Shepherds and Krakus on Horseback

The battle painting is executed in the Romantic style. The work depicts a panoramic landscape with a low horizon. A heavy, overcast sky occupies a large part of the composition, with lightning on the right side. In the foreground is a brightly lit hill where a shepherd and a shepherdess are tending to their cattle (two cows and two sheep). Nearby, a dog is sleeping. In the centre, near the shepherds, an officer (Krakus) is depicted on a white horse, wearing a full-dress white uniform with red epaulettes and a peaked cap. The man points to the left with his right hand, indicating something to the astonished people. Next to the horse is a staff with a red-and-white flag stuck in the ground. The tranquillity and measured life of the shepherds are disrupted by the unexpected arrival of the horseman and his words, as evidenced by their astonishment and shock. In the distance, a palace and its surrounding buildings can be seen among the trees in the background. The Krakus (Polish cossacks) were Polish light cavalry during the Duchy of Warsaw, under the command of Napoleon.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery