Hertenjacht c. 1630

Bartholomeus van Lochom created this print, Hertenjacht, which translates to Deer Hunt, in the 17th century, a time when the Netherlands was undergoing significant social and economic changes. This small engraving depicts a stag hunt, a popular pastime of the elite, with mounted hunters, dogs, and figures holding nets to trap the deer. While seemingly a benign scene of aristocratic leisure, the print offers insights into the period's strict social hierarchies and the power dynamics between humans and animals, and of course between the classes. Notice the contrast between the refined, controlled movements of the hunters on horseback and the frenzied, desperate flight of the deer. Van Lochom's work, while celebrating the hunt, also invites us to consider the cost of such pursuits, both to the animals and to the broader social fabric. Hunting was the prerogative of the land-owning classes and thus another form of dominance. The print serves not only as a historical record but as an opportunity to reflect on the social values and ethical questions that continue to resonate today.