Study of Two Soldiers Swordfighting

Adam Frans van der Meulen

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Van der Meulen was active mostly in France, where he served as a court painter to King Louis XIV and specialized in historical and military scenes. This drawing of two soldiers in a sword fight reflects the artist’s fascination with battle themes; instead of confronting one another, however, the two men seem to be battling an external opponent located beyond the frame. The format and cropping enhance the sense of fleeting action: the soldier on the left appears to be caught entering the scene while the one on the right has started to leave it. The application of black and white chalk is swift and free—echoing the fast movement of sword fighting—with only a few marks for facial expressions and a focus on bodily gestures.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art