Chad Love: Are You a Renaissance Bubba?

March 03, 2009

By Chad Love

One of the most fascinating (and overlooked) aspects of being a hunter is the study of historical hunting iconography and mythology. It's a subject as old and universal as Mankind itself, so there's a lot of cool stuff out there to discover. You never know when or where you'll stumble across it. But when you do, something speaks across the centuries, a commonality of spirit between you and the ancient, unknown hunter who created the object upon which your modern hunting eyes are now gazing.

Take this lovely object for example. I took this picture a few years back at a relatively large, modestly well-known European museum that shares its name with a plastic car-window accessory that was popular in the 70s and 80s.

Where was it taken and who is this buxom, steely-eyed pre-booth booth babe? In addition to the geographical hint above, I'll also reveal that she in fact sports two names, depending on where and when in the classical world you happened to reside back when she was a big thing. The winner(s) will receive nothing other than the smug self-satisfaction that they are well-read Renaissance Bubbas, which is the best kind of Bubba to be.

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from Mike Diehl wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Smug self satisfaction is reward enough.

'tis Artemis in the Louvre, long may she hunt.

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from buckstopper wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

I'm just a Bubba, with my accent a cross between a Ozark twang and So. Arkansas drawl. The only art I know was at the Ducks Unlimited Banquet and on my duck stamp. I can speak eye-talian(Benelli), German(Mauser) and french(FabricNationale), well make that Belgian, but they speak french. Thanks for teaching us about culture.

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from DanP wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

In the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, China, there is artwork dating back to the Zhou dynasty (700 BC - 300 BC) of deer and other animals. Seem that deer and hunting of deer was culturally important, and a part of the magic and mythology of ancient China.

Then there's bushman rock art in S. Africa and the Lascaux caves in France - all attesting to the role of art and hunting in ancient cultures.

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from s-kfry wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

I've actually been to the Louvre but can't remember seeing this particular work of art. I was smitten by the Mona Lisa.

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from chadlove wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

While I will not yet confirm nor deny that Mike is correct, Dan I will say I think the Lascaux cave drawings are some of the most beautiful and moving works of hunting art ever created.

You look at them (well, pictures of them) and you're viewing the bones of our existence, the genesis of virtually everything we are today: culture, art, social organization, the desire for self-expression.

Hunting is the common thread that runs through all those things. It's what made everything that came after possible, and I think that's supremely cool.

If there's a better or more effective rejection of the philosophical arguments against hunting than those simple 17,000-year-old (or older) line drawings I'm not aware of it.

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from philbourjaily wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Chad -- Artemis or Diana, depending on whether you're in Greece or Rome. Browning still makes a Diana-grade Superposed in its Belgian custom shop.

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from buckhunter wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Alex, I'll have renaissance art for 1,000 please.

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from suburban bushwacker wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Stop fishing for complements Chad, we all know its you
SBW

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from WA Mtnhunter wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Well done M. Diehl

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from alabamahunter wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

After running a quick Google image search I came to the conclusion that Mike D. is absolutely correct.

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from chadlove wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

OK, so it wasn't very hard. Mike and Phil are correct. That is a statue of Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt, the forest and the moon, among others.
Or Diana, if as Phil correctly pointed out, you were a Roman.

And yep, it was taken at the Louvre a couple years back.

The Louvre, despite being one of Paris' top tourist destinations, is so damn huge that you can easily escape the crowds and literally lose yourself within it. And if you keep your eyes open you can see a surprising number of hunting-related pieces.

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from 2Poppa wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Artemis
The Diana of Versailles, a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture by Leochares. (Louvre Museum)Paris

The deer and the cypress were sacred to her.

She is the Goddess of the Hunt, Forests and Hills, and the Moon.
Artemis- (Roman name is Diana)(also known as: Cynthia, Delia, Hecate, Luna, Phoebe, and Selene) Daughter of Zeus and Leto, also the twin sister of Apollo. Her symbol is the moon. She was the goddess of childbirth but was a protector of unmarried women and agreed with chastity ...
How many name tags ya got?

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from jlfreeborn wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Tis artemis!

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from Beekeeper wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Diana of Versailles, the Louvre, Paris France. AKA the Goddess Artemis to the Greeks and Diana to the Romans. How's that for a country boy?

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from Love2Hunt wrote 2 years 48 weeks ago

It is cool to see the history of hunting and how much it has progressed. The history of hunting has a very rich tradition. I find history of hunting very interesting. I enjoy stories about how the Indians hunted, and how successful they were.

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from shane wrote 2 years 46 weeks ago

Fenrir would eat Diana.

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from Mike Diehl wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Smug self satisfaction is reward enough.

'tis Artemis in the Louvre, long may she hunt.

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Love2Hunt wrote 2 years 48 weeks ago

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from buckstopper wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

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from DanP wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Then there's bushman rock art in S. Africa and the Lascaux caves in France - all attesting to the role of art and hunting in ancient cultures.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from s-kfry wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

I've actually been to the Louvre but can't remember seeing this particular work of art. I was smitten by the Mona Lisa.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from chadlove wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

While I will not yet confirm nor deny that Mike is correct, Dan I will say I think the Lascaux cave drawings are some of the most beautiful and moving works of hunting art ever created.

Hunting is the common thread that runs through all those things. It's what made everything that came after possible, and I think that's supremely cool.

If there's a better or more effective rejection of the philosophical arguments against hunting than those simple 17,000-year-old (or older) line drawings I'm not aware of it.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from philbourjaily wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Chad -- Artemis or Diana, depending on whether you're in Greece or Rome. Browning still makes a Diana-grade Superposed in its Belgian custom shop.

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from buckhunter wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Alex, I'll have renaissance art for 1,000 please.

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from suburban bushwacker wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Stop fishing for complements Chad, we all know its you
SBW

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from WA Mtnhunter wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Well done M. Diehl

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from alabamahunter wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

After running a quick Google image search I came to the conclusion that Mike D. is absolutely correct.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from chadlove wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

And yep, it was taken at the Louvre a couple years back.

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from 2Poppa wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Artemis
The Diana of Versailles, a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture by Leochares. (Louvre Museum)Paris

The deer and the cypress were sacred to her.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jlfreeborn wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Tis artemis!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Beekeeper wrote 2 years 49 weeks ago

Diana of Versailles, the Louvre, Paris France. AKA the Goddess Artemis to the Greeks and Diana to the Romans. How's that for a country boy?

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from shane wrote 2 years 46 weeks ago

Fenrir would eat Diana.

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