Otter (Lutra lutra), Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt (rejected attribution), 1596 - 1610
brush, h 175mm × w 280mm More details
By the 19th century, scholars wished to see how animals lived, so later owner Van Huerne commissioned artists to add background settings to many sheets. Here, not only was land added underneath the otter, but water was depicted in the lower right corner, a requirement to convey the habitat of this predator. Moreover, the animal is now seen flaunting a freshly caught fish in its jaws.
