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Battle of Hungarians

Johann Wilhelm Baur

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-1023
Author: Johann Wilhelm Baur
Name: Battle of Hungarians
Date of creation: 1637
Country: Germany
Technique: etching
Material: paper
Dimensions: 10.7 x 14.2 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: battle painting
Plot: Battle
Provenance: Lviv Historical Museum

Information about author

Author: Johann Wilhelm Baur
Author in the original: Jonann Wilhelm Baur
Artist's lifetime: 1607–1640
Country: Germany
Biography: Johann Wilhelm Baur was a leading German engraver and miniature painter of the first half of the 17th century. He began his studies in Strasbourg in the workshop of the German printmaker and draftsman Friedrich Brentel. However, his activities during this period remain little known. The artist gained fame after a trip to Italy, where he most likely arrived in 1626. It is assumed that Baur settled in Rome, where he worked for Paolo Giordano II Orsini. Nevertheless, his first dated work – "Landscape with Vesuvius" – was executed in 1631, during his stay in Naples between 1631 and 1633. He later returned to Rome and executed some of his most successful graphic series. The artist moved to Vienna in 1637. Although Baur also worked as a painter, he became known primarily as a graphic artist who specialised in architectural landscapes, genre street scenes and battle pieces. In his works, he skilfully combined the styles of the French printmaker Jacques Callot and the Florentine Stefano della Bella, with whom Baur was personally acquainted.

Object description

The sheet depicts the combat of Hungarian soldiers. It represents Hungarian horsemen and infantry rushing into battle against enemy cavalry. A horseman dressed in a spotted fur cape and a plumed hat races to face the enemy. To his left, an infantryman raised his weapon towards his opponents. A dead rider and a horse can be seen in the foreground. Johann Wilhelm Baur employed a distinctive compositional structure, depicting the main scene in the foreground, as if on a hill, and a panoramic battle below. The engraving is part of "Battaglie di varie nazione" ("The Battles of Various Nations") series, which consisted of 13 sheets and was published in 1637.

Inscriptions

At the top centre, there is the inscription: "Battaglia de Ungari". At the bottom left is the inscription "J.W. Bauer fe".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery