Francesco Simonini, 'A Campaign Scene', 1740-5
| Full title | A Campaign Scene |
|---|---|
| Artist | Francesco Simonini |
| Artist dates | 1686 - 1766 |
| Date made | 1740-5 |
| Medium and support | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 37.7 × 65.5 cm |
| Acquisition credit | Presented by the Art Fund, 1944 |
| Inventory number | NG5465 |
| Location | Not on display |
| Collection | Main Collection |
An officer on a white horse is accompanied by three mounted soldiers to the left of this scene. A group of men sit nearby, awaiting orders; most carry muskets and swords. One of them holds a furled flag, suggesting that the battle has not yet begun. A reclining figure puffs on a long pipe and gazes towards the soldiers and wagons crossing the wide valley below.
Simonini spent most of his career in Venice. During the 1730s and early 1740s, he worked for Johann Matthias Graf von der Schulenburg, who was commander of the Venetian army in the war against the Turks. Simonini witnessed these military campaigns, often recording mundane scenes of military life, such as the resting soldiers depicted here.
Produced in 1740–5, this work shows the influence of Venetian painting in the vivid colours and the idyllic landscape, which combines the imaginary and the real.
An officer on a white horse is accompanied by three mounted soldiers to the left of this scene. A group of men sit nearby, awaiting orders; most carry muskets and swords. One of them holds a furled flag, suggesting that the battle has not yet begun. A reclining figure puffs on a long pipe and gazes towards the soldiers and wagons crossing the wide valley below.
Simonini spent most of his career in Venice and during the 1730s and early 1740s he worked for Johann Matthias Graf von der Schulenburg, who was commander of the Venetian army in the war against the Turks. Simonini witnessed these military campaigns, often recording mundane scenes of military life, such as the resting soldiers depicted here.
Painted in 1740–5, this work shows the influence of Venetian painting in the vivid colours and idyllic landscape, which combine the imaginary and the real.
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