Artwork
Watering and Exercising Horses
Watering and Exercising Horses is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Philips Wouwerman. It dates from 1655 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The scene combines natural elements like the river with human interaction to illustrate the relationship between riders and their mounts.
The painting depicts a landscape scene centered on the activities of watering and exercising horses near a river. The composition includes figures of men and women alongside the animals, set within the context of a riding school. As a work by Philips Wouwerman, the piece exemplifies the artist's focus on equestrian life and rural settings.
The imagery captures the routine care and training of horses, reflecting the importance of these animals in 17th-century society.
The setting in Haarlem and the inclusion of specific figures suggest a grounded representation of daily equestrian practices rather than a purely allegorical narrative. The scene combines natural elements like the river with human interaction to illustrate the relationship between riders and their mounts.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1655, this landscape painting by Philips Wouwerman is rendered in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 82.5 cm in height and 127 cm in width. Created in Haarlem, the composition depicts a riverside scene featuring horses, riders, and figures near a riding school.
The piece entered the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria and is currently held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
History & Provenance
Watering and Exercising Horses is an oil-on-canvas landscape painting by Philips Wouwerman, dated 1655 and produced in Haarlem. The work entered the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, who is recorded as an early owner. It subsequently passed into the holdings of the Kunsthistorisks Museum, where it is currently held. The painting measures 82.5 cm in height by 127 cm in width.
The painting is held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, where it is inventoried as Watering and Exercising Horses by Philips Wouwerman (c. 1655).
It was once part of the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, whose holdings formed an early core of the museum’s holdings after transfer to the imperial collection.
Overview
Philips Wouwerman’s Watering and Exercising Horses (1655) is an oil painting that presents a lively riverside scene where men attend to horses in a setting resembling a riding school. The composition balances active figures on horseback with pedestrians along the bank, all under a soft, cloud‑filled sky.
Context
As a member of Haarlem’s Guild of St. Luke, Wouwerman was part of a network of artists who catered to a market for detailed, narrative landscapes. This piece aligns with his broader interest in equine subjects, offering insight into contemporary practices of horse training and rural leisure.
Artist & collection
Artist
Philips Wouwerman (also Wouwermans) (24 May 1619 (baptized) – 19 May 1668) was a Dutch painter of hunting, landscape and battle scenes. He became prolific during the Dutch Golden Age and joined the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke.
