Festoengroepen met een ree, een haas en gevogelte before 1897

This engraving presents a hunting still life, featuring a hare, fowl, and a roe deer. These animals, symbols of the hunt, echo through the ages, their depictions found in ancient Roman mosaics and Renaissance feasts alike, embodying man’s dominion over nature. Observe the dead hare, a motif laden with layered meanings. In medieval art, the hare, due to its association with fertility, often symbolized lust. Yet, when depicted as prey, it can symbolize the defeat of earthly desires. This visual tension—fertility versus mortality—speaks to a primal struggle within us, between life’s generative forces and the inevitable end. Consider how the image, laden with cultural memory and subconscious associations, evokes a powerful emotional response. The symbols of the hunt are not merely decorative; they are a testament to the cyclical nature of life and death. This symbol resurfaces again and again through the passage of time, taking on new life and new meanings.