The Grey Horse

In this early panel from about 1646 the grey horse stands tethered among the scattered figures and bundled pack-saddles of a travelling party, its pale coat the bright focus of the composition. Philips Wouwerman built his reputation on horse and cavalry scenes of this kind, and so great was their appeal that some five hundred works were credited to him by the time biographies were written a century later. This canvas shows the poised figures and silvery handling that would make him the most sought-after equestrian painter of the Dutch school.