Stag Hunt

When the English painter and art critic Sir Joshua Reynolds visited the Gallery in 1781, he was suitably impressed. He did have some reservations, however: to him, some paintings were far too large for the small space and moreover did not live up to their reputation. Among others, Reynolds was referring to this hunting scene by Paul de Vos, and it is indeed a little unruly, unsophisticated and large. Nonetheless it is not difficult to understand why the young William V, fond as he was of hunting scenes, purchased this painting in 1771.