Address: Didžioji str. 4, LT-01128, Vilnius, Lithuania. Tel./fax (+370 5) 212 08 41; (+370 5) 212 42 58. E-mail: galerija[at]ldm.lt    Exhibition of the painting by Pieter Snayers (1592–1667) THE BATTLE OF KIRCHOLM from the Sassenage Castle collection (France) 3 June – 19 september, 2010 Opening – 3 June, 2010, 4 p. m. Entrance with invitation only Diagram of people and objects depicted in the painting   Cover of exhibition's invitation This picture depicts the Battle of Kircholm (near Riga), which took place between the armies of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Sweden on September 27, 1605. In this battle the Lithuanian army, under the command of Grand Hetman Jonas Karolis Chodkevicius, defeated the three times greater Swedish army, which was commanded by the King of Sweden himself, Charles IX. The Flemish artist Pieter Snayers (1592-1667), who created this picture, was one of the leading battle painters of the 17th century. He was especially famous for his large-format compositions, in which he immortalized historical battles by depicting with geographical accuracy the battlefield, the deployment of the armies, and the weaponry. This picture gives a bird's-eye view of the Battle of Kircholm. The southern side is in the upper part of the picture; the Daugava flows from left to right toward the Baltic Sea. The units of the Lithuanian army and its allies are on the left, and the Swedish ones - on the right. The decisive phase of this battle is depicted: the centre of the Lithuanian army has already penetrated deep into the formation of the Swedish army. It is thought that this picture was painted in 1619 at the commission of the ruler of Poland and Lithuania Sigismund Vasa. This work is from the collections of the Sassenage Castle (Chateau) in southeastern France. This castle was built in the 17th century by the Berenger-Sassenage family, wealthy and influential nobles who had close ties to the French royal court. In 1971, the last member of this family, Marquise Pierrette Elisa de Berenger, left this chateau together with its works of art and archive to the Foundation of France. The Sassenage Castle and about fifty objects within it, including Pieter Snayers Battle of Kircholm, have been added to the French list of cultural treasures in the Rhone-Alpes region. The exhibition of this picture in Vilnius was organized by the Lithuanian Art Museum, the Foundation of France (La Fondation de France), the French Cultural Centre (La Centre culturelfrancais). Before being exhibited, this picture was restored at the Pranas Gudynas Restoration Centre of the Lithuanian Art Museum (Algimantas Vaineikis, Juozas Blaziunas). Curators of this exhibition: Mindaugas Sapoka, Dalia Tarandaite General exhibition sponsor: JSC Company ,,Lietuvos dujos" Media sponsors: the magazine Valstybe, the informational Web site balsas.lt, Lithuanian Radio