White Horse in a Riding School

There is little doubt as to which animal is the star pupil in this painting. Radiating light, the brilliance of the white horse is accentuated by its contrast against the shadowed background, an effect known as chiaroscuro. Careful brushstrokes define the groomed mane and tail, and the saddle is finely detailed, with tiny specks of white paint mimicking glints of light reflecting off the metal stirrups and polished leather. In the shadows beyond, an interior setting reveals itself: muted light, a dusty floor and patient bystanders watching the progress of a riding lesson. Accompanied by a child, the instructor observes from the sidelines, his hands folded over the end of a long stick with which to direct and correct.

This scene of seventeenth-century life has been captured by Dutch artist Abraham van Calraet (1642-1722), who has signed the painting on a plank of wood in the lower right-hand corner with the initials ‘AC’. Often mistaken for the Dutch Italianate artist Aelbert Cuyp (1620-91), as they share the same initials, Van Calraet specialised in painting horse studies and rustic scenes, sometimes borrowing poses from Cuyp, under whom he studied. The stance of the prancing chestnut horse here is almost identical to that in the background of Cuyp’s painting Evening Ride near a River (DPG96), also in the Dulwich Picture Gallery collection.