Pieter Snayers

Pieter Snayers (1592 – 1666 or 1667) was a Flemish Baroque painter known for representations of historical battle scenes.

Born in Antwerp, he studied under Sebastiaen Vrancx before joining Antwerp's Guild of St. Luke in 1612. By 1628, Snayers was a citizen in Brussels.

There, he worked first for Archduchess Isabella, and was later the court painter for Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. For them he painted scenes of victorious battles in the tradition of sixteenth-century tapestries.

Snayers also collaborated with Peter Paul Rubens on several occasions, including the never-finished Life of Henry IV (1628–30) and the Torre de la Parada series (c. 1637–1640). He also painted portraits of aristocracy in Brussels and large landscapes. Snayers's best-known pupil was Adam Frans van der Meulen.

Snayers died at Brussels in 1666 or 1667.

Snayers' historical battle scenes demonstrate a close attention to topographic accuracy. Frequently, his paintings show a shallow foreground that recedes sharply to show a besieged town from a bird's-eye perspective.

Stylistically, his colouring was more subdued than his teacher Vrancx and reflects contemporary trends in Flemish and Dutch painting.

Battle of White Mountain. Bavarian State Picture Collection.

Sulieman's Siege of Vienna in 1529. Private collection.

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