Sebastian Vrancx and Studio (Antwerp 1573 - 1647) and Jan Breughel the Younger (Antwerp 1601 - 1678)

Reputedly in the Sewell collection, Steephill Castle, Ventnor, Isle of Wight and Jamaica, from the 1880's;
By descent in an American private collection until 2002.

Panel is uncradled and beveled on all four sides. it appears to be a single piece of wood. painting is clean and can be hung in its present state. there is overall excellent preservation of the paint surface with lovely retention of detail throughout composition. examination under ultraviolet light reveals some very small, scattered retouches in sky with one larger vertical area at center over a possible old gouge or scratch. other areas look remarkably good with only a few minor retouches here and there in figures and in foreground.
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This composition is known in several versions by Vrancx and his workshop. The best of these is probably the picture in the Musée d'Art Wallon, Liège (oil on panel, 46.5 by 85.5 cm.), while versions such as those in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels (inv. no. 10 836; oil on panel, 47.5 by 86 cm.), and Amsterdam, the Institut Collectie Nederland (inv. no. NK2026; oil on panel, 46.5 by 86.5 cm.) probably reflect a greater degree of studio participation. It is likely that all of the versions that have so far been traced are ultimately derived from a lost original painted entirely by Vrancx.

That the battle depicted is not likely to have been a specific event is underscored by the variety of heraldic emblems used: the Dutch flag in the foreground; the old form of the French fleur-de-lys beneath the trumpet to the right; and the slightly misunderstood Spanish arms beaneath the trumpet to the left.