The Small Lion Hunt (with One Lion)

The Small Lion Hunt (with One Lion) by Rembrandt van Rijn, dated 1629, is an important early example of the artist's masterful engagement with printmaking. Executed in the medium of etching, this work belongs to the critical developmental phase of the Dutch Golden Age, spanning the period 1601 to 1650. This piece showcases Rijn’s nascent skill in handling line and shadow to create dramatic tension, reflecting a vigorous energy typical of Baroque depictions of action and conflict.

The subject matter, the dramatic hunting of a large cat, provided Rijn with an opportunity to explore dynamic movement and human-animal confrontation. While later in his career Rijn focused more intensely on portraiture and biblical narratives, his early output included several battle and hunt subjects, likely influenced by the stylistic traditions of Italian masters and Flemish contemporaries. In this particular scene, several mounted riders converge upon a single, powerful lion, which fights back fiercely against its attackers.

Rijn skillfully manipulated the etching needle to define the composition and emotional intensity. He used deep, dense lines to anchor the primary action in the foreground, creating shadows and emphasizing the muscle of the horses and the aggression of the lion. Conversely, the background figures are rendered with lighter, sketchier strokes, which highlights the chaos and surrounding environment while drawing the viewer's eye to the central moment of conflict. This early technical deftness with the etching medium foreshadowed his eventual status as one of Europe’s preeminent producers of fine art prints.

Though considered a relatively minor work compared to Rijn’s grand religious compositions, this spirited hunt scene remains a valuable document of his technical growth as a printmaker during the Dutch Golden Age. The lasting popularity and historical significance of his graphic output ensures that high-resolution reproductions of these early prints are often made available by institutions to the public domain. This particular impression of The Small Lion Hunt (with One Lion) is held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art.