The artwork, titled “Stag Hunt of Elector Friedrich III the Wise,” was created by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1529 in Germany. This oil painting on a panel, measuring 80 by 114 centimeters, is a piece of genre painting from the Northern Renaissance period. It is currently housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, located in Vienna, Austria.
In the artwork, a dynamic and intricately detailed scene of a stag hunt unfolds across a richly wooded landscape. The central focal point reveals a group of noblemen, including Elector Friedrich III, involved in the hunt. They are positioned in a boat on a winding river, their hunting dogs fiercely chasing stags and other animals through the forest and into the water. Various figures on horseback and on foot are seen participating in the hunt, some bearing bows and arrows, while others wield spears. The background reveals a distant castle perched majestically atop a hill, suggesting the hunt takes place in an expansive estate. The vibrancy of the colors and the meticulous attention to detail exemplify the characteristic style of Lucas Cranach the Elder, encapsulating the grandeur and excitement of a 16th-century noble pursuit.
