Fox and deer hunting in the winter

Hans Wertinger's Fox and Deer Hunting in Winter belongs to his celebrated series of calendar months or hunting scenes produced for the Wittelsbach court and wealthy Bavarian patrons. Wertinger was unusual among German court painters for his development of the genre of calendar paintings depicting seasonal activities, a tradition with deep roots in manuscript illumination that he elevated to ambitious panel painting. This winter hunting scene combines precise observation of landscape under snow with the lively activity of the hunt, the combination of naturalistic landscape, carefully observed animal behavior, and human sporting activity creating a genre entirely characteristic of his contribution to German painting.

The painting demonstrates the technical conventions and artistic vocabulary of the period, with attention to composition, color, and the rendering of form appropriate to the subject.