Resting Hare

This painting is an example of both a brilliant technique and aesthetic refinement of its artist, which were already admired in the past. The painter wanted to attract the viewer by most realistic details - this is also why his works were so much sought after. The prefectly executed painting was even enhanced by the choice of copper plate, frequently used by painters for these intimate compositions. A witty detail, which likwise accentuates the realistic impression of the work, is the hare’s eye, beaten into the copper plate. At the same time the artist wanted to allude to the hare’s characteristic quality - alertness - that the animal symbolized. Similarly conceived compositions, in which the focus is on a chosen motif viewed from close by, can be found in the past, for example in Albrecht Dürer’s works, or in those of the court painter of Rudolf II, Hans Hoffmann.