Laxenburg from the Hayd Pavilion toward Maria Lanzendorf

Heron hawking was a favourite pastime of the court at Laxenburg. Trained falcons were flown at herons over the open plain south of Vienna, and the herons were usually not killed. According to the Belvedere, once their condition had been checked, most were set free again. This canvas shows the hunting ground itself, looking out toward Maria Lanzendorf, a pilgrimage village whose church had been rebuilt after the Ottoman siege of 1683. Almost everything is flat grassland under an enormous sky, with villages and towers strung thinly along the horizon. Riders in red coats spread out across the meadow, a small raised pavilion stands empty in the middle distance, and a few white birds skim low over the grass near a crouching figure. Along the bottom edge, country people sit at the roadside with their dogs.