Battle scene in a landscape with soldiers on horseback and several fallen men, another group of riders in the background (ca. 1520, Met-Objekt 5696)
Original title: Battle scene in a landscape with soldiers on horseback and several fallen men, another group of riders in the background
kurzbeschreibung
On a landscape stage around 1520, Marco Dente's engraving brings mounted soldiers into collision: horses in full motion, others already down, fallen men between them. A second troop of riders operates in the background.
Description
In the foreground, riders fight; some horses gallop, others have crashed. Several warriors lie on the ground, a sign of the battle's severity. Armor and helmets alternate with plain clothing. Behind them, more cavalry squadrons move. Trees and rocks frame the arena, rendered entirely in black and white.
Context
Marco Dente, called Marco da Ravenna, was among the Italian copperplate engravers of the Renaissance and worked in Marcantonio Raimondi's workshop. Around 1520, battle scenes were common in printmaking; such sheets carried forward ancient and contemporary combat motifs and were appreciated as collector's items.
Impact
The densely moving figures convey some of the battle's unrest to the viewer. Evenly distributed light highlights the outlines and gives the image something clearly fixed, almost reportorial. The black-and-white contrast heightens the drama.
Technique
An engraving: the motif is incised into the copper plate and then pulled onto paper. The lines sit finely and precisely, as was usual for 16th-century printmaking. Trimmed, the sheet measures 23 × 36.2 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)