The small lion hunt (with one lion) (B., Holl. 116; H. 6)

The composition is probably based on an etching by Antonio Tempesta, of whose printed work Rembrandt owned four volumes. He has simplified the arrangement of the figures and increased the sense of drama by using strong chiaroscuro, without intermediate tones. Rough, vigorous shading has been added to convey the effects of light, but with almost no consideration for modelling. In many respects it exhibits the impatience of a young man who has picked up a good hint from an older artist but who is then carried away by his own vision. Though the result is undoubtedly crude, both in execution and technique, it has, together with the two other lion hunts, the merit of spontaneity.