Dood van Adonis Possibly 1630 - 1832

Anthonie Waterloo created this print, titled *Dood van Adonis* or *Death of Adonis*, in the 17th century, a time when landscape art was blossoming in the Netherlands. The image shows a scene steeped in classical mythology: Adonis, the epitome of masculine beauty, lies lifeless after a boar hunt. A grieving dog mourns by his side. Meanwhile, in the background, the wild boar escapes. As a historical genre, the pastoral landscape was often charged with class and gender anxieties. The death of Adonis can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of straying from the cultivated space into the wild, which was often coded as feminine. The tragedy isn’t just the death of a beautiful man, but perhaps the dominance of raw nature over civilization. The print invites us to consider the complex interplay between nature and culture, and the narratives we construct about beauty, masculinity, and the untamed world.