Adonis' død 1654

Herman van Swanevelt's 1654 etching *Adonis' død* depicts the death of the mythological hunter Adonis. The scene, set in a lush forest, shows Adonis lying on the ground, wounded by a wild boar. The boar, a powerful symbol of nature's untamed force, stands in the foreground, while the hunter's dogs are seen running away. The composition emphasizes the drama of the moment and the contrast between the beauty of the natural world and the brutality of death. The etching, now housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst, exemplifies Van Swanevelt's characteristic use of light and shadow, which creates a sense of depth and atmosphere.