Possibly Juan Bautista de Toledo; Second half of the XVII century.

Possibly JUAN BAUTISTA DE TOLEDO (Lorca?, 1618-Madrid, 1665); Madrid, second half of the seventeenth century.
"Battle scene".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 47 x 65; 63 x 82 cm (frame).
This canvas depicts a historical theme, a violent battle in a natural setting dominated by a landscape teacher, moved, which determines an illumination of brightness and half shadows. The action is concentrated in the foreground, where several knights on foot and on horseback fight violently, captured in complicated foreshortenings well resolved by the painter. Beyond the foreground, the narrative becomes confused, the characters blurred by the effect of distance, thus achieving a convincing atmospheric impression. Through his brushstrokes, the work expresses a dynamic, theatrical, narrative and expressive style. Thus, we see an apparently chaotic scene, although rigorously studied, that reflects with naturalism the din of the fight, the violence of the confrontation, a violence that is also reflected in the warm and fiery chromatism itself.
In addition, the subject matter is allusive to a historical fact, which was a very common thematic resource during this period. The historicist incursions at first were inspired by scenes of Christian history, scenes of mythology or classical antiquity, however in this case the scene is captured from a realistic point of view despite the brushstroke, the author has conceived the work as if it were a documentary element, presenting himself as a witness of the events. History painting was traditionally considered the most important genre. This preeminence was explained by a certain concept that art had to propose noble and credible examples. For this reason, the superiority of those artistic works in which what was narrated was considered elevated or noble was defended.
Due to its stylistic characteristics, this canvas can be related to the artistic guidelines of Juan de Toledo, a Spanish Baroque painter to whom a large number of battle scenes have been attributed, always close to Flemish painting. The work in question can be related to the heroic performance of the Spaniards who defended Vienna from the Turkish siege of 1529. This type of battle scenes had a wide development, caused by the theme, which not only extolled the victories of those who had participated in the battle. But beyond this testimonial feature, these paintings reflected with their theme, scenes of historical character. A genre that was widely valued, being considered the best in the history of art, for extolling the virtues and the noble spirit of the acts.