De Troy’s hunt meals were designed for aristocratic patrons. Two paintings Hunt Breakfast and The Death of a Stag were commissioned as companions pieces by Louis XV and designed for his private dining room in Fontainebleau.
Jean Francois de Troy Déjeuner de chasse. Hunt Breakfast (1737). Musee de Louvre
Hunt Breakfast depicts the high spirits of the hunters and family and entourage before the hunt. The Death of a Stag depicts the hunters’s success. More gruesome than elegant, the animal (which is probably still alive) is being attacked by dogs. The kill is proudly displayed present and being examined by the ladies who come out by coach and horseback to meet the hunters. This is
The Death of a Stag; The Wallace Collection, London
Featured Image: Jean François de Troy. A Hunt Breakfast [Un déjeuner de chasse] (1737), oil on canvas. Musée de Louvre, Paris