Renard is Accused by the Animals Before the Lion from Hendrick van Alcmar's Renard The Fox

Art Historical Context

This engraving by Allart van Everdingen illustrates a pivotal scene from the medieval beast fable *Reynard the Fox*, in which the clever fox stands accused by his fellow animals before the lion king. Created between 1650 and 1675 as part of a series after Hendrick van Alcmar’s telling, the print captures the moral tension between wit and authority that has delighted European audiences for centuries. Van Everdingen, a Dutch Golden Age artist celebrated for his narrative and landscape prints, brings the story to life through a lively gathering of creatures. As an engraving in its third state of four, the work highlights the refined techniques of 17th-century Dutch printmaking, where fine lines and careful shading allowed for wide circulation of illustrated stories. The inclusion of lions, cheetahs, foxes, goats, and rabbits adds visual richness while underscoring the fable’s themes of justice and community. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of drawings and prints, this intimate plate invites viewers to explore how animal tales served both entertainment and gentle instruction in early modern Europe.

About the Artist

Allart van Everdingen · 1621–1675

Allaert van Everdingen (1621-1675) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker who introduced Scandinavian landscape painting to the Netherlands. Born in Alkmaar and baptized on June 18, 1621, he pioneered a distinctive genre of Nordic mountain scenery that profoundly influenced Dutch landscape painting and later inspired the Romantic movement. Van Everdingen holds a unique place in art history...