Vos en de drie honden c. 1641 - 1691

Abraham Hondius created this print, “Fox and the Three Dogs,” using etching. The image depicts an encounter, a confrontation, in which the fox is cornered. The fox, an ancient symbol of cunning and trickery, faces a pack of dogs. This dynamic, the hunted versus the hunters, goes back to Aesop's fables and beyond, reflecting humanity's primal relationship with the natural world. Consider the ‘Master of Animals’ motif from ancient Near Eastern art, where a figure, often a hero or god, tames or battles wild animals, symbolizing control over nature. Here, the dogs represent an organized, societal force against the wild, untamed fox. This echoes through time—from medieval bestiaries to Renaissance allegories—where animals embody human traits and moral lessons. The tension between the fox and dogs taps into the collective unconscious, stirring feelings of vulnerability, strategy, and the inevitable clash between opposing forces. This piece is not just a depiction of animals, but of enduring archetypes locked in a timeless dance.