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Cavalry Battle by a River

Louis-Nicolas van Blarenberghe

National Gallery of Art

The image depicts a battle scene from an elevated point of view. It shows action close to us and the landscape in the distance. The horizon is in the upper third of the painting, showing land meeting the sky with distant blue hills or mountains. The sky has billowing clouds, and the brushstrokes focus on the movement of smoke and interactions of figures and horses. The color palette includes earthy tones of browns and greens, contrasting with deep blues and whites. In the foreground, two figures on horseback are prominently featured among soldiers and battle smoke. More figures are seen farther away. The ground is rugged with a body of water to the left.

Artwork Details

Date
2nd half of the 18th century
Medium
gouache on vellum, laid down on an old mount
Dimensions
5225 × 3976 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original