Leeuwenjacht
ca. 1731
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
484; 347
About this artwork
height 484 mm
Art Historical Context
"Leeuwenjacht" (Lion Hunt), created around 1731 by French engraver Louis Desplaces, captures the drama of a traditional hunting scene through the precise art of engraving. Measuring 484 by 347 millimeters, this print exemplifies the period’s fascination with dynamic animal subjects and aristocratic pursuits. Desplaces, active during the transition from Baroque to Rococo tastes, specialized in translating painted compositions into detailed prints that could reach wider audiences. Engraving allowed intricate line work to convey movement, texture, and tension—here, the powerful forms of lions an...
About the Artist
Louis Desplaces · 1682–1739
**Louis Desplaces (1682–1739)** was a prominent French engraver and skilled draughtsman, born and died in Paris. Active from 1702 to 1739, he trained in the school of Gérard Audran, the renowned engraver whose precise and supple burin technique profoundly influenced Desplaces's own style. This classical foundation positioned him as a masterful reproductive engraver, bridging the meticulous 17th-ce...