The dapple-grey

Roelant Saverij worked in Prague as court painter for Kaiser Rudolph II. The ten or so paintings in which he depicted one or more horses all date from after his return. The dapple-grey, too, was painted in this period. The fairytale atmosphere is amplified by the presence of the billy-goat and monkey. A variety of birds and a dragonfly fill the air. Roelant Saverij is thought to have introduced animal pieces to northern Netherlandish painting.