It is a historical stroke of luck that in such a turbulent period as the 17th century, both culturally and in terms of warfare, there was an equally rapid development in the pictorial representation of all facets of human life. Never before in history had so many high-quality paintings been created on the most diverse areas of social activity. Towards the end of the 16th century, the so-called "Golden Age of Painting" began, especially in the Netherlands. Many of the paintings created also depict events from the war of 1568 to 1648 between the Kingdom of Spain and the Netherlands, which was striving for freedom and independence. But a parallel pan-European conflict, the Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648, also provided many motifs for an entire generation of artists. An important representative of this age was the Antwerp-born painter Pieter Snayers. From a military-historical point of view, his paintings are particularly authentic. In the many siege scenes of towns and fortresses, Snayers shows their views and ground plans at the time very precisely. His topographical-analytical approach was hardly surpassed by other artists. Even in his depictions of the rather rarer field battles, one looks in vain for major points of criticism. Snayers also shows us the life of the ordinary people in the armies of this time in a drastic and unadorned way. Thus, far from widespread clichés, it is possible for us as the viewers of his paintings to transport ourselves back to the real events of the time. His paintings are scattered all over the world and adorn many well-known galleries. On the basis of his sometimes large-format paintings, part of the history of these conflicts is told with historical accuracy in this illustrated book. For this purpose, the now well-known author Roland Sennewald has compiled far more than 100 illustrations of the master internationally, resulting in a brilliant testimony to Pieter Snayers' work and at the same time to the battles, sieges and campaigns of the Thirty Years' and Eighty Years' War, as well as the years before and after.
Paperback! German text! Large format colour illustrated book (32 x 24 cm) with over 200 mostly colour illustrations: Double-page reproductions of the paintings, many detailed views, maps and contemporary engravings. 422 pages.
