JAN WYCK (1652–1700)

Oil on canvas. Signed J. Wyck. Dutch Baroque painter Jan Wyck is most famous for his paintings of battle scenes, hunting scenes, and landscapes. Like many of his contemporaries, Wyck also traveled to England, where he eventually stayed and worked until his death. At a time when French artists dominated the genre, the arrival of Wyck and other Dutch and Flemish artists in the UK after 1660 served as a catalyst for the development of military and naval art in Britain. This multi-figural composition is dominated by a horse-drawn carriage passing through a somewhat overgrown landscape. In front of this grouping are three more freely running horses, one saddled and leading the entire procession. We also see a mother with children, a couple resting under a tree, and three more horsemen. A hilly landscape and view of a city is visible in the background. The whole scene is executed in earth tones with a warm atmosphere.