Rest After The Battle, Circle Of August Querfurt

A pair of paintings from the first half of the 18th century, in the circle of August Querfurt, depicting two complementary moments in the life of a military camp: one closer and more “staged,” the other more open and landscape-oriented. In both works a warm, brown tonality prevails, with light cutting across the figures and bringing horses, tents, and details of dress out of a dark, almost nocturnal background.
In the first painting, attention is focused on a group in the foreground. A large red tent occupies much of the composition, with a yellow tent behind it topped by a small flag; around them move soldiers in late 17th–early 18th-century attire, with cloaks and broad-brimmed hats. The horses are as central as the people: a light-colored horse stands out at the center, while the surrounding figures appear to be talking and organizing something, likely the next phase of the battle. The scene has a narrative, almost theatrical quality, with the light guiding the eye across the tent fabric, the animals’ backs, and the figures’ hands.
In the second painting, the space opens up. The main tent is pushed to the side and the scene breathes, as a landscape appears in the background with a tower or small fortification on a rise, beneath a dark, heavy sky, only faintly lit. Horses and figures are present here as well, but the mood is more restful: some figures seem seated or crouched near the baggage, others converse, and everything is arranged to create depth, as if the camp were set within a broader environment barely visible in the gloom.
Dimensions: with frame 57 × 51 cm, depth 4 cm; without frame 39 × 34 cm.