Princely Treasures – Hunting Scenes of R

The multipart series with motifs from the collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein is continued with two paintings by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). The artist of Flemish origin was one of the most famous Baroque painters and diplomats of the Spanish-Habsburg crown. His works are characterised by light and colour. "The Hunt of the Meleager and the Atalante" (face value: CHF 1.50) shows how Greece's bravest warriors gather to fight an angry wild boar.

The beast was sent to King Oineus of Calydonia by Diana, the hunting goddess, in revenge for the failure to pay her tribute during the harvest festival. Atalante, a virgin raised among hunters, rushes to the aid of the beset spear throwers Telamon and Peleus and hits the boar with her arrow behind the ear. While the wounded animal writhes in pain, Meleager runs from the right and strikes a fatal blow. It is assumed that the oil sketch "The Hunt of Diana" (face value: CHF 2.20) is a counterpart to the painting mentioned above. In this picture, Diana and her hunters rush forwards to a stag which, surrounded by the hounds and hit by a spear, falls to the ground while a hind tries to escape in the background.