(b. 1579, Antwerpen, d. 1657, Antwerpen)
Wild Boar Hunt-
Oil on canvas, 194 x 340 cm
Rockox House, Antwerp
Frans Snyders, Rockox's friend and neighbour and a witness to his last will and testament, was the leading still-life and animal painter of his time. His fruitful career was linked in close symbiosis with the artistic world of Rubens, with whom he frequently collaborated. Both the paintings Snyders made alone and those he produced in collaboration with Rubens are so intimately bound up with Rubens' ideas and language of form that they have to be appreciated in this context. Just as in Rubens' work, Snyders assembles the elements of his paintings not only on the basis of their artistic characteristics, but also as elements with a part to play in the overall design and decorative effect of the canvas as a whole.
The monumental work Wild Boar Hunt gives a striking portrayal of the tragic lot of both the victim and the hounds who have cornered him.