Study for The Battle of Waterloo

Study for The Battle of Waterloo

Jan Willem Pieneman

Details

Medium
zwart krijt
Dimensions
height 297 mm x width 480 mm
Holding institution
Rijksmuseum
Image provider
rijksmuseum
License
Public Domain
Credit
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Art Genome Taxonomy

12 tags

Subject Matter

  • War and Military Both · 99%

    The title identifies the subject as the Battle of Waterloo, and the image depicts mounted soldiers, infantry, military formations, and horses in combat.

  • Conflict Both · 98%

    The catalog title names a battle, while the image shows opposing or coordinated military forces, charging cavalry, fallen or low-lying figures, and organized infantry.

  • Movement Visual · 95%

    Rearing and advancing horses, raised arms, bent limbs, overlapping bodies, and diagonal groupings create a pronounced sense of action.

  • Human Figure Visual · 98%

    Numerous human figures are distributed throughout the composition, including mounted soldiers, standing figures, infantry, and low-lying figures.

  • Narrative Both · 90%

    The catalog identifies the work as a study for a named historical battle, and the arrangement of cavalry, low-lying figures, and infantry forms a sequentially legible scene.

Visual Qualities

  • Dense Composition Visual · 90%

    Many figures, horses, and overlapping action groups fill the central and right portions of the broad sheet, producing a concentrated, crowded composition.

  • Linear Forms Visual · 93%

    The composition is constructed through contour lines, repeated hatching, and directional strokes rather than colored masses.

Medium and Techniques

  • Drawing Both · 99%

    The catalog classifies the work as a drawing, and the image visibly consists of monochrome chalk linework on a sheet.

  • Work on Paper Both · 99%

    The work is a drawn composition on a paper support; the image clearly shows a sheet bearing the artwork, while the catalog identifies the medium as black chalk.

  • Hatching Visual · 88%

    Repeated short strokes and cross-directional marks visibly model clothing, horses, figures, and areas of ground.

  • Study Both · 96%

    The catalog title explicitly identifies the object as a study, and the image contains exploratory, variably reinforced lines characteristic of a preparatory sheet.

Time Periods

  • 19th Century Art Metadata · 98%

    The catalog dates the work to approximately 1824, placing it in the nineteenth century.

Source & rights

Jan Willem Pieneman. Study for The Battle of Waterloo. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.