Mountainous Landscape with a Bridge and Four Horsemen

Mountainous Landscape with a Bridge and Four Horsemen
In the background, there stands a mountain peak virtually melting into the sky. In the foreground, on the bottom right, four horsemen and a dog are running down a mountain trail. The leading horsman is blowing his horn.
ArtistJoos de Momper
Year1579–1635
CatalogueINV 1104
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions135[1] cm × 156 cm (53.1 in × 61.4 in)
LocationLouvre, Paris

Mountainous Landscape with a Bridge and Four Horsemen (French: Paysage montagneux avec un pont et quatre cavaliers) is an oil painting on canvas by the Flemish landscapist Joos de Momper. Its date of execution is unknown. The painting is kept in the Louvre in Paris.[2][1][3][4]

Painting

The painting is in de Momper's typical style, and showcases the less realistic and more imaginary landscape art of his circle. Many Flemish landscapists painted in a more imaginary and apparently old-fashioned style to please the commissioners, as those kind of paintings sold for much higher prices.[5]

In the background, there stands a mountain peak virtually melting into the sky. In the foreground, on the bottom right, four horsemen and a dog are running from a bridge down a mountain trail. The leading horseman is blowing his horn.

The painting is part of a series housed at the Louvre, including two other paintings by de Momper. These paintings come from the French royal collection; they were probably part of the collection of Louis XIV, although they are mentioned for the first time in the royal inventories from 1733. The painting was kept in Fontainebleau from 1840 until at least 1929.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Emile Michel; Victoria Charles (2013). Les Brueghel. Parkstone International. pp. 260–318.
  2. ^ a b "Joos de Momper Paysage montagneux avec un pont et quatre cavaliers". The Louvre. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  3. ^ Arnauld Brejon de Lavergnée; Jacques Foucart; Nicole Reynaud (1979). Catalogue sommaire illustré des peintures du Musée du Louvre: Ecoles flamande et hollandaise. Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, Art Museum. pp. 50–51, 106. ISBN 978-2-7118-0134-3.
  4. ^ "Paysage Montagneux". Ministère de la Culture. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Landscape Painting in the Netherlands". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 22 September 2020.