The Hunters Drawing Numbers 

Pietro Longhi's painting, *The Hunters Drawing Numbers,* now in the Querini Stampalia Foundation in Venice, captures a casual scene of leisure. Painted sometime in the 18th century, we see a group of men drawing lots for the order in which they will hunt. This painting speaks to the social codes of its time and place, where the rituals of hunting were as much about social hierarchy as they were about sport. Longhi seems interested in the ways in which Venetian society ordered itself, and the systems of patronage that underpinned it. The rack of guns behind the men serves as a stark reminder of the purpose of their gathering. To better understand this painting, we might delve into the archives of Venetian social clubs. We might also research the hunting traditions of the Venetian aristocracy. The meaning of art, as we can see, is always contingent on its social and institutional context.