
Read the visual description
This is a painting of a battle scene set in a dramatic landscape. The image shows foot soldiers and cavalry clashing amidst smoke from muskets and cannons on rugged terrain. The foreground is filled with soldiers in combat, some aiming rifles and others engaged in close combat. Horses and riders are also depicted, some charging bravely while others are falling. The scene extends to a river, where soldiers and animals are navigating the water. The sky is filled with dramatic clouds and sunlight, adding urgency and drama to the image. The style is reminiscent of Jacques-Louis David, known for historical and neoclassical motifs.
National Gallery of Art · Drawing
Battle by a River
Dirk Langendijk
- Date
- 1780
- Medium
- pen with brown and black ink and gray wash
- Dimensions
- overall: 33.8 × 51.7 cm (13 5/16 × 20 3/8 in.)
- Classification
- Drawing
- Accession number
- 2015.96.1
- Credit line
- Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
- Time span
- 1776 to 1800
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- War
Provenance
(Paul Prouté, S. A., Paris); purchased 2015 by NGA.
Inscription
By the artist in pen and brown ink at lower left: D Langendyk 1780; verso, in graphite at lower center in another hand: Dirk Langendyk/1748-1805; at lower right in another hand: EE/3049
NGA object ID 199111. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.