The Battle of Vezekény

Neznámy maliar

Neznámy maliar – The Battle of Vezekény
date:
measurements: height 224 cm
width 480 cm
work type: painting
genre: war motif
material: canvas
technique: oil
institution: Esterhazy Privatstiftung, Burg Forchtenstein
inventory number: B 464

The large painting represents a key moment of both pain and glory for four members of the Esterházy family who fell in the Battle of Vezekény. Shortly after their death, various works were created to commemorate their memory. The most significant painting is the depiction of the battle itself.

Composed within a vast landscape panorama, the scene unfolds a detailed narrative of the event, which had been discussed extensively in society—partly due to the lack of information and even contradictions in some versions. Naturally, the painting depicts the "Esterházy" version of events, with a detailed legend explaining the course of the battle.

In addition to the battle's progression, which had several phases, the visual storytelling focuses on all the key figures and their units, providing a clear overview of the distribution of forces. Just like in graphic depictions, the painting strives for documentary accuracy, which is quite unusual in a painted work with many characters, as it also aims to maintain clarity.

The artist allocated considerable space to the central figure of the family, Ladislaus Esterházy (1626–1652), whose death is depicted in the foreground, to the right of the center. The head of the family was then succeeded by his younger brother Paul (1635–1713), who commissioned other commemorative works.

The importance of this battle painting for the family’s memory is further evidenced by two smaller versions, one of which is preserved in the Heidenreichstein Castle in Lower Austria, and the other was once located in the county building in Zlaté Moravce, where it is now housed in the local museum.

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