A White Horse, and an Old Man binding Faggots
- Artist: Philips Wouwerman
- Date: 1650s
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the "A White Horse, and an Old Man binding Faggots" by Philips Wouwerman. Painted in the 1650s, it's a small but captivating scene set against the bleak Dutch landscape. The old man crouches in the undergrowth, gathering faggots for a fire, while behind him, a woman sits with her back to him, nursing a baby bundled up against the cold.
A gnarled tree sheds its few leaves in the rising wind, and a dog sniffs after rabbits. But dominating the skyline is this magnificent white horse - its mottled coat gleaming in the dying light. Notice how its mane is windswept and its pose awkward. Wouwerman even paints it urinating!
The picture shows the endurance of animals and people against the harsh landscape, and was probably designed to hang in the warmth of a town house as a comfort or moral message.
See it in person
A White Horse, and an Old Man binding Faggots 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.
