A White Horse standing by a Sleeping Man
- Artist: Pieter Verbeeck
- Date: about 1652
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "A White Horse standing by a Sleeping Man" painted in the Dutch tradition by Pieter Verbeeck. The artist seems to be telling us a story here, though it's impossible to say what exactly it is. A man, apparently a vagrant, sleeps under a tree with his dog, and a patient horse waits for them nearby. You can see how loose the rein of the horse is hanging down close to the man's hand.
Now, look over the breast of the hill - you'll notice another man appearing in the scene. He seems to be eyeing the group, and he has two scruffy dogs with him, carrying a club over his shoulder. Although some of the leaves have faded to blue with age, the other colours in this painting appear remarkably fresh.
Verbeeck was influenced by Dutch landscape painters known as the Italianates. They were inspired by their own travels or those of others who had been to Italy. You can see the soft, warm Mediterranean colours that made their paintings so popular among collectors. This work is characteristic of the style that Verbeeck developed during his career.
See it in person
A White Horse standing by a Sleeping Man 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.
