ABBATE, Niccolò dell'
(b. 1509, Modena, d. 1571, Fontainebleau)

Stag Hunt

1550-52
Oil on canvas, 116 x 159 cm
Galleria Borghese, Rome

In a fabulous setting we see the last moments of a stag hunt. The very small size of the figures in the foreground does not prevent the artist from lingering over every detail of the elegant clothing, the hairstyles and the harness of the horses. We sense a refined climate of diversion that was certainly inspired by the Estense court of the castle of Ferrara, from which "Camerini" this painting probably comes. The natural scenery, which shows the influence of Dosso Dossi's landscapes and numerous aspects of Flemish art, is lit up in the background by unreal flashes of light, oscillating between pale pink and gray-green, from which ruins emerge, the spires of fairytale works of architecture.




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