Battle of the Sea Gods [left half]

before 1481

Andrea Mantegna

Associated Names
Andrea Mantegna

Artist, Paduan, c. 1431 - 1506

This is a detailed drawing featuring mythological figures interacting with sea creatures in a dynamic scene. The composition shows muscular figures holding tridents or other tools, intertwined with fantastical sea creatures and horse-like beings emerging from the water. The figures are depicted in motion, surrounded by waves, aquatic life, shells, and seaweed. The artwork is characterized by intricate line work and cross-hatching, creating detailed textures and a strong sense of movement.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 30.4 × 43.1 cm (11 15/16 × 16 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.9085

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Hind 'Engravings', Vol. 5, p.15, no. 5, State only

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1933

  • A Century of Progress, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933, no. 51.

  • An Exhibition of Prints from the Collection of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 1933, no. 31.

1943

  • Selections from the Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1943-1944, pp. 34-35, repro.

1945

  • Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, IN, 1945, no. 17.

1946

  • Prints from the Rosenwald Collection, Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Auburn, NY, 1946, no cat.

1956

  • Selected Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO, 1956.

1959

  • Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, University of Nebraska Art Galleries, Lincoln, 1959, no catalogue.

1971

  • Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Prints from the Rosenwald Collection, Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia, Fredericksburg, VA, 1971, no. 44, repro.

1996

  • Obras Maestras de la National Gallery of Art, Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City, 1996-1997, pp. 106-107, repro.

Bibliography

1938

  • Hind, Arthur M. Early Italian Engraving; a critical catalogue with complete reproductions of all the prints described. 7 vols. London: Bernard Quaritch Ltd., 1938-1948.

1973

  • Levenson et al. 1973, no.75 (b).

1996

  • Obras Maestras de la National Gallery of Art. Exh. cat. Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico City, 1996: 108-109.

2017

  • Simons, Patricia. "Mantegna's Battle of the Sea Gods: The material and thematic interaction between print and sculpture." In_Prints in Translation, 1450-1750: Image, Materiality, Space_, edited by Suzanne Karr Schmidt and Edward H. Wouk. Oxon and New York, 2017: 89-113, fig. 6.1a.

Watermarks

‘N’ or Butterfly in a Circle

Wikidata ID

Q64952839

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