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Cavalrymen halted at a Sutler's Booth

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Notes

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A large tent or booth has been set up on top of a hill above a military camp, next to a blasted tree. They stand upright against a big, luminous sky, together filling nearly half the picture.

Dramatic though this backdrop is, it’s the cavalrymen gathered in the foreground whose antics are the main entertainment for the viewer. They have been attracted up from the camp by the tent, which has been pitched by a ’sutler', a man – or very often a woman – who made their living by following an army on the march and selling drink and other provisions to the troops.

Inevitably, it was a popular place for off-duty soldiers to relax and enjoy themselves. Here, a cavalryman raises his empty tankard, the officer in the centre attempts a seduction and a third horseman celebrates his own arrival with a blast on his bugle.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Cavalrymen halted at a Sutler's Booth

Date

probably 1650s

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 51.5 x W 41.7 cm

Accession number

NG878

Acquisition method

Bought with the Peel Collection, 1871

Work type

Painting

Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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