Description

This painting depicts a wide bare valley flanked by green trees. Running towards the plain is a group of soldiers, not compact but scattered everywhere, slightly accentuated when displayed in the distance. The natural landscape does not suffer from the indeterminacy of the contours caused by the depth of the landscape; on the contrary, the individual elements are all identifiable. A painting of this kind can be traced back to a painter who may have worked in the circle of Paul Bril and with whom he was acquainted. This detail can be deduced from the broad brushstroke, giving the idea of an almost ‘liquid’ touch. The painter pays particular attention to the treatment of each individual element, in keeping with Flemish tradition: the branches adorned with leaves or the horse’s mane shaken by the wind are examples of this.

Bibl.: F. Cappelletti, Paul Bril e la pittura di paesaggio a Roma 1580-1630, Roma 2005-2006, ad vocem.