Landscape with Tournament and Hunters

Dutch painter Jan van Scorel was one of the first Northern European artists to make an extended trip to Italy to study antiquities and the new Renaissance style. This landscape must have been made during his stay in southern Europe as a young artist; the panel is made from poplar, a wood commonly used in Italy. The two aristocratic pastimes depicted, jousting and hunting, were frequent themes of Northern European landscapes, particularly in prints, and Italian patrons were drawn to these extravagant visions of courtly pursuits.