Study of four dogs and an eagle; and Study of seven dogs a hare and a goat

The present works, although of slightly different proportions, should be regarded as a pair, and are described as such by de Herdt (loc. cit.). This is further borne out by the fact that the falcon depicted on the first canvas and the hare on the second are found together (the former swooping on the latter) in Brun's La chasse au faucon of circa 1788. That work - one of the artist's chefs-d'oeuvre and an important example of Brun's admiration for the work of Philips Wouwerman - was described with enthusiasm by the critic Rigaud in 1876: 'J'ai vu de Brun plusieurs tableaux qui furent mis en vente après la sa mort; je fus particulièrement frappé d'une "Chasse au faucon", au milieu d'une campagne brûlée par un soleil ardent. Tout amateur aurait été heureux d'avoir ce tableau dans son cabinet.'