Philips Wouwerman is the most successful painter of scenes with horses from the Dutch Golden Age. His paintings chiefly depict battle fields, hunting parties, stables, smithies, riding schools and army camps in which horses feature prominently. Wouwerman, however, did not limit himself to paintings with horses. In fact it was in scenes in which they played a secondary role, or in which they did not feature at all, that the artist reached his zenith. It is especially in his landscapes executed in subtle colours as well as his narrative genre scenes and religious depictions, the latter both rare and original,that we recognise Wouwerman’s versatility as an artist. This highly readable book is published to coincide with an exhibition of Wouwerman’s work at Kassel (Germany) and The Hague. The introduction to the actual catalogue of shown paintings and drawings comprises lavishly illustrated essays on the artist’s life and work.