Bohemian School, c. 1694, oil on canvas, Nelahozeves Castle, Lobkowicz Collections
This painting captures the profile of a wild boar standing in a grassy landscape. It was also featured in Wes Anderson's film, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). The boar was shot during a hunt by Ferdinand August, 3rd Prince Lobkowicz (1655–1715) on a Lobkowicz hunting estate. A crucial part of aristocratic life was hunting game of all kinds, especially wild boar, deer, and waterfowl. During this era, hunting was not only a cultural and social pastime; it served to secure the livelihood of large family households and their guests. The people who managed the lands were conservationists and environmentalists long before those terms were coined.