A Dead Soldier
- Artist: Italian
- Date: 17th century
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "A Dead Soldier" painting, painted in the Italian north. It's a sombre work from the 17th century, created using oil on canvas. The artist's use of colour and composition creates a powerful image that evokes feelings of melancholy.
Look at the soldier's right hand - it's oversized and bony, with a strange, decaying flesh-like tone to it. His armour glints in the fading light, while a silk bow hangs limply from his shoe. A swirl of blue smoke above does little to lift the sombre mood.
To the left of the corpse is a skull and bones, and close by, bubbles disturb the surface of a small water pool. These are symbols of the brevity of human life and the suddenness of death, as well as the transience of things - like the extinguished flame of the lamp hanging from the leafless branch above.
It's not known who exactly painted this work, but it was once attributed to Diego Velázquez. Today, most art historians believe it's an Italian painting, created in the 17th century. Its influence can be seen in other works - for example, Édouard Manet was inspired by the soldier's foreshortened figure when creating his own "The Dead Toreador".
See it in person
A Dead Soldier hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
