The Lion Frees the Bear and the Wolf from Hendrick van Alcmar's Renard The Fox
1650–75
Medium
Engraving; second state of three
Dimensions
Plate: 3 3/4 × 4 9/16 in. (9.5 × 11.6 cm) Sheet: 4 1/16 × 4 7/8 in. (10.3 × 12.4 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(39)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the whimsical world of *The Lion Frees the Bear the Wolf from Hendrick vancmar's Renard The*, Dutch artist Allart van Everen captures a pivotal moment from the enduring medieval beast epic *Reynard the Fox*. to 1650–75, this engraving illustrates the noble Lion, king of the animals, liberating his hapless allies—the Bear and Wolf—from a predicament likely orchestrated by the cunning Fox, Reynard. Popular across Europe since the 12th century, the *Reynard* tales satirized human society through anthropomorphic animals, blending moral lessons with sly humor. Van Everdingen's scene reflects the story's Dutch adaptations, like van Alcmar's version, highlighting its cultural staying power in the 17th century. Crafted as a small-scale engraving (plate 3 3/4 × 4 9/16 in.), this is the second state of three, meaning it represents an intermediate refinement of the copper plate—subtle adjustments in line work and shading for greater clarity and depth. Van Everdingen, renowned for his dramatic landscapes inspired by Scandinavian travels, excels here in intricate detailing: the Lion's majestic mane, the Bear's bulky form, and the Wolf's sly expression evoke tension and drama within a compact format. Prints like this were affordable disseminations of fables, bridging elite art with popular entertainment. Held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this work showcases engraving's technical virtuosity during the Dutch Golden Age, inviting visitors to ponder timeless themes of justice, trickery, and animal allegory.
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...