unknown - Woman on a Horse in Hawking Costume - early 17th century - T-Shirt

A sepia drawing shows a woman riding a horse with a hawk raised on her gloved hand, while a small dog stands on its hind legs at lower right.

Visual Elements & Composition

The sheet is a tall, vertical composition built around warm sepia paper, which makes up nearly half of the image. Pale blue-grey and muted teal sit in the surrounding tones, with cream highlights and dark sepia ink for the lines. The horse is seen from behind and to the side, its head turning toward the right of the frame. The rider's feathered hat and loose, full-sleeved garment are drawn with a fluent, light hand, and the bird perches above her head on the raised glove. The small dog at the horse's flank adds a lively counterpoint near the bottom edge. The sheet carries no lettering.

Meaning & Symbolism

Hawking was one of the principal aristocratic pastimes of early modern Europe, and a rider carrying a hawk on the fist signalled the leisure and rank of the hunting field. Here a woman takes that role, dressed in the costume and equipment of the sport. The horse, bird and dog together form a compact emblem of the outdoor pursuits enjoyed by the nobility. The catalogue label assigns the drawing to the French school of the early seventeenth century, and its elegant silhouette places it within the courtly genre imagery of the period, where figures in fashionable sporting dress were studied for pose and costume.

Wearing the Hunting Field

This artwork is drawn small and finished, the kind of picture meant for close viewing, and that suits a chest print that is seen up close in conversation. The rider, horse and hawk read clearly across the front of the shirt, with the dog tucked into the lower corner. Wearing it puts a little early seventeenth-century elegance into everyday dress.