Atalanta and Meleager Hunt the Calydonian Boar
Artist
Jan Fyt
and others (Flemish, 1611 – 1661)
Date1648
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsImage: 96 x 181 7/8 in. (243.8 x 462 cm)
Framed: 107 1/2 x 175 1/2 in. (273 x 445.8 cm)
Framed: 107 1/2 x 175 1/2 in. (273 x 445.8 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN236
An arrow of the young huntress Atalanta has just wounded a wild boar ravaging the countryside of Calydonia. There is no escape for the beast from the hunting dogs that surround it. This dramatic moment from a famous ancient hunt was a popular subject among the knighted class passionate about this time-honored and noble pastime. It was also an opportunity for an artist like Fyt, who specialized in animal paintings, to show his powers of realistic representation. The human figures and the landscape were painted by other artists, an example of artistic collaboration that was common in the Netherlands in the 17th century.
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