Cavalry Battle

This painting is Jan Martszen’s earliest known signed and dated work. It is closely related to the battle scenes by Esaias van de Velde, in whose shop he probably worked from 1626. Martszen made use of Van de Velde’s three-plane composition, and his figures, like Van de Velde’s, have firm sharp contour lines, especially the horses, shown in dynamic poses with flared nostrils and bared teeth.