The Hunting Dog

Carl Friedrich Deiker was born on April 3, 1836, in Wetzlar, Prussia. He was a renowned animal painter, best known for his vivid depictions of hunting scenes and wildlife. Rooted in the baroque tradition of animal painting, Deiker brought an expressive and dynamic vision to subjects such as wild boar, deer, foxes, and game birds, capturing both their vitality and their natural habitats with remarkable accuracy.

Artistic talent ran in the family: his father, Friedrich Deiker, was a painter and drawing teacher, and his older brother, Johannes Deiker, also specialized in hunting scenes. After their father’s death in 1843, the young Carl Friedrich trained under his brother’s guidance before entering the Hanau Drawing Academy, where he studied under Theodor Pélissier. He later refined his skills at the studio of Johann Wilhelm Schirmer in Karlsruhe, a noted figure in landscape painting.

In 1859, Deiker began collecting field studies in the Reinhardswald forest, which would later inform his large-scale hunting compositions. By 1861, he had established his own studio in Karlsruhe, and from 1864 onwards, he lived and worked in Düsseldorf—a major center for the arts at the time. There, he focused intently on portraying the raw energy of animals in motion, often within forested or rural backdrops.

Deiker’s work was not limited to painting alone; he also illustrated numerous magazines and hunting books, contributing to the popular visual culture of the period. His works are held in both private and public collections, including the Cologne Museum, which houses his dramatic painting Dogs Chasing their Prey.

Carl Friedrich Deiker passed away in Düsseldorf on March 19, 1892, leaving behind a body of work that remains an enduring testament to his skill as an animal painter and chronicler of the natural world.