The Cleveland Museum of Art
Study for "The Bear Hunt" (for the Alcázar, Madrid)
Description
On June 22, 1639, King Philip IV of Spain received a letter from his younger brother Ferdinand (1609–1641). The letter explained that the artist Peter Paul Rubens had recently completed all of the sketches for a series of paintings that were to hang in the halls of the Alcázar Palace in Madrid. Bear Hunt is one of seven surviving studies out of the original eighteen. In this scene, a bear attacks a hunter and a companion comes to his aide The others work to stave off a second angry bear. The sketch was completed in the last year Rubens's life, and the paintings for the series were never completed.
Provenance
(Christie's, London, E. Henstridge sale, April 11, 1930, no. 91, sold to Rothschild); (A. G. von Frey [Alexander von Frey]); (Thos. Agnew & Sons, London).; G. Huntington Hartford (1911-2008), New York.; (Newhouse Galleries, New York); (Thos. Agnew & Sons, London); Private collection; (Thos. Agnew and Sons, London); Private collection, Portugal.; (Sotheby's, London, sale, June 23, 1983, no. 40, ill.); (Newhouse Galleries, New York), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Dimensions
26 × 53.7 cm
Movement / Period
Accession No
1983.69
Official Citations
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640)
European Painting and Sculpture • Flanders • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery