The Lion Allows a Fight Between the Wolf and Renard from Hendrick van Alcmar's Renard The Fox
1650–75
Medium
Engraving; third state of four
Dimensions
Plate: 3 11/16 × 4 9/16 in. (9.3 × 11.6 cm) Sheet: 3 7/8 × 4 13/16 in. (9.9 × 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(56)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the Dutch Golden Age, Allart van Everdingen (1621–1675) crafted this intricate engraving, *The Lion Allows a Fight Between the Wolf and Renard from Hendrick van Alcmar's Renard The Fox* (1650–75). Drawn from the medieval beast epic *Renard the Fox*—a satirical Dutch adaptation by Hendrick van Alcmar of the popular Reynard fables—the print depicts a tense animal courtroom drama. Here, the noble lion king permits a brawl between the cunning fox Renard and the brutish wolf, with chickens likely caught in the fray, symbolizing the era's delight in moral allegories through anthropomorphic tales that mocked human folly and power struggles. As a third state of four in the engraving process, this plate (3 11/16 × 4 9/16 in.) showcases van Everdingen's mastery of fine lines and tonal depth, a technique honed during printmaking's boom in 17th-century Netherlands. Engravings like this were affordable multiples, spreading fables to a wide audience and blending Baroque realism with whimsical narrative. Van Everdingen, famed for rugged Scandinavian landscapes, brought vivid character to these furry protagonists, capturing sly glances and dynamic tension. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this print invites visitors to ponder timeless lessons: even kings referee chaos. A charming window into 17th-century humor and artistry!
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...