On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P01811
- Author
- Teniers, David (Flemish)
- Title
- The Bivouac
- Chronology
- 1640-1650
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 63 cm x 89 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- No
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
A group of soldiers rest indoors.
In the foreground, one of them
leaves his armor on a hanger along
with the rest of his companions'
weapons, cuirasses and helmets. On
the right, a page helps one of the
soldiers to remove his boots.
The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
was an oft' repeated subject among
Flemish painters and its military
facet is used by Teniers here to
construct one of his customary
indoor scenes.
He uses an overhead light that
illuminates the foreground and the
background, but leaves the middle
ground in semi-darkness, which
helps to create perspective in the
rear. Beginning with an overall
tonality drawn from the works of
Adriaen Brouwer (1605/1606-1638),
Teniers adds touches of color to
diverse objects, especially the
military equipment. These, alone,
are a magnificent still life,
showing the painter's skill at
depicting objects.
This is one of the few works by
Teniersw to be documented in Spain
in the seventeenth century. It was
already at Madrid's Alc
