Antonio Pollaiuolo. Battle of the Naked Men. 1470–1475. Italy. Engraving in black on ivory laid paper The 15th-century Florentine goldsmith, printer, and painter Antonio Pollaiuolo frequently posed figures in alternating views, possibly copying a sculpted model from several directions. The subject of this famous print—one of the earliest and largest Italian engravings—has never been fully understood, nor the specific battle identified. But Pollaiuolo may have based this work on a sculpture unearthed in Rome in 1488, the Statuary Group of Three Satyrs Fighting a Serpent. The pained expression o
Antonio Pollaiuolo. Battle of the Naked Men. 1470–1475. Italy. Engraving in black on ivory laid paper The 15th-century Florentine goldsmith, printer, and painter Antonio Pollaiuolo frequently posed figures in alternating views, possibly copying a sculpted model from several directions. The subject of this famous print—one of the earliest and largest Italian engravings—has never been fully understood, nor the specific battle identified. But Pollaiuolo may have based this work on a sculpture unearthed in Rome in 1488, the Statuary Group of Three Satyrs Fighting a Serpent. The pained expression of the nude on the ground at right closely resembles the fallen satyr, suggesting a direct quotation from sculpture into print.
Size: 3000px × 1998px
Photo credit: © WBC ART / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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