EN
The author analyses the image of Antonis van Dyck Der Polnische Kasak from Staatsgalerie Neuen Schloss Schleissheim. The horseman clearly is not a Polish Cossack, but a Polish rider; what is more, a descendant of a wealthy social group, though presented in a daily, almost field costume. His dress differs from the attire of West European cavalrymen, displaying elements typical of the East European cultural circles of the 1 st half of the 17 th century. Certain similarities in the composition of the horse’s silhouette, its movement, locating of the steed on the edge of an embankment and on the coast, can be found in numerous Van Dyck’s works.