seCtion 4 | the Hunting portrait as a status symbol

“ … he cannot be a gentleman which loveth not hawking and hunting … ” (Humfrey braham, The Institucion of a Gentleman, 1555)

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Cornelis VAn poelenburCH (utrecht, 1594/1595 – utrecht, 1667) The Seven Eldest Children of the “Winter King and Queen ”

1628 oil on oak panel, 37.9 × 65.3 cm signed and dated lower right: CP.1628 purchased from the esterházy collection, 1871 inv. no. 381 Museum of fine Arts, Collection of old Master paintings

frederick V of the palatinate (1596–1632), elector palatine, had been on the throne of bohemia for barely a year, earning the nickname “the winter king” , when he and his family were forced to flee to the netherlands after the protestant defeat at the battle of white Mountain in 1620. Cornelis van poelenburch’ s group portrait shows seven of frederick’ s children and his wife, elizabeth stuart (1596–1662). the painter spent several years in italy, and his experiences there are reflected in the delicately painted idyllic landscape, the clear, classical formulation of the figures, and the harmonious rhythm of their arrangement. the postures of the royal progeny convey a sense of nobility, and they are all dressed in classical costumes, perhaps depicted by poelenburch as participants in a mythological role-play. As such, the eldest son, frederick, embodies Meleager, the Calydonian hunter who killed the wild boar, while elizabeth personifies Atalante, the Arcadian huntress. in the hands of frederick, the slaughtered boar’ s head or the spear of Charles louis symbolises the fortitude, strength and valour required to hunt game. the trained hawk and the gentle songbird refer to the cultivation of virtues, aimed at overcoming desire, instinct, and luxury. the bagged animals symbolise these vanities, so a successful hunt emphasises the triumph of virtue, befitting a ruler. the painting once graced the collection of king Charles i of england (1600–1649), brother of the “winter Queen” .

CsAbA Hertelendy

literAture: pigler 1967, 552–53; Czobor 1967a, fig. 4; Haak 1984, 320, fig. 684; Summary Catalogue 2000, 135; sluijter-seiffert 2016, 152, fig. 190, 381, cat. no. 279.

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Alonso CAno (granada, 1601 – granada, 1667) Infante Don Baltasar Carlos (Prince Balthasar Charles)

1633–1634 oil on canvas, 144 × 109 cm Acquired in 1951 inv. no. 51.2828 Museum of fine Arts, Collection of old Master paintings

since the Middle Ages, the practice of hunting had been of particular importance to members of the ruling elite in spain. this was the activity that best demonstrated the king’ s skills (physical prowess, ingenuity and tactical sense), all of which were essential for victory in war. Hunting also played an important part of the education of balthasar Charles (1629–1646), a royal infante (prince) of the Habsburg dynasty, who was only five or six years old at the time this work was painted. neither his clothes nor his other accessories indicate his rank, but his stately posture, his – for his age – serious and dignified expression, and the firmness with which he grips his rifle indicate his royal origins. the circumstances under which the painting was commissioned and its original function are unknown. in its composition and in the setting of the figure it depicts, it follows the portrait of prince balthasar Charles painted by diego Velázquez for philip iV in the hunting lodge of torre de la parada, near Madrid. the work serving as a model for this painting was part of a series of portraits in which Velázquez portrayed the monarch, his brother, Cardinal-infante ferdinand Habsburg, and his son, balthasar Charles, as hunters.

AdriÁnA lAntos

literAture: wethey 1983, 155, cat. no. x.17; nyerges 1983, 143–49; nyerges in Budapest 2006b, cat. no. 60, 182–83; doval trueba 2010, 202–11.

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Attributed to dAniël MiJtens tHe younger (the Hague, 1644 – the Hague, 1688) Young Noble Lady as Diana

ca. 1680–1685 oil on canvas, 77.3 × 88 cm purchased from the esterházy collection, 1871 inv. no. 317 Museum of fine Arts, Collection of old Master paintings

the magnificent attire worn by the young lady in the painting is not in line with the fashion of the day, but suggests she is dressed in costume. the crescent moon adorning her hair, the quiver of arrows hung on the tree and the bow all clearly signify that she is cast in the role of diana, the roman virgin goddess of hunting. the greyhounds and pointers around her are befitting of a noble huntress, while the garden fountain, decorated with putti, recalls the legend of Actaeon, who glimpsed the goddess while she was bathing. the so-called portrait historié (historicised portrait), a type of portrait in which the model was depicted as a mythological, biblical or historical figure, became popular in the Hague court from the 1630s. depictions of aristocratic young ladies in the guise of diana are known by gerrit van Honthorst (1590–1654), who introduced the genre to the netherlands, and by his brother willem. the budapest painting was long attributed to franciscus Haagen, but it has recently been accepted that the work was by daniël Mijtens the younger. the Hague master was taught by his father, daniël Mijtens the elder, who long served as court artist to the stuarts in london. the sitter is set in a southern landscape, and painted in a classical manner, with refined dignity and elegance. this, and the exquisite sense of materiality in the drapery, show that the artist was influenced by the flemish style of portraiture, in particular that of Anthony van dyck.

CsAbA Hertelendy

literAture: pigler 1967, 298; Summary Catalogue 2000, 77; németh in Turin 2004–2005, 114–15, cat. no. 46; ekkart 2011, 207–18, fig. 9.

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Attributed to JoHAnn ConrAd eiCHler (peine, 1680 – wolfenbüttel, 1748) Hunting Portrait of Charles I, Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel

1730s oil on canvas, 152 × 112 cm forged signature lower left, on the stone: Johan. Kupezky Pinx. 1709 Acquired in 1951 inv. no. 51.165 Museum of fine Arts, Collection of old Master paintings

the painting shows a hunter sitting in the shade of a tree on a rocky mountain. His casual elegance and his relaxed posture appear to have been captured by chance, but in fact, every detail of the spectacle was consciously and deliberately thought through. the sophisticated choice of garments with the artistically decorated, soutache-patterned dolman and tricorn hat, the freshly curled hair, and the confident air are meant to express the social rank of the sitter, as are the german pointer lazing faithfully at his feet and the double-barrelled, muzzle-loading flintlock held in his left hand. the person depicted (based on a portrait of him in the landesmuseum in braunschweig) is certainly Charles i, one of the rulers of braunschweig-wolfenbüttel (1713–1780). Although it is signed “Johan. kupezky ” , the work cannot be classified as part of the oeuvre of the prestigious Czech portrait painter. the anatomical inaccuracies and the jerky, somewhat stilted pose suggest the work of a less talented master. it can presumably be related to the creator of the previously mentioned portrait, namely Johann Conrad eichler, a specialist in portraiture, who from 1717 was court painter of the principality of braunschweig–wolfenbüttel. this portrait, formulated in a direct and casual manner and combining baroque decorativeness with objectivity, could have been made for the hunting lodge of the prince.

AnnAMÁriA gosZtolA

literAture: garas in Summary Catalogue 2003, 49–50; gosztola in Turin 2004–2005, cat. no. 49.

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pAinter of sZepes County Boldizsár Máriássy at the Age of Four

1763 inscribed upper right: Balthasaius Mariassy / Annor. 4. oil on canvas, 87.5 × 70 cm purchased, 1984 inv. no. 84.3M Hungarian national gallery, Collection of old Hungarian paintings and sculptures

boldizsár Máriássy ii (toporc [toporec, slovakia], 1759 – sajószentpéter, 1811), a member of a patrician family of szepes county, served as the noble magistrate and county court judge of szepes and later borsod county. He probably acquired his borsod estates through his wife, klára losonczy of losonc, whom he married in sajószentpéter in 1787. He later lived and managed their property in sajókazinc, where most of their children were born. Hunting, a favourite pastime of the nobility, was in his family ’ s blood, and some of his descendants in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries became famous hunters. the portrait of boldizsár Máriássy as a child shows him as a diminutive adult, dressed as a hunter, in a striped hunting suit, with a green hat adorned with roses, a muzzleloading rifle, and a hunting dog. besides the winsome figure of the young boy, the main attraction of the painting is the rugged landscape in the background, featuring a castle beside a meandering river, with a group of squabbling wild ducks. the landscape and the towered castle are reminiscent of the Márkusfalva (Markušovce, slovakia) estate in the Hernád valley, ancestral seat of the Máriássy family, who also owned land in the counties of szepes and gömör.

ZsuZsAnnA bodA

literAture: tüskés and Máriássy 2019, 22, 101.

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MArtin ferdinAnd QuAdAl (CHVÁtAl) (němčice nad Hanou [niemtschitz], 1736 – saint petersburg, 1809) Hunting Boy at Rest

1786 oil on canvas, 118 × 155 cm signed lower right, on the stone: M. F. Quadal. Pinx / 1786 purchased from the esterházy collection, 1871 inv. no. 435 Museum of fine Arts, Collection of old Master paintings

Having studied in Vienna, Moravian-born Martin ferdinand Quadal continued his education at the royal Academy in paris and then in london. As an independent artist, he travelled throughout europe from dublin to naples, eventually settling in saint petersburg as court painter to the tsar. His noble clients received exactly what they wanted to decorate their palaces from a painter who quickly adapted to local style requirements: portraits, often featuring the depicted person’ s favourite dog, and hunting scenes. successful grey partridge hunting requires perfect cooperation between the hunting dog, who stands still (“sets ”), pointing in the direction of the game, and the hunter, with his steady hand on the shotgun. Quadal’ s genre scene convincingly shows the pride shared between man and animal in pursuing the quarry. it is unlikely that the simply dressed, barefoot boy is meant to represent noble youth, although two years earlier the painter depicted the chief hunter of king ferdinand iV of naples among his dogs, holding the prey up high (in reggia di Caserta). the assumption in the earlier literature that the painting was made for a supraporte, i.e., to be set over a door, can no longer be upheld. the red-and-white irish setter looks straight at the viewer from the depth of the image, an ingenious solution that would lose all of its effect from a height.

Miklós gÁlos

literAture: németh in Székesfehérvár 1993, b 95; Summary Catalogue 2003, 106; safarik 2006, 146–47.

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JosepH kreutZinger (Vienna, 1757 – Vienna, 1829) Sitting Man with a Shotgun

1780s signed lower right: Jos…Kreutzi… oil on canvas, 124 × 96 cm purchased, 1979 inv. no. 79.6M Hungarian national gallery, Collection of old Hungarian paintings and sculptures

Joseph kreutzinger was one of the most sought-after portraitists of his times in Vienna, popularly commissioned by members of the aristocracy and the nobility. in his works, he strove to capture his models ’ individual personality with great sensitivity. He was also active in Munich and saint petersburg; his portraits were reproduced in engravings. His art was influenced by french rococo portraiture, but he was also interested in english portrait painting, which he probably had the opportunity to study at first hand, not only from prints. the portrait of a man shown here also bears the influence of contemporary english portraiture. the elegantly dressed young man, notwithstanding the hunting rifle in his hand, has allowed his thoughts to drift away from the excitement of the hunt; indeed, he seems lost in quiet contemplation, in harmony with the nature that surrounds him. He rests his elbow against a marble pedestal on which a stone urn stands, inscribed with the name “Magdalena ” . His slightly gloomy and pensive look implies he is thinking about his deceased lover and about the happier, bygone days. this brooding atmosphere is reinforced by the background scenery, with its softly painted tall trees and cloudy sky: the deeply felt expression of emotions and the intense harmony between feelings and nature were features commonly found in contemporary english and german sentimentalist art and literature.

ZsuZsAnnA bodA

literAture: Mojzer 1982, cat. no. 549; Vienna 2006, cat. no. 31.

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AlAJos györgyi giergl (pest, 1821 – pest, 1863) Hunting Company in the Gerecse Mountains

1859 oil on canvas, 143 × 179 cm signed lower middle: Giergl 1859 purchased, 1964 inv. no. 65.57t Hungarian national gallery, Collection of 19th- and 20th-Century painting

the aristocratic hunt was an important event in social life, and was regarded almost as an obligation of the nobility. the wealthiest gentlemen of the time commissioned famous painters to immortalise them pursuing their favourite pastime. the multifigured painting entitled Hunting Company in the Gerecse Mountains, by one of the century ’ s most outstanding portraitists, Alajos györgyi giergl, was probably commissioned by a member of the aristocracy. painted in 1859 with a biedermeier atmosphere, the picture shows a joyful company celebrating the success of their hunt. the meticulously executed portraits of the different members of this group of friends posed a painstaking challenge to the artist. besides faithfully recreating the spectacle, györgyi giergl also carefully evoked the atmosphere and even paid attention to compositional principles. behind the hunters and their dogs, assembled around their quarry, the distant landscape, painted in tones of blue and green, reflects the influence of german romantic painting.

Ágnes ferenCZi

literAture: telepy 1979, 447–48; Vuray, rácz fodor, and szabó 2000, 311.

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kÁroly JAkobey (kúla [kula, serbia], 1826 – budapest, 1891) In the Verdant Countryside

1861 oil on canvas, 146 × 174.5 cm signed lower right: Jakobey Károly Pesten 1861 purchased, 1956 inv. no. 56.245t Hungarian national gallery, Collection of 19th- and 20th-Century painting

Hunting artworks mostly show people actually hunting or preparing to hunt. However, a large canvas painted by károly Jakobey in 1861 captured hunters during a relatively rare moment of rest. three hunters sit in a clearing bordered by trees and bushes in autumnal colours, with a fourth watching from the background. Around them, on the ground and propped up against the tree, are hunting bags and rifles, food boxes and cups, while their hunting dogs are resting beside them. Jakobey shows the hunters ’ attire in rich detail: a green, buttoned jacket reaching down to mid-thigh with matching trousers, knee-high black boots, and a dark hat. even though we no longer know who is depicted in the painting, Jakobey, who made his name as a portrait painter, clearly wanted to individualise the faces.

ildikó bACsA

literAture: nagyszandai szekeres 1938, 52–53.

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gÉZA MÉsZöly (sárbogárd, 1844 – Jobbágyi, 1887) A Hunting Party (The Wild Duck Hunt)

1880–1882 oil on canvas, 179 × 280 cm signed lower right: Mészöly G. 82 purchased, 1954 inv. no. 54.354 Hungarian national gallery, Collection of 19th- and 20th-Century painting

this large canvas by géza Mészöly depicts a detail of the estate of Count Jenő Zichy (known for his travels in Asia), located in felsőszentiván in upper fejér county. A group of hunters can be seen on the shore of the lake shaded by dense foliage. the gentlemen, having finished their hunt, are holding their rifles and looking at their kill with satisfaction. the blue-feathered ducks and other gamebirds are about to be loaded onto a donkey-drawn cart by members of the hunting entourage. the party is headed by the host and master himself, Count Jenő Zichy, who was renowned as a passionate hunter, and who went to great lengths to increase the game population on his estate of almost 400 acres. the estate developed into a major hunting ground, and the chases held here were major social events. Members of the nobility came from all over the country, and the most famous hunting guest was king Milan of serbia, who visited the estate on several occasions. Zichy commissioned the artist to paint a picture for the first international art exhibition in Vienna in 1882, and the work later adorned the salon of the felsőszentiván hunting lodge.

Ágnes ferenCZi

literAture: Fővárosi Lapok 1882, 496; Fővárosi Lapok 1889, 406; bányai 2013, 29.

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kÁroly strAssgürtl (budapest, 1869 – berlin, ?) Franz Joseph and Queen Elisabeth on a Fox Hunt

1896 etching on paper, 243 × 370 mm signed lower right: Vágó; lower right on the edge: Strassgürtl sculp. 96. / Vágó Pál: Udvari vadászat a gödöllői határban gift, 1914 inv. no. 1914-1166 Hungarian national gallery, Collection of prints and drawings

All the social events attended by the royal family, including the court hunts, attracted avid interest. károly strassgürtl, who earned his reputation for his finely executed etched portraits, produced a depiction of the royal couple hunting foxes for the national exhibition of 1896, based on a drawing by pál Vágó entitled Hunting on the Outskirts of Gödöllő. there is no written description of either work to inform us exactly who most of the people are, but we do know that the king and queen are riding in the lead, watching their english pointers chasing the game at close quarters. on one side of franz Joseph, the rider raising his hat can be identified from his features as Archduke rudolf, while on his other side is his son-in-law, prince leopold of bavaria. riding behind Queen elisabeth is one of her daughters, but as they looked so similar, it is difficult to determine whether it is gisela or Marie Valerie. the gödöllő castle and estate were bought by the government in 1867 as a crown gift to the royal couple. franz Joseph was an excellent hunter and he was often accompanied by Queen elisabeth, herself an enthusiast of the sport, and especially of pack hunting.

ildikó bACsA

literAture: Osztrák–Magyar Monarchia 1893, 527. Budapest 1896, 133.

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Miklós ligeti (buda, 1871 – budapest, 1944) Princess Auguste of Bavaria During the Hunt

1910 bronze, 92 cm signed on the base at the front: Ligeti M. 910. gift of lajos ernst to the Municipal picture gallery, 1932 inv. no. 56.422-n Hungarian national gallery, Collection of sculptures, Coins and Medals

Archduke Joseph August During the Hunt

1910 bronze, 80 cm signed on the base at the front: Ligeti Miklós 1910 gift of lajos ernst to the Municipal picture gallery, 1932 inv. no. 56.424-n Hungarian national gallery, Collection of sculptures, Coins and Medals

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Archduke Joseph August and his wife, patrons of the national Hungarian society of fine Arts, were regular guests of honour at social and cultural events. not only were they enthusiastic devotees of the arts and sciences, they were also passionate about hunting, one of their favourite leisure pursuits. in autumn 1903, the Vadász- és Versenylap published a detailed report on the hunt attended by the archducal couple in Máramaros, listing the participants in the event, the quantity of bagged game, and the quality of the antlers. besides praising the archduke ’ s outstanding successes, the article also commended his wife for wounding and then killing a beautiful, large black bear: “this momentous stroke of hunting fortune on the part of the archduchess is all the more remarkable because stalking the beast over exceedingly long distances and up immensely steep trails is enormously exhausting, while in terms of excitement, this was a bold undertaking of the kind hitherto experienced by very few huntresses ” . in 1908, a statue by Miklós ligeti of Crown prince rudolf, who had died at a tragically young age, was erected in budapest’ s City park. the sculptor depicted the heir to the throne standing on a rock during a hunt. the solution is similar in several respects to the bronze compositions shown here, which ligeti produced for the world hunting exhibition in Vienna in 1910. the archduke and archduchess are portrayed in hunting attire, on bases that imitate the natural environment. they are holding rifles, standing above their game. Joseph August and princess Auguste visited the artist’ s studio on stefánia road in budapest in person to sit as models for the sculptor. As we can read in the columns of the newspaper Pesti Hírlap, “Archduke Joseph is modelled in the hunting attire he wore when accompanying prince Henry of prussia on the hunt in betlér hosted by Count géza Andrássy. At his feet is an enormous bagged bear, and His Highness is preparing to aim and shoot once more. Archduchess Auguste, with a beautifully antlered stag laid on the ground beside her, is presented in motion. she is dressed in a light hunting garment, and her weapon is strung over her left shoulder. in her right hand she holds a long cane and a fan, which she always carries with her, even on hunts. ” the two bronze compositions were presented to the Museum of fine Arts by lajos ernst.

dorottyA gulyÁs

literature: Vadász- és Versenylap 1903, 634; Pesti Hírlap 1910, 16; Magyarország 1910, 9; Élet 1910, 722–23 (repr.); Das Interessante Blatt 1910, 4 (repr.); Mazányi 2005, cat. nos 165–66.

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