The Battle of Waterloo

Pieneman painted this scene of the Battle of Waterloo in 1824, nine years after the battle. He was the leading Dutch history painter of his generation, and this is his most ambitious work. The painting shows the moment when the Duke of Wellington was wounded in the right shoulder, late in the afternoon of June 18, 1815. The composition is a crowded tableau. Wellington sits on his horse at the center, his left arm raised, his right shoulder bandaged. Officers and soldiers surround him: some tend to the wounded, others point toward the fighting in the distance. The battlefield stretches behind them, filled with smoke, horses, and fallen men. In the distance, the farm of La Haye Sainte burns. The sky is dark with gunsmoke. Pieneman visited the battlefield in 1824 and interviewed survivors, including Wellington himself, who sat for the painting. The figures are portraits: each face belongs to a real person who was present at the battle. The uniforms are painted with attention to detail, and the weapons and equipment are accurate. The painting was intended as a commemorative work, a record of a decisive moment in European history. The Battle of Waterloo ended the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon abdicated four days later, on June 22, and was exiled to Saint Helena. The battle was fought in Belgium, south of Brussels, by an allied army of British, Dutch, and German troops under Wellington against the French army under Napoleon. The Dutch contribution was significant: the Netherlands had been annexed by France in 1810 and liberated in 1813, and Dutch troops fought on the allied side at Waterloo. Oil on canvas, 115 by 170 centimeters, roughly 45 by 67 inches. Pieneman painted with a smooth, academic surface, building the figures in careful layers. The smoke and fire in the background are painted in loose, atmospheric strokes, a contrast to the precise figures in the foreground. The colors are dark: browns, greens, and reds against a grey sky. This print works in a study, library, or office, where the historical subject suits the mood. The dark palette and military content pair with leather furniture, dark wood bookshelves, and brass desk lamps. The 18x24 size gives the figures and the battlefield enough room to read. The 16x20 framed version also works in a smaller space. The painting has been in the Rijksmuseum since 1885.