Jacht op patrijzen 1578

Philips Galle created this engraving, "Jacht op patrijzen", likely in the late 16th century in the Netherlands. It depicts partridge hunting, but it's far from a straightforward depiction of rural life. The print operates on several levels. It participates in a broader cultural interest of the period in country life, but the level of detail suggests it also attempts to classify nature, turning lived experience into a kind of scientific knowledge, an impulse that reflected the concerns of early modern science. The print also idealizes country life, as a respite for the wealthy, turning it into a form of leisure, pleasure and social status. We can learn more about these contexts by researching the print's reception history: How was it displayed? Who bought it? What did they do with it? The answers to these questions can tell us a great deal about the social life of images.