The Lion Hunt
1621/29
Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert (Dutch, active in Flanders, c. 1586–1659) after Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)
Flanders
Peter Paul Rubens was very particular about the prints made after his paintings, though he embraced the increased fame that they afforded him. Schelte Bolswert’s engraving of The Lion Hunt ably captures the roiling energy of Rubens’s painting. The older artist proudly discussed this painting in a 1621 letter: “I have almost finished a large picture, entirely by my hand, and in my opinion one of my best, representing a Lion Hunt, with the figures life-sized.” Given the printing process’s usual reversing effect, Rubens may have specifically requested that this engraving appear in the same direction as the painting.
Engraving in black on cream laid paper, tipped onto cream laid paper