The Lion Hunt

The Lion Hunt
Rubens, Peter Paul, 1617-1618

In this painting, Rubens creates a masterful depiction of a wild and chaotic battle between man and beast, and finds an enticing balance between the emotional reactions of the viewer and a fascination of the exotic.

Many of the dukes and nobility that commissioned these works had either been hunting in the exotic lands, and had captured animals such as tigers and lions to bring back to their estates, or were fascinated by what they had heard about the exotic. An important aspect of these hunting scenes to remember was that during the sixteenth century hunting was prohibited to the majority of the population; only the nobility and royalty were given permission to hunt.

Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria commissioned the original hunting scenes, which initiated commissions by other nobility including, James 1st Duke of Hamilton, Comte d’Arenberg and Sir Dudley Carleton.