Early 17th Century Engraving By Jan II Collaert: Panther Hunting

From the set : Venationes Ferarum drawn by Jan van der Straet (1523 - 1605)
Nice print with wide margins, four brown marks in the corners.

The success of the famous tapestry of the Hunts designed by Stradanus for Cosimo de Medici encouraged the Flemish artist to plan a series of engravings inspired by the tapestries. After three series of six hunts published by Hieronymus Cock in 1570 and then by his widow in 1574 and 1576, Stradanus began a long and fruitful collaboration with the publisher Philips Galle. He executed a large number of drawings for him which gave rise to the publication of two new series: the first, comprising a title page followed by forty-three hunts, was published between 1578 and 1580; the second, published around 1596, added sixty-one hunts and a new frontispiece bearing the still famous title Venationes Ferarum, Avium, Piscium. For the exotic or fabulous hunts, which were only added to the initial repertoire of hunts in the editions of Philips Galle from 1578, the artist drew on Pliny's 'Natural History', in particular chapter VIII devoted to land animals. Stradanus combines observation from nature and borrowings from other artists, in particular for species not visible in the menageries of Florence. (O. Savatier, 2013).

Bibliography:
F. Lugt, 'Inventaire Général des dessins des Ecoles du Nord, Supplément, Maîtres des Anciens Pays Bas nés avant 1550, Musée du Louvre, Cabinet des Dessins', Frits Lugt, Paris 1968, p. 121
W. Bok van Kammen, 'Stradanus and the Hunt, M.A. thesis, John Hopkins University, 1977
A. Baroni Vannucci, 'Jan van der Straet detto Giovanni Stradano flandrus pictor et inventor', Milan, Jandi Sapi editori, 1997, sous n°575, p.313 (avec bibliographie antérieure)
O. Savatier in 'Un Allemand à la cour de Louis XIV. De Dürer à Van Dyck, la collection nordique d'Everhard Jabach', Paris, musée du Louvre, 2013, n° 27
A. Baroni in 'Giovanni Stradano. Le più strane e belle invenzioni del mondo', cat. exp. Florence, Museo di Palazzo Vecchio, 17 novembre 2023 - 18 février 2024, Firenze, Leonardo Libri, 2023