Koningstijger met geslagen Indische buffel

Wilhelm Kuhnert's painting of a Bengal tiger with a slain Indian buffalo belongs to his specialty of dramatic predator-prey subjects, combining careful anatomical observation with a theatrical sense of natural power. Kuhnert made multiple expeditions to Africa and India to study large animals in the field, and his images of tigers and lions became enormously popular in Germany during the period of heightened imperial interest in exotic natural history. The Bengal tiger — largest of the world's cat species — was a particular emblem of imperial India, and Kuhnert's treatment of it combined zoological accuracy with the romantic intensity his patrons expected. The work is in the Rijksmuseum Twenthe.

The tiger is depicted standing over its fallen prey, rendered with Kuhnert's characteristic anatomical precision. The striped coat is painted with careful attention to pattern and texture. The fallen buffalo is treated with equal solidity; the background landscape is broadly handled to focus attention on the animal drama. The palette is warm and naturalistic.