Jager met zeven honden 1636

Pieter Bodding van Laer created this etching, titled "Hunter with Seven Dogs," sometime in the first half of the 17th century. Van Laer was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his depictions of everyday life, especially his paintings of peasants. "Hunter with Seven Dogs" offers a glimpse into the hierarchical structures of the time. A man, presumably of higher social standing, is depicted with his hunting dogs. These dogs, symbols of wealth and status, are rendered with a certain individuality, each possessing its own posture and expression. The hunter's interaction with the dogs might suggest a relationship of dependence, where the dogs serve both as tools for hunting and as extensions of the man’s identity and power. Consider how the seemingly simple scene of a man with his dogs reflects the broader social dynamics of 17th-century Europe, where class distinctions and the relationship between humans and animals were deeply intertwined.