Bosschaert, Attr. To, The Hunt For The Caledonian Wild Boar

THOMAS WILLEBOIRTS BOSSCHAERT, attr. to
THE HUNT FOR THE CALEDONIAN WILD BOAR

THOMAS WILLEBOIRTS BOSSCHAERT, attr. to
Bergen op Zoom 1613 – 1654 Antwerpen

Oil on panel
56.5 x 44.5 cm / 22.2 x 17.5 inches, with frame 73 x 63 cm / 28.7 x 24.8 inches

PROVENANCE
Paris, private collection

The painting depicts a rare subject from ancient mythology, specifically the beginning of the legendary hunt for the Calydonian boar — namely, the death of the Argonaut Ancaeus. The hunt, which was organized by King Oeneus to rid his land of the savage wild boar, attracted numerous heroes. Ancaeus, known for his strength, confidently attacked the boar but was mortally wounded — it is his beautiful body that we see in the lower right corner of the painting.
At this moment, the only female participant in the hunt, Atalanta, releases an arrow at the boar, which seriously injures the animal. We see this arrow protruding from the boar's body in the center of the painting. Meanwhile, Meleager (in the center of the painting, in shadow) delivers the fatal blow to the boar with his spear. The hero with the hunting horn and sword is likely depicted as Theseus.
The painting displays stylistic traits characteristic of Willeboirts Bosschaert’s oeuvre, providing sound grounds for its confident attribution to the artist.  Bosschaert was born in Bergen-op-Zoom in 1613 and died in Antwerp in 1654. He studied under Gerard Seghers, from whom he inherited a love for landscape painting, which became an integral part of his work and always gave a chamber-like quality to his pieces. However, it would be a mistake to think of Bosschaert solely as a landscape painter — he was a versatile artist, and his portraits and allegorical compositions are equally fascinating.
An important milestone in Bosschaert's career was his acquaintance with the work of Anthony van Dyck. The artist's palette became more luminous, built on a gentle interplay of light tones. The imagery of his works also changed, becoming more refined. For instance, in this painting, the strong influence of van Dyck is evident in the figure of the deceased Ancaeus.