to circa 1665, at which time hunting scenes such as this, featuring richly attired figures attended by pages, grooms and dogs, provided the artist with a favourite source of subject matter. Here, the hunting party are seen returning to a villa on a hot summer's evening; the huntsman gives a blast of his horn to announce their return, dogs are being watered, horses unsaddled and the game laid out in anticipation of a banquet being prepared in the loggia of the building. As noted by Schumacher, the scene is rendered in extraordinary detail, demonstrating the full extent of Wouwerman's mastery of technique and also his versatility as an outstanding painter of landscape and architecture as well as horses.
These type of hunting scenes were perhaps the most prized of all Wouwerman's subjects by collectors in early 18th century France and this example is first documented with the most important French collector of the day - Louis-Philippe, duc d'Orléans (1674-1723). He owned around a dozen works by the artist that reveal his predilection for these subjects. They include the Departure for the Hunt and the Return from the Hunt (both Dresden, Gemäldegalerie); and the Halt of a hunting party and the Return from hawking (both London, Dulwich Picture Gallery). The present composition was popularized by virtue of being engraved by Jean Moyreau (1690-1762), the compiler of a folio of engravings after the best works by Wouwerman in French collections. Two painted copies are recorded, both of which follow the direction of the engraving (Sale, Nackers, Brussels, 20-23 November 1968, lot 825 as 'Philips Wouwerman' [panel, 33 x 42cm.]; and Sale, Blanche, Versailles, 29 November 1970, lot 26, as 'School of Philips Wouwerman' [panel, 53 x 82cm.]). Schumacher cites a Departure for the Chase, formerly in the Pourtalès collection (now Private Collection; Schumacher no. A125), as a possible companion piece to the present work, but points out that this picture size was commonly used for these hunting scenes.
Schumacher dates the present work to circa 1665, at which time hunting scenes such as this, featuring richly attired figures attended by pages, grooms and dogs, provided the artist with a favourite source of subject matter. Here, the hunting party are seen returning to a villa on a hot summer's evening; the huntsman gives a blast of his horn to announce their return, dogs are being watered, horses unsaddled and the game laid out in anticipation of a banquet being prepared in the loggia of the building. As noted by Schumacher, the scene is rendered in extraordinary detail, demonstrating the full extent of Wouwerman's mastery of technique and also his versatility as an outstanding painter of landscape and architecture as well as horses.
These type of hunting scenes were perhaps the most prized of all Wouwerman's subjects by collectors in early 18th century France and this example is first documented with the most important French collector of the day - Louis-Philippe, duc d'Orléans (1674-1723). He owned around a dozen works by the artist that reveal his predilection for these subjects. They include the Departure for the Hunt and the Return from the Hunt (both Dresden, Gemäldegalerie); and the Halt of a hunting party and the Return from hawking (both London, Dulwich Picture Gallery). The present composition was popularized by virtue of being engraved by Jean Moyreau (1690-1762), the compiler of a folio of engravings after the best works by Wouwerman in French collections. Two painted copies are recorded, both of which follow the direction of the engraving (Sale, Nackers, Brussels, 20-23 November 1968, lot 825 as 'Philips Wouwerman' [panel, 33 x 42cm.]; and Sale, Blanche, Versailles, 29 November 1970, lot 26, as 'School of Philips Wouwerman' [panel, 53 x 82cm.]). Schumacher cites a Departure for the Chase, formerly in the Pourtalès collection (now Private Collection; Schumacher no. A125), as a possible companion piece to the present work, but points out that this picture size was commonly used for these hunting scenes.