Army Camp

Armies in the 17th century did not feed themselves. Behind every camp came sutlers, traders who sold beer, wine, tobacco and food to the soldiers from carts and tents, and often followed the troops from one campaign to the next. This is one of their tents. The tankard hung from the pole is the sign that drink is sold inside. A group of horsemen has just ridden up, one of them sounding a trumpet, while another has already found himself a sweetheart. Dark clouds move over the camp, the flags snap in the wind and the horses shift and stamp, which gave Wouwerman, a specialist in horses above all, the chance to paint them in motion. By 1733 the canvas belonged to Adriaan Bout in The Hague, and by 1757 it was at Het Loo, the palace of the princes of Orange near Apeldoorn.