18 - Anthonis van Dyck

Anthonis van Dyck 1599-1641, attributed Study of a Horse First half of the 17th century Oil on paper 20 x 28 cm Alongside Peter Paul Rubens, Anthonis van Dyck is considered one of the most important figures in Flemish Baroque painting. As a collaborator of Rubens and later as a successful portrait painter, he developed an elegant visual language characterized by lively brushwork and nuanced lighting. Horses played a particularly important role in his equestrian portraits, in which their powerful presence underscores the representational impact of the subjects. This study depicts several saddled horses in various perspectives and movements. A gray roan is shown from the rear, galloping into the depth of the picture; behind it, the hindquarters of another white horse are visible. In the lower right corner of the painting, a bridled horse raises its head, while its flowing mane underscores the animal’s excitement. The finely rendered musculature and the shifting body postures lend the study a powerful dynamism. Particularly effective are the highlights of white on the coat, which accentuate the play of light and emphasize the sculptural modeling of the bodies. The dynamic execution, the physical presence of the animals, and the lively use of light are closely aligned with the Flemish painting of the early 17th century, as epitomized by Rubens. These characteristics provide stylistic points of reference for attributing the work to van Dyck, whose depictions of horses also reveal a pronounced interest in anatomy, movement, and expression. Points of comparison include van Dyck’s study for an equestrian portrait in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Inv. No. 40.91.16), in which the horse also appears from the rear, as well as the painting “The Horses of Achilles” (Inv. No. NG156) in the National Gallery, London, which is attributed to Anthonis van Dyck. These examples clearly place the present study within the context of Flemish depictions of horses.