Battle scene with oriental horsemen

Exceptional in size, this scene is typical of Charles Parrocel, battle Painter to King Louis XV from 1745 onwards. The presence of oriental cavalrymen with turbans testifies to the enthusiasm for turqueries in France during the first half of the 18th Century. The artist's lively manner can be seen in other smaller-scaled red chalk battles such as in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (inv. 18969; see S. Couturier, Dessins français du Musée des Beaux-Arts du Canada, Ottawa, 2004, no. 18, ill.) and in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Marseille (inv. 1991.4.1; see Catalogue Coypel, exhib. cat., Paris, Galerie Paul Prouté, 1991, no. 24, ill.). Only a few large-scale battles are known to date, one with similar dimensions as the present drawing is in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm (inv. 2896/1863; see P. Bjurström, French Drawings. Eighteenth Century, Stockholm, 1982, no. 1104, ill.).