Reebok met spoor 1751

Johann Ridinger made this print of a roebuck and its tracks using etching, a printmaking technique, sometime before his death in 1767. The print gives us a glimpse into the world of the European aristocracy and their relationship to the natural world. In 18th century Europe, hunting was a popular pastime for the upper classes. Hunting prints like this one served as both records of successful hunts and instructional guides for aspiring hunters, detailing the animals, their tracks, and their habitats. But these prints also spoke to a broader cultural interest in the natural world, spurred by scientific exploration. The meticulous detail in the depiction of the buck and its tracks reflects a desire to classify and understand nature in a systematic way. As historians, we can look to hunting manuals, scientific treatises, and aristocratic memoirs to better understand this print and its cultural context. By examining these sources, we can see how art is always shaped by the social and institutional forces of its time.