The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt is an oil painting on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens. It was commissioned in 1615 to decorate Schleißheim Palace, along with three other works depicting lion, wolf, and boar hunts. The cycle of paintings was looted from the palace during the Napoleonic Wars. Only the Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt was returned to Munich,[1] at which time it was added to the collection that is now the Alte Pinakothek.
Peter Paul Rubens created the canvas oil painting entitled The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt between 1615–16. The hunt takes place on the banks of the Nile, as indicated by a palm tree in the background. As hippopotami and crocodiles were considered dangerous nuisances, their destruction was a duty performed by noblemen. The hunting party comprises three men in orientalizing costume—mounted on Arabian horses, who hunt with lance and sword—and two valets clad in roughly-hewn jerkins—one of whom has been killed by one of the beasts. The enraged hippopotamus tramples the crocodile, as both are attacked by the hunters and hounds. The accurately-rendered physical appearances of the hippopotamus and crocodile contrasts with contemporary renderings[2] and reflect the period's growing interest in empiricism and natural history. It has been suggested that Rubens may have traveled to Rome to view a temporarily-displayed dead hippopotamus preserved in brine prior to the painting of the picture.[3]
HistoryEdit
Rubens contributed to the long-standing genre of the large hunting scene and his studio produced dozens for aristocratic patrons in the 1610s and 1620s. Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, commissioned the Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt three others depicting lion, wolf, and boar hunts, in 1615 to decorate Schleißheim Palace, the summer residence of the Wittelsbach princes. Rubens and his studio produced the four large canvases in Antwerp over the years 1615–16. The Wittelsbach collection formed the nucleus of Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the present location of the Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt and The Lion Hunt from the same cycle. The cycle of paintings were looted from the palace during the Napoleonic Wars. Only the Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt was returned to Munich,[1] at which time it was added to the collection that is now the Alte Pinakothek.
The complexity of the figure grouping, representation of turbulent motion and violent action, high drama, and brilliant palette are hallmarks of Rubens' style. In the notice of January 25, 1847, Eugène Delacroix admired the crocodile as a "masterpiece of execution", remarking, however, that "its action could have been more interesting".[4]
^Paul Oppenheimer, Rubens: A Portrait (London: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002), 197.
^Natalie Harris Bluestone. Double vision: perspectives on gender and the visual arts, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1995, p. 27
August 26, 2023
hippopotamus, crocodile, hunt, painting, canvas, peter, paul, rubens, commissioned, 1615, decorate, schleißheim, palace, along, with, three, other, works, depicting, lion, wolf, boar, hunts, cycle, paintings, looted, from, palace, during, napoleonic, wars, onl. The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt is an oil painting on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens It was commissioned in 1615 to decorate Schleissheim Palace along with three other works depicting lion wolf and boar hunts The cycle of paintings was looted from the palace during the Napoleonic Wars Only the Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt was returned to Munich 1 at which time it was added to the collection that is now the Alte Pinakothek The Hippopotamus and Crocodile HuntArtistPeter Paul RubensYear1615 1616MediumOil on canvasDimensions248 cm 321 cm 98 in 126 in LocationAlte Pinakothek Munich Contents 1 Description 2 History 3 Related subjects by Rubens 4 ReferencesDescription EditPeter Paul Rubens created the canvas oil painting entitled The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt between 1615 16 The hunt takes place on the banks of the Nile as indicated by a palm tree in the background As hippopotami and crocodiles were considered dangerous nuisances their destruction was a duty performed by noblemen The hunting party comprises three men in orientalizing costume mounted on Arabian horses who hunt with lance and sword and two valets clad in roughly hewn jerkins one of whom has been killed by one of the beasts The enraged hippopotamus tramples the crocodile as both are attacked by the hunters and hounds The accurately rendered physical appearances of the hippopotamus and crocodile contrasts with contemporary renderings 2 and reflect the period s growing interest in empiricism and natural history It has been suggested that Rubens may have traveled to Rome to view a temporarily displayed dead hippopotamus preserved in brine prior to the painting of the picture 3 History EditRubens contributed to the long standing genre of the large hunting scene and his studio produced dozens for aristocratic patrons in the 1610s and 1620s Maximilian I Elector of Bavaria commissioned the Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt three others depicting lion wolf and boar hunts in 1615 to decorate Schleissheim Palace the summer residence of the Wittelsbach princes Rubens and his studio produced the four large canvases in Antwerp over the years 1615 16 The Wittelsbach collection formed the nucleus of Alte Pinakothek in Munich the present location of the Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt and The Lion Hunt from the same cycle The cycle of paintings were looted from the palace during the Napoleonic Wars Only the Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt was returned to Munich 1 at which time it was added to the collection that is now the Alte Pinakothek The complexity of the figure grouping representation of turbulent motion and violent action high drama and brilliant palette are hallmarks of Rubens style In the notice of January 25 1847 Eugene Delacroix admired the crocodile as a masterpiece of execution remarking however that its action could have been more interesting 4 Related subjects by Rubens Edit The Wild Boar Hunt The Wolf and Fox Hunt The Lion Hunt The Tiger Leopard and Lion HuntReferences Edit a b Reinhold Baumstark The Alte Pinakothek Munich C H Beck 2002 p 91 6 Extremely Wrong But Hilarious Scientific Beliefs Cracked com Retrieved 2017 02 09 Paul Oppenheimer Rubens A Portrait London Rowman and Littlefield 2002 197 Natalie Harris Bluestone Double vision perspectives on gender and the visual arts Fairleigh Dickinson University Press 1995 p 27 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt amp oldid 1057840240, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
