This is a drawing of a horseman surveying the aftermath of a battle scene. In the foreground, a rider on horseback appears engaged in looking over the fallen figures below, while the bodies of two figures lie lifeless on the ground. Another horse is standing or lying down near them. In the background, a skirmish seems to be taking place on a ridge, where several figures on horseback are depicted with raised flags. The drawing employs fine linework and shading to convey a sense of motion and a somber atmosphere in a historical or mythological context.
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This is a drawing of a horseman surveying the aftermath of a battle scene. In the foreground, a rider on horseback appears engaged in looking over the fallen figures below, while the bodies of two figures lie lifeless on the ground. Another horse is standing or lying down near them. In the background, a skirmish seems to be taking place on a ridge, where several figures on horseback are depicted with raised flags. The drawing employs fine linework and shading to convey a sense of motion and a somber atmosphere in a historical or mythological context.

National Gallery of Art · Print

Battlefield

Karel Dujardin

Date
1652
Medium
etching and drypoint on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 17.1 x 19.9 cm (6 3/4 x 7 13/16 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1992.5.1
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Time span
1651 to 1700
Department
CG-E

Subjects and terms

  • Dutch
  • etching
  • drypoint
  • military
Provenance

V? (Lugt 2008c)

Inscription

upper left in plate: K.DV.J fe / 1652; lower right in plate: 28; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: ancienne epr-; by later hand, lower left verso in ink: (undeciphered) 85

Marks

verso: unidentified collector mark in purple [Lugt 2008c]

NGA object ID 74775. 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.