Study of a rearing horse in a battle,
oil on panel, 68.7 x 92.5 cm, framed

The present picture has been traditionally regarded as the work of a Flemish master, but despite its high quality it has not yet been possible to find a convincing attribution for it. The imposing, monumental composition is a reference to famous equestrian portraits of the Renaissance. The fact that a similar tradition of equestrian portraits established itself in Antwerp in the early 17th century, where Renaissance models were imitated, above all in the workshops of Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens, has very likely been the cause of the traditional attribution of the present work to this circle. The use of an old oak panel as a painting surface could also have contributed to confuse matters further. The RKD, The Hague, believes that the painting should rather be attributed to an Italian hand. Indeed, the robust, spontaneous and intense use of the brush points in the direction of an artist of the Venetian School. There are stylistic analogies with the work of Giovanni Antonio Guardi (Vienna 1699-1760 Venice), Francesco Guardi’s older brother, especially with regard to the colours used, the free rendering of the landscape and the sky, and the confident, rapid drawing of the horse itself.