Isaak van Oosten (Antwerp 1613 ­– 1661)

A forest interior with hunters

oil on copper, oval
9 ½ x 13 inches (24 x 33 cm.)

Provenance:
Private Collection, Netherlands.

In the first half of the seventeenth century, woodland scenes with highly-detailed depictions of nature were regarded as one of the most important forms of Flemish landscape painting. A forest interior with hunters is a particularly fine example of this popular theme among the works of Isaak van Oosten. The Flemish artist’s oeuvre consisted mostly of small landscapes, minutely-painted and often on copper, in the tradition of Jan Brueghel the Elder. Isaak van Oosten’s realistic detail and alternating areas of color are distinctive qualities of landscape painting in the Southern Netherlands during the seventeenth century.
In the present work, a hunting party is depicted in a small clearing of the forest. Two patrician gentlemen, elegantly dressed in typical hunting attire, are accompanied by their guide and four dogs. A stand of trees in the center of the composition divides the scene into two parts: the figures surrounded by the dense forest interior on the right, and the splendid river stretching diagonally towards a distant village on the left (a technique developed by Jan Brueghel the Elder after 1610). 
Although the hunt is often interpreted as a violent theme, van Oosten presented an alternative, charming depiction of this aristocratic pastime. In the seventeenth century, hunting was a privilege reserved for nobility. Surprisingly, there were a significant number of restrictions and ordinances placed on the sport, regulating which animals could be hunted during each season. The gentlemen depicted in the painting carry satchels and authentic equipment which may be seen in other hunting pieces from the period. Seventeenth century hunting literature refers to the practice of hunting with dogs. Usually, there were four to five dogs that would accompany the hunt. The spaniels (pictured with the man on the left), were often used to locate the game, while the greyhounds (depicted on the leash held by the gentleman in the middle), would catch it.

Scott A. Sullivan, The Dutch Gamepiece, Boydell Press, 1984.