Strijdwagen en achteruitslaand paard 1649

"Strijdwagen en achteruitslaand paard" (1649) is a pen and ink drawing by Dutch Golden Age painter Harmen ter Borch. The artwork, housed in the Rijksmuseum, depicts a horse rearing back in fright, its tail raised and its mane flowing in the wind, as it is being pulled by a chariot. The detail of the horse's powerful muscles and the dynamic movement of the scene reveals ter Borch's skill as a draftsman, even in this small-scale sketch, a rare example of the artist’s study of animals.