Cavalry Battle by a River

Französische Grafik 1700–1760, 2nd half of the 18th century

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.
Artist
Französische Grafik 1700–1760
Date
2nd half of the 18th century
Type
Drawing
Medium
gouache on vellum, laid down on an old mount
Dimensions
16.9 × 22.5 cm
Collection
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Licence
Public domain, CC0

Image description

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.

Französische Grafik 1700–1760