Pieter Meulener (1602-1654), The Attack Of The Convoy, Large Format

Pieter Meulener (1602-1654) The attack of the convoy by the Spaniards Oil on canvas, trace of PM monogram at the bottom left Dimension: 72 x 100 Dimension with the frame: 113 x 84 cm The artist Painter born in 1602 and died in 1654 in Antwerp, he is considered one of the main Flemish painters of battle scenes. He is known for having painted some genre scenes set in landscapes. He was a student of his father Jan Molenaer and historians believe that he also studied with Sebastien Vrancx (1573-1647). He will be master of the Guild of painters of St Luc in Antwerp in 1631/1632. His paintings can be found in many museums. The work Magnificent painting from the first half of the 17th century representing a clash between various horsemen and a few infantry units. The scene takes place in the countryside on the outskirts of homes, we see a church in the background. The painter did not have the habit of painting known battles but more feats of arms intended for the bourgeoisie who made up a large part of the combatants. In the center of the painting we find a carriage with a man on board firing, which makes us think of the representation of a convoy attack rather than a classic battle. The clothes refer to the Eighty Years' War. Our painter depicts a scene from this war which began in 1568 with a Protestant uprising against the Catholic Spanish Hasbourg and quickly transformed into a war of independence of the Netherlands from Spain. This will end with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Spain will recognize the independence of Holland, while Flanders will remain Spanish. At this time, military uniforms did not yet formally exist (until the end of the 17th century). To recognize each other we use colors on clothes. These are often scarves worn and feathers attached to hats or helmets. The Dutch wear orange, sometimes black, and the Spanish wear red. In the foreground of our painting, we recognize riders with red scarves and feathers who charge towards the carriage, from which emerges a rider, adorned in orange, with a troop of infantry who seem to be emerging from the tip of his nose towards the Spanish. Moreover, when it comes to battle, the artist tends to group the characters together creating a human mass. This is absolutely not the case here, we have the right to a large and airy painting, which is not unpleasant. Our eye is led to navigate between the different scenes that make up the painting. We believe that this is a painting from the beginning of his career, still influenced by the painting of Sebastien Vrancx (1573-1647). As is often the case with the artist, a rider on a white horse is represented in the foreground, here he appears in full charge, the horse in full effort, immediately bringing this impression of speed and vitality to the scene.