Titelprent met cartouche met titel en rand met dieren, midden boven een beer 1598

This is the title page for "Second Book of Various Hunts," an engraving made in Rome by Antonio Tempesta in the late 16th or early 17th century. The print, brimming with animals, invites us to consider the cultural status of hunting and its relationship to the natural world. During this time, hunting was both a sport for the aristocracy and a means of survival for the lower classes. Tempesta, moving between Rome and Florence, would have understood these different social positions. The image reflects the entangled relationship between humans and animals, not only in the hunt, but also in the creation of this print. The artist’s hand has captured these animals, transforming them into objects of aesthetic contemplation. Consider how Tempesta blurs the line between the observer and the observed. What do you feel when you look at the animals looking back at you? It's in this exchange that we can reflect on our place within a larger ecosystem.