Born in Hulst, now in the Dutch province of Zeeland, in 1596, Paul de Vos moved to Antwerp at an early age. Little is known of his childhood. In 1604 he became a pupil of the obscure painter Denijs van Hove in Antwerp. In 1605 de Vos continued his studies under the little-known painter David Remeeus (1559–1626), who worked primarily as a gilder and art dealer and with whom his older brother Cornelis - the famous portrait painter - also trained. He later also trained with the equally obscure Eduard Snayers. In 1620 he joined the guild of Saint Luke at a rather late age, after possibly having worked at the workshop of Frans Snyders, which would account for the obvious influence Snyders had on de Vos’ work. There was certainly a connection between the two painters, as Snyders married Paul and Cornelis’ sister Margaretha in 1611. According to the Liggeren (ledgers) of the guild, de Vos had two pupils: Alex Daemps in 1627 and Lancelot van Daelen in 1636.

De Vos married Isabella Waerbeek, a notary’s daughter, on 15 Nov 1624 and the couple had no less than 10 children. Peter Paul Rubens was the godfather of one of their sons - named Peter Paul - born in 1628. The de Vos family prospered and were able to make important investments in real estate in Antwerp. De Vos enjoyed the patronage of influential aristocrats in Spain such as the marquis the Leganes, head of the Council of Flanders in Madrid, and Philippe-Charles, 3rd Count of Arenberg, then residing in Madrid. From the latter he obtained a commission to paint at least 36 paintings of birds, hunts and fables between 1633 and 1640. In 1637-1638 he worked on the decorations for the Spanish royal residences, Buen Retiro and Torre de la Parada. Most of the decorations at the Torre de la Parada involving animal scenes without humans were by his hand. The governor of the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand, visited his workshop.

De Vos showed considerable skill in depicting animals, especially dogs. He therefore specialized in animal scenes such as hunting pieces, often executed on a very large scale, which were commissioned by aristocratic patrons to decorate their homes. He collaborated with many of his contemporaries, painting the animals in their landscapes or still-life paintings. Among his most famous collaborators we may count Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jan Wildens, to name but a few. The present delightful oil sketch was probably intended as  a preparatory study for a large-scale painting, although it could also have been based on an original – probably now lost – by Frans Snyders.