Bataille of Seneffe

Taking place in the Spanish Netherlands on August 11, 1674, the Battle of Seneffe was one of the final combats of Louis II of Bourbon, Prince of Condé. This codified representation of a battle led in the open country, following maneuver warfare tradition, shows the commanding group in the foreground with the Grand Condé, the combat in the middle plane, and the landscape with the town in the background. At the time, Condé was fighting against William III of Orange.
The battle was one of the last of maneuver warfare, since Louis XIV preferred sieges, which were more effective and less costly in terms of human lives. With 45,000 men, Condé charged the enemy's rear guard and their 60,000 soldiers who were advancing towards the French border. William of Orange turned around: three successive series of combats followed, resulting in over 15,000 deaths, including 7,000 Frenchmen.
The title, inscribed in golden letters, may indicate that the painting was part of a series. Louis XIV most likely gave it to Noël Jourda de Vaux, who was present at Seneffe, to mark his ennobling. Alternatively, Vaux may have commissioned it himself. This battle has not been depicted often, but it was painted on the walls of a refectory in the Hôtel des Invalides by Michel II Corneille (southwest refectory) and on a panel in the gallery of the Battles of Chantilly, which is now kept in Versailles.