The Ass, Jealous of the Attention the Dog Is Getting From His Master, Looks to Imitate Him by Jumping at the Master's Neck from Hendrick van Alcmar's Renard The Fox
1650–75
Medium
Engraving; third state of four
Dimensions
Plate: 3 11/16 × 4 1/2 in. (9.4 × 11.5 cm) Sheet: 3 15/16 × 4 13/16 in. (10 × 12.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.650.8(50)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the lively world of 17th-century printmaking, Allart vandingen's engraving *The Ass, Jealous the Attention the Dog Is From His Master, Looks Imitate Him by Jumping the Master's Neck* captures comical moment from Hendrick van Alcmar's edition of *Renard the Fox*. Created between 1650 and 1675 during the Dutch Golden Age, this third state of four showcases van Everdingen's skill in fine-line engraving on a modest plate measuring just under 4 by 4½ inches. As a master of detailed landscapes and genre scenes, van Everdingen here turns to the anthropomorphic satire of medieval fables, a popular theme in Northern European art. The scene humorously depicts a donkey (the "ass") clumsily leaping at a man's neck, envious of the loyal dog receiving affectionate pets. Drawn from the enduring *Reynard the Fox* cycle—tales of cunning animals teaching moral lessons—this print pokes fun at folly and social climbing, much like Aesop's fables but with Reynard's sly medieval twist. The man's startled expression and the animals' exaggerated expressions add witty dynamism. Engravings like this were prized for their reproducibility, spreading satirical stories across homes and taverns. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it exemplifies how 17th-century artists blended entertainment with ethical commentary, delighting viewers then and now with its timeless animal antics.
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...