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Dirk Langendijk

A Skirmish Between the Cavalry Officers and Footsoldiers with Bayonets

1781
Pen and brown ink and gray and black washes, heightened with white gouache, on cream laid paper
48.5 × 38.5 cm (19.1 × 15.2 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Fascinated throughout his career by military subjects, Rotterdam-based Dirk Langendijk had a special passion for depictions of cavalry in action. In this highly finished example, Langendijk presented the violent confrontation of mounted cavalry with foot soldiers. The drama of the foreground scene is further emphasized by the heavy smoke clouds in the middle and background, which are explained ultimately by the bright white explosion behind the church tower, in the upper right corner of the drawing.

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