Capriccio is an architectural fantasy, a composition that combines elements of real and imagined architecture. Thus, in the foreground we see an interior with rows of massive columns topped with tall semicircular arches adorned with various stucco decorative elements, fanciful reliefs, and cornices. On the rectangular sides of the pillars stand sculptures of naked, muscular men – atlantes. Their full figures are shown. These figures are almost identical: one leg (right or left, depending on the sculpture) is slightly bent at the knee, the other remains straight. Both arms are raised upward and bent at the elbow, with hands resting behind the head, which tilts slightly forward. The columns are crowned with capitals decorated with volutes, the spiral-shaped side elements.

Between the pillars, small human figures are shown in various poses. These figures are tiny – half the height of the atlantes – which further emphasizes the monumentality of the architecture. Although it depicts an interior, the open structure creates a sense of vastness and airiness.

In the foreground, between the columns, are soldiers dressed in armour styled after antiquity. Their armour consists of a golden breastplate and a helmet with a short red crest. The crest is elongated, running from the forehead toward the back of the head. Beneath the breastplate the soldiers wear white or red short-sleeved tunics reaching above the knee. Their boots reach mid-calf. Across their left shoulder they wear blue capes.

The soldier on the left side of the painting lies on his back on the floor. His right hand rests on his abdomen, his left arm lies limp at his side, and his helmet is on the ground near his head. His pale face and part of his chest are illuminated by sunlight, while the rest of his body lies in shadow cast by architectural elements.

To the right of the fallen soldier, another man is rising from the floor. He is shown in right profile. He pushes himself up with his right hand. His other arm is bent at the elbow and raised. He also lifts his outstretched left leg. He looks upward at the soldier running beside him, situated in the central part of the painting. That soldier holds a sword in his extended right hand, the blade pointing upward. In his left hand he carries a shield. He runs toward the viewer’s right but turns back to look at the rising man.

To the right of the soldier with the sword, at the right edge of the painting, another running soldier is shown. He holds a spear in his right hand; his left arm is bent, hand raised. To his right, in shadow, lies an abandoned standard.

On the right side of the painting, behind the soldier with the spear, a staircase leads upward. Behind it stand two arches topped with a trefoil arch motif – named for the decorative shape resembling a three-leaf clover. The arches rest on narrow round columns. Above them rises a coffered dome decorated with polygonal recessed panels. Between the columns is a balustrade, beyond which stretches a panoramic view of a city situated beside a body of water. In the left portion of the panorama a mountain rises behind the city; to the right the terrain becomes gently hilly.

On the staircase on the right side stands a woman, positioned to the left of the soldier with the spear. She moves toward the viewer’s left. Her figure is illuminated by sunlight. She wears a green dress with elbow-length sleeves. The green portion of the dress reaches her knees; below that the dress is pink. Her blond hair is tied with a pink ribbon. Her arms are extended to the sides as if to maintain balance. Behind her, slightly to her left, is the wall of a pillar decorated with a niche containing a figure.

In the middle ground, on the left, between the columns is another staircase leading upward to another row of pillars. These pillars also contain niches with figures. There, the outermost pillar on the far right is crumbling into dust. The dust swirls in the wind between the columns and rises upward, forming grey clouds of smoke at the foot of the stairs. It is there that a winged horse rises among the dust. The horse is brown, with golden wings. It is ridden by a blond-haired woman wearing a pink ankle-length garment and a blue fabric billowing behind her. Her left arm is raised, while her right disappears behind the horse’s head. Together they cause panic among nearby figures fleeing the scene. Among them is a figure in a brown robe running behind a pillar on the viewer’s left, and a soldier running to the right carrying a standard pole on his left shoulder, with his right arm extended upward. Behind the soldier with the standard runs another figure, only part of whose face and two outstretched arms are visible from behind a pillar. All these figures look back at the winged horse.

Warm colours dominate the foreground of the painting: browns, sand tones, and beiges. In the background, blue tones prevail. Light falls from the left, illuminating the floor, one side of the pillars, and the arches in the distance. The right side of the pillars remains in shadow, as do the nearest arches.

Audio description: Agata Lech
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Content consultation: Miłosz Kargol