The Shepherd on Horseback Chases the Stag from Hendrick van Alcmar's Renard The Fox

Art Historical Context

In the lively world of 17th-century Dutch printmaking, Allart van Everdingen'sThe Shepherd on Horsebackases the Stag* a thrilling moment from Hendrick van Alcmar's popular edition of *Renard the Fox* (ca. 1650–75). This engraving illustrates a key scene from the medieval beast epic *Reynard the Fox*, a satirical fable cycle originating in the Low Countries that personified animals to mock human vices. Here, a dynamic shepherd pursues a fleeing stag on horseback, blending elements like sheep with the excitement of the hunt—evident in the tags of horses, deer, hunting, and shepherds. As a small-scale engraving (plate 3 3/4 × 4 5/8 in.), this work represents the fourth state of five, a common practice in printmaking where artists refined plates between impressions by adding details or burnishing areas for contrast. Van Everdingen, a Dutch Golden Age master famed for rugged Nordic landscapes, excelled in such reproductive prints, making literary illustrations accessible to a wide audience through affordable, intricate line work. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Elisha Whittelsey Collection, 1962), this piece highlights the era's booming print culture, where engravings democratized storytelling and bridged folklore with fine art, delighting collectors with their narrative energy and technical precision.

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...