The scene shows a rider on a brown horse, with his back to the viewer, leading a white horse by the reins. He is about to enter the river when a barking dog rushes at them. The horses are startled and a boy wielding a stick in his right hand attempts to stop the dog. The fisherman behind them appears oblivious to the scene. The poor condition of the picture`s surface hinders a proper assessment of
The structure of the composition is based on parallel planes, although their arrangement lacks spatial depth. The horizon line is high. The main action unfolds in the foreground. The figures are large and their proximity enables the viewer to appreciate in detail the precise expression of emotions in the men and beasts that seem to be entangled in a frenzied disorder - which is, however, only appa
The original composition was enlarged on the right side with a section of wood of around 10.5 cm, glued against the grain. During the restoration carried out in 1994 it was noted that the preparation and execution of this section differed from the rest of the composition, indicating that it was added later. Isabella Farnese`s seal, printed on the back, can be found on the original panel but not in
The main scene occupies the foreground, though it is no longer set in the plane closest to the viewer as in the previous period, but slightly further back. As a result, the figures are smaller in size. The horizon line is also lower, affording the sky greater prominence. Furthermore, although the composition is still partly enclosed in the background by a diagonal, it extends into the distance on
Here the main scene takes place in the foreground, where a group of distinguished huntsmen ride down a narrow path along a river bank crowded with popular figures including horse-riders, wayfarers, bathers and beggars. Schumacher (2006) considers it to have been produced in Wouwerman`s studio. Recent restoration, however, has revealed figures of such quality that they must indeed be attributed to
The scene is closed in to the left by part of the inn and a tree, whereas the right-hand side opens out onto a vast panoramic view with a low horizon that occupies the entire background. The composition is structured into parallel planes, but unified by the atmospheric perspective to form a continuous whole. The main scene takes place in the foreground, although the figures are set at a distance f
The picture belongs to a group of scenes set inside a stable which Wouwerman began painting in 1655. This cycle is an exception in the painter`s output, which was mainly focused on outdoor scenes. Most of these stable views are based on the same compositional scheme: two-thirds of the panel is occupied by the dark interior of the stable, which opens out on the left towards a landscape painted in m
This is one of the elegant hunting scenes Wouwerman painted in the early 1660s that reveal his extraordinary talent as landscape artist. In these works, rather than depicting a hunting scene set in front of a landscape, as was typical of his A Stop at an Inn (P2152), he presents a vast panoramic view that occupies the entire surface and is adorned with figures of hunters and animals, diverse genre
This painting is listed in the royal inventories as the companion piece to Hunting Party and Fishermen (P2147). It is a panoramic view in which hunters, animals and picturesque buildings are set in a sweeping landscape. However, here the wooded, mountainous scenery evidences the influence of Italianate landscape painting. The figure groupings are designed to steer the viewer`s gaze not to the back
This painting belongs to a series of scenes of hunting parties at the entrance to country manors or villas built in a classical style. They all document a series of innovations in fashion and dressage, which reveal them to have been painted in the artist`s final phase. In keeping with this chronology, the male characters sport the French clothing and hairstyles that prevailed among the Dutch upper