A Boar Hunt with Hounds and Two Naked Men

This hunting scene certainly does not want for dramatic tension: cornered by two huntsmen and a dog, a raging wild boar tramples the latter’s companion. The composition draws upon a study made of a Roman sarcophagus, which can be seen today at the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua. However, the relief adorning this sarcophagus is missing the two huntsmen’s heads. These are substituted in the drawing with little regard for archaeological accuracy, with the artist instead opting for a more contemporary aesthetic. His principal interest lay in conveying the movements of the unclothed huntsmen and their dogs. The result is a particularly remarkable portrayal of the dog seen jumping in the foreground of the picture, whose sleekly dynamic physique and large, round ears are not modelled on precedents in classical art, but are instead drawn faithfully, likely based upon the artist’s own knowledge and observation of actual hunting dogs.