The Small Lion Hunt (with two Lions) (B., Holl. 115; H. 180)

Details

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
The Small Lion Hunt (with two Lions) (B., Holl. 115; H. 180)
etching with touches of drypoint, circa 1629, a very good impression, with part of an unidentified watermark (possibly Strasbourg Lily), one or two touches of grey wash, with thread margins, in very good condition
P. 153 x 123 mm., S. 125 x 157 mm.

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Lot Essay

This boldly drawn etching, executed nearly ten years before A large lion hunt (lot 221) shows Rembrandt's nascent skill with the etching needle. As in the later print, the sense of rapid movement of the animals is vividly suggested, but here Rembrandt uses a greater variety of lines to create the composition. He has bitten the foreground and the horseman at the left very deeply to frame the composition.

Despite his skill, it is clear that Rembrandt had not seen a real lion at this point - his efforts to make the animal seem fierce resulted in a shaggy and rather friendly-looking sheep dog. His famous drawings of lions were to come later, in 1641, after a so-called 'wild-animal menagerie' had visited Amsterdam.

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