Staande man met een jachtgeweer 1841

Pieter van Loon made this pencil drawing of a standing man with a rifle in the Netherlands sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Hunting in the Dutch Golden Age had always been a privilege of the wealthy. By the 19th century, changes in land ownership and class structure allowed the common man access to the sport. Here, the artist captured a man who appears to be of lower social standing. He isn't in the type of hunting gear you might see in aristocratic portraiture. His clothes are worn, and his rifle isn’t ornamented. What does it mean that this man now has access to a pastime formerly reserved for the elite? Perhaps a symbol of changing social structures. To fully understand a work like this, it’s vital to delve into the era's hunting laws, social hierarchies, and artistic conventions. By looking at these factors, we can understand the image’s social commentary.