Vedettes are mounted sentries who were usually placed near an outpost. Here, they are on watch by a stream with a dog, & occupy a relatively tranquil sunlit landscape that is comparable with the early Italianate landscapes produced in Haarlem by Jan Wijnants (died 1684) & Nicolaes Berchem (1620
- 1683). The two halves of the composition are linked by the vedette on the white horse in the left foreground. The clouds gathering in the sky provide a central focus. The painting is relatively early, probably not much later than the National Gallery's battle scene, ' Cavalry making a Sortie', painted in 1646, which is one of the largest such canvases by Wouwermans & one of his few dated works. From paintings of battles, which were more common in Italy than elsewhere in Europe in the 17th century, Wouwermans seems to have moved towards painting more peaceful scenes with soldiers & horsemen.
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The watermills belonged to the manor house of Singraven near Denekamp, a village in the eastern part of the province of Overijssel, close to the German border. While the watermills do exist, the setting is Ruisdael's invention: there are no hills near Denekamp. Inspired by Ruisdael's repeated depictions of the watermills, his pupil Meindert Hobbema followed his example & painted a series of pictures with the same motif. One of them, ' The Watermills at Singraven near Denekamp', is also in the National Gallery's Collection. ...

The map on the wall above the virginal is based on one of North & South America called ' Americae nova descriptio' which was published by Dancker Danckerts in Amsterdam in 1661. The dress & coiffure of the woman who stands before it are identical to th ...

The New Testament records how Saint John the Baptist was beheaded at Herodias' request, & his head presented to her daughter Salome on a charger. Salome then brought the head to her mother. (Matthew 14: 1-11). This painting is one of the key works of Se ...

The inscription means: 'I am Tanaquil. In my prescience I created two kings, first my husb&, then my slave'. Tanaquil persuaded her husband Lucumo to emigrate from Tarquinii to Rome, where he was elected king with the title Tarquinius Priscus. After his ...

Brouwer specialised in rowdy scenes of peasant life. This work, which is signed on the top step below the woman's skirt, is one of his largest & liveliest peasant pictures. He was greatly admired by contemporary artists for his skill as a painter, & b ...

Cesare Alessandro Scaglia served the House of Savoy in various diplomatic posts from 1614-32, when he retired to Brussels, a rich but discredited man. He entered the monastery of the Rycollets, Antwerp, sometime after 1637 & died there in 1641. It is po ...

This panel may have been part of a decoration for a piece of furniture, possibly a marriage chest. Helen, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, is being carried off by Paris, together with other women from the Temple of Apollo & Artemis in Cythera, to a waiting ship. It was this action which precipitated the Trojan War. ...

Create your own bespoke print of Nicolas Poussin’s The Adoration of the Golden Calf from our collection. About this painting The Adoration of the Golden Calf, 1633-4 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1945 With our custom print service, you can order your own fully customised reproduction from the National Gallery Collection & exhibitions. Choose your own size, print material & frames & have your masterpiece delivered straight to your door. ...

The Three Kings journeyed to Bethlehem to honour the new-born Jesus. They followed a star (towards the left, at the top), & brought gifts of gold, frankincense & myrrh. New Testament (Matthew 2: 2-12). The accompanying figures to the right are the kin ...