Hounds Chasing a Stag and a Doe 1649 - 1659

Curator: Immediately, I’m caught by the almost frantic energy—those lean bodies, stretched to the limit in pursuit. Editor: It's a powerful image, isn't it? You’re observing Stefano della Bella's etching, "Hounds Chasing a Stag and a Doe," created sometime between 1649 and 1659. It's interesting how he captures the intensity of the hunt using just lines. What stands out to you symbollically about the act? Curator: Well, besides the obvious 'chase'—and its attendant implications of predator and prey which also imply a hierarchy—I’m drawn to the space. The wide landscape, the sky, all feel very baroque in their expansiveness, it creates a feeling that the chase will go on forever. It really leans into the narrative quality. Editor: Absolutely. Baroque art often aims for that sense of dramatic, ongoing action, very true in this drawing too. Beyond just a hunt, there is a whole chain of visual and metaphorical associations when hunting and chase motifs emerge in art, from Roman mythic narratives and their obsession with Arcadia, Diana, etc. Perhaps Della Bella is aware of this. Curator: It's funny you mention Roman myths. Something about the stag, especially with its antlers in full display, reminds me of Actaeon and that sense of hubris bringing about transformation. The fear is tangible here, isn’t it? The deer looks not so much terrified, as aware of their fate, which is why it almost brings to mind an idea about nobility that is quickly dying at the teeth of the incoming middle classes that gained power after the Peace of Westphalia around that time. It is not about pure hunting anymore! Editor: What an evocative point. Della Bella certainly compresses a wealth of potential meanings in what appears a 'simple' hunting scene. Those subtle indications in the eyes of the characters open up the chase to resonate psychologically in our reading. Even the composition helps draw in new ways of seeing old images, where the background of wispy clouds, almost mimic in shape and color the deer that run across our eyes. Curator: A subtle and telling way to describe his use of repetition within composition; an ever running of circles, perhaps…it may come full circle soon and our nobility-inclined stags get overthrown... That gives me chills. Editor: Indeed! These glimpses can make artworks far more enriching experiences. Thanks so much.