Provenance
(Carlo Sestieri, Rome);[1] purchased 1960s by Joseph F. McCrindle [1923-2008], New York; gift 2000 to NGA.
[1] Although the earlier provenance of the painting is not known, hints of its history exist in earlier sale records and from labels on the verso of the panel. This work may be the painting identified as “Cavalry fight on a Hill” that was sold by J. H. van Heemskerk in The Hague in 1770 (sale of 29 March 1770, no. 142, sold for 461 florins to Deodati). The dimensions recorded for that work, 20 1/2 by 34 1/2 inches, are only slightly larger than those of this painting. See: Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, translated by Edward G. Hawke, 8 vols., London, 1907-1927: 2(1909):498, no. 770e. One of the old handwritten labels on the verso reads: “N:XXVII / Une bataille par Phillippe Wouwerman.” The other label, which indicates that the painting was at one point in Sweden, reads: “Österby-samlinger / Söderfors.”
Accession Number
2000.159.1
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
overall: 48 x 82.5 cm (18 7/8 x 32 1/2 in.) | framed: 62.9 x 97.3 x 6 cm (24 3/4 x 38 5/16 x 2 3/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle in memory of Frederick A. den Broeder
Tags
Painting Baroque (1600–1750) Oil Painting Panel Painting Dutch
Background & Context
Background Story
Philips Wouwerman (1619-1668) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his battle scenes, hunting parties, and cavalry subjects rendered with the silvery light and accomplished horsemanship that distinguish his best work. Battle Scene from c. 1645-46 depicts a cavalry engagement in the silvery, atmospheric manner that distinguishes Wouwerman's battle scenes from the more dramatic treatment of his contemporaries. The c. 1645-46 date places this in Wouwerman's early period, when he was developing the silvery manner and accomplished horsemanship that would make him one of the most popular painters in 17th-century Holland.
Cultural Impact
Battle Scene is important in the history of Dutch genre painting because it demonstrates the battle scene genre that was one of the most popular in the 17th-century Dutch art market. Wouwerman's silvery manner and accomplished horsemanship made his battle scenes among the most sought-after paintings in Holland, and the c. 1645-46 painting shows the early development of the manner that would make him the most accomplished painter of cavalry subjects in the Dutch Golden Age.
Why It Matters
Battle Scene is Wouwerman's early cavalry subjects: a battle engagement rendered in the silvery, atmospheric manner and accomplished horsemanship that would make him the most popular painter of cavalry subjects in 17th-century Holland. The c. 1645-46 painting shows the early development of the silvery manner that defines his best work.