Forest with Deer

A group of deer are framed by the fallen tree bough that forms the major diagonal of this composition. In the middleground at the far right, two hunters seek their prey accompanied by a hunting dog. The close-up view of the darkened forest against the pale greens and blues of the distant woods creates an engaging, if not quite realistic, scene. Roelandt Savery worked in Prague for the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (reigned 1576–1612) whose famous hunting grounds provided ample material for the artist’s animal paintings.