Artwork Page for Wild Sow and Her Young Attacked by Dogs

Details / Information for Wild Sow and Her Young Attacked by Dogs

Wild Sow and Her Young Attacked by Dogs

1748

Jean-Baptiste Oudry

(French, 1686–1755)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
Pen and brown and gray ink, brown and gray wash, heightened with white gouache on light brown laid paper
Support
Light brown laid paper
Measurements
Sheet: 37.7 x 51.7 cm (14 13/16 x 20 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1997.191
Catalogue raisonné
Locquin 675
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

Though Oudry was a prolific draftsman, he purposely kept his drawings during his lifetime, hoping that they would be an asset for his heirs after his death.

Description

Jean-Baptiste Oudry began his career as a portraitist but gradually became known for his paintings of animals and hunting scenes. These images attracted the attention of Louis XV, and Oudry became one of France's foremost decorative painters during the king's reign. Here, the artist highlighted a violent battle between a sow and a group of dogs. The drawing relates to one of Oudry's most successful Salon paintings, which was exhibited to great acclaim in 1748. The sketchy lines and lack of detail throughout the sheet suggest that it was likely a study made in preparation for the later canvas, which was purchased by Louis XV and installed in one of his homes.
A horizontally oriented ink and wash drawing on light brown paper depicts a woodland boar hunt. Centrally, a large sow faces right, surrounded by lunging dogs with open mouths. One dog pounces from the left while another lies overturned. Small piglets scatter across the foreground. White highlights and fine ink lines define the animals' muscles, textured tree bark, and the surrounding foliage.

Wild Sow and Her Young Attacked by Dogs

1748

Jean-Baptiste Oudry

(French, 1686–1755)
France, 18th century

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