A Battle Between Cavalrymen and Infantry

A Battle Between Cavalrymen and Infantry

Dirk Langendijk

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Of the various types of military subjects he depicted, the confrontation of mounted cavalry and foot soldiers was among Langendijk’s favorite. In this example, horses rear as shots are fired and swords and bayonets are raised. At center, he deploys his characteristic combination of brown ink and gray wash to dazzling effect, creating the illusion of smoke enveloping the figures.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A Battle Between Cavalrymen and InfantryA Battle Between Cavalrymen and InfantryA Battle Between Cavalrymen and InfantryA Battle Between Cavalrymen and InfantryA Battle Between Cavalrymen and Infantry

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.