312 - Circle of JACQUES COURTOIS (Saint-Hippolyte, France, 1621 – Rome, 1676) – Equestrian Battle Scene, 17th century

Circle of JACQUES COURTOIS (Saint-Hippolyte, France, 1621 – Rome, 1676) – Equestrian Battle Scene, 17th century Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 24 x 19.5 cm. This small-format painting depicts a clash between mounted soldiers in an open landscape, following the tradition of Italian Baroque battle paintings. The composition unfolds through a succession of equestrian figures in motion, with armed riders advancing through the tumult of combat, raising their swords and banners. The central group is particularly striking, with several horses intertwined in a dynamic arrangement, while on the right, a rider dressed in red stands out, his vivid color providing one of the scene’s main visual focal points. The landscape opens toward a mountainous horizon beneath a sky filled with sweeping cloud formations, while the trees on the far right serve as a framing element and contribute to the sense of spatial depth. The loose and vibrant brushstrokes, the predominance of earth tones, and the contrasts between light and shadow all help convey the characteristic turmoil of this genre. The work exhibits stylistic affinities with the work of Jacques Courtois, known as Il Borgognone, a French painter active primarily in Italy and considered one of the great specialists in battle scenes of the 17th century. His artistic language was characterized by depictions of cavalry combat, highly dynamic compositions, and a spontaneous pictorial style—elements that had a notable influence on numerous artists of his time. Parallels can also be drawn with the battle paintings of Michelangelo Cerquozzi (1602–1660) and Francesco Simonini (1686–1753), the latter serving as an example of the genre’s continued presence during the 18th century. This work adheres to that compositional tradition, in which the focus is on the movement of the figures, the narrative tension, and the integration of the military confrontation within an atmospheric landscape. Its small size suggests it may have been a collector’s ...