Sebastian Vrancx, 1573 Antwerpen – 1647 ebenda, zugeschrieben

BATTLE PAINTING Oil on wood. Parquetry. 41 x 61 cm. Monogram "P" on fallen horse lower left. In decorative black frame. In a hilly landscape the raging battle in which two cavalry armies clash. In the foreground a rider on a white horse pursuing a soldier running away. Further to the right, another white horse rider firing a shot with his rifle. A large gallows tree can also be seen on a hill in the foreground. In the sunlit background, under a high blue sky with many white clouds, an old thatched hut. In front of it, more fighting soldiers with firing rifles and pistols, between which billows of smoke rise upwards. Painting in many differentiated shades of green and beige-brown, with skillful use of light and shadow. According to the biographer Carel van Mander the Elder (1548-1606), the painter, who is also considered the founder of the Flemish military genre, was a pupil of Adam van Noort (1562-1641). Like most of his colleagues, he traveled to Italy in 1597, which subsequently influenced the depiction of ancient ruins and Roman buildings in his work. In 1600 he became a member of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke, where he was friends with his contemporaries such as Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625), Frans Francken the Younger (1581-1642) and Hendrik van Balen the Elder (1575-1632). His work therefore also has many similarities with that of these artists. His fame led to his paintings being reproduced in engravings during his lifetime.(14023227) (10)