Stags in a Landscape

Ridinger was the eighteenth-century German animalier par excellence. In over 1200 drawings he depicted many representatives of the animal kingdom, as well as animal tales. His father, a scribe, who modelled small equestrian and animal figures in his spare time, might have spurred his son's interest in these subjects. Most of Ridinger's drawings were preparatory for prints. Of this striking and effective composition, however, no engraving has been found. Perhaps that it was intended to be made into an engraving that was never executed. In any case, its striking pictorial effects allow it to stand equally well on its own as a finished composition.

Ridinger was a prolific draftsman, engraver and publisher, based in Augsburg, who produced mainly animal subjects. This lively composition is deftly executed in pen, with a variety of lines used to differentiate between the textures of leaves, rocks and bark. Layers of gray and brown wash indicate shade and suggest distance. The artist's knowledge of animal anatomy and movement is evident in the range of poses he selected for the small herds of deer placed throughout the hilly landscape. Those in the foreground, lift their heads, as though sensing an intruder, while more distant animals feed and rest undisturbed.