I was searching the internet for something entirely different when this painting popped up. I have never seen it before, and it is fabulous. It is by Pietro Longhi, a Venetian painter (1701 – 1785) and is titled ‘Duck Hunters on the Lagoon’.Aside from the lovely ethereal quality of the light, it is full of interest. Just look at that bow. It appears at first sight to be magnificently recurved longbow and it is not impossible that it is. However the artist seems to be showing a thumb release, which would suggest that it is a portrayal of a particularly long-limbed composite bow. Shooting a bow from a rocking boat is also an interesting challenge. I like how the archer has one straight leg, standing on the floor of the boat and the other bent, semi-kneeling, and braced against the frame of the prow. Is that a cushion, he is kneeling against. That braced posture is exactly how I have found it most effective, and stable, to stand when shooting bows from chariots. Although I am more drawn to horse archery; archery from rivercraft seems to offer a world of enjoyable opportunities. I wonder why it is not done more.Incidentally the image I was initially searching for (and which I found) was of wildfowlers using flintlocks. It was to illustrate a sequence in one of the films I am currently editing about duelling. The connection to such an image and duelling being the Rev Alexander Forsyth – a pastor and a duck hunter – who developed the percussion-lock system because he wanted something that would work better in damp conditions. ... See MoreSee Less
