Horsemen Fighting

c. 1480

Italian 15th Century

Associated Names
Italian 15th Century

Artist

The sculpture is a relief depicting a battle scene with human figures and horses intertwined in a dynamic composition. The figures are engaged in combat, wielding swords and shields, their bodies contorted in various poses of action. Horses appear rearing and galloping, contributing to the sense of movement throughout the piece. The sculpture is crafted from bronze, giving it a metallic brown color with a slightly glossy sheen that accentuates the detailing of muscles, weapons, and armor.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Medium brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 6.39 x 10.09 cm (2 1/2 x 4 in.)
    gross weight: 239.26 gr (0.527 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.211

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his estate; purchased 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); purchased 1945 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1957 to NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1908

  • Migeon, Gaston. "La collection de M. Gustave Dreyfus, V: Les plaquettes." Les Arts 80 (August 1908): 27, repro. 16, fig. 8, as Un Combat by Bertoldo.

1931

  • Ricci, Seymour de. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection. Reliefs and Plaquettes. Oxford, 1931: 66, no. 87, pl. 28, as Italian, about 1480, Horsemen Fighting.

1951

  • Renaissance Bronzes: Statuettes, Reliefs and Plaquettes, Medals and Coins from the Kress Collection. Introduction by Perry B. Cott. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1951: 145, repro. 69, as Italian, about 1480, Horsemen Fighting.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: 103-104, no. 374, fig. 319, as perhaps Florentine, late fifteenth century(?).

Inscriptions

lower right on the “signature block," traces of two vertical striations

Wikidata ID

Q63814754