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Hand-to-Hand Combat

Johann Wilhelm Baur

  • Hand-to-Hand Combat
Basic information
ID
Г-IV-1034
Author
Johann Wilhelm Baur
Name
Hand-to-Hand Combat
Date of creation
1635
Country
Germany
Technique
etching
Material
paper
Dimensions
10.7 x 14.8 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 engraving depicts a fierce clash between cavalrymen. Two mounted musketeers are shooting at the Reiter in the centre of the composition. In the foreground, there are dead soldiers on the ground nearby. The sheet is part of the "Capricci di Varie Battaglie" ("Fantasies of Various Battles") series, which consists of 16 engravings. It was first published in Rome in 1635. The main theme of the series is imaginary battles between the armies of different nations. Johann Wilhelm Baur most likely began his work on engravings during his trip to Italy in 1634. This series was dedicated to the noble Italian family Orsini.
Inscriptions
At the bottom right, there is the inscription: Jo: Will: Baur. Inven
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

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