Valkenjacht op eenden en ganzen 1594 - 1598

Jan Collaert II's "Valkenjacht op eenden en ganzen" depicts a falcon hunt of ducks and geese, rendered in engraving. Collaert, born in Antwerp, situates this hunting scene within the visual culture of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, a period marked by social stratification and the display of wealth. The artwork portrays an elite hunting party, complete with musicians, set against a landscape populated by both the hunters and the hunted. The act of falconry itself becomes a symbol of power and privilege, a spectacle orchestrated for the enjoyment of the upper classes. The Latin verses beneath the image reveal a sense of the hunt's drama, where the birds are frightened by the instruments. This emotional dimension invites a consideration of the relationship between humans and animals, and the ethics of recreational hunting. The pursuit is enshrined in a complex interplay of social status, ecological manipulation, and artistic representation.