Battle of the Nudes

1470/1475

Antonio del Pollaiuolo

Associated Names
Antonio del Pollaiuolo

Artist, Italian, c. 1431 - 1498

This is a drawing of an ancient battle scene. It depicts numerous nude male figures engaged in hand-to-hand combat in a forested environment. The men are wielding swords and shields, and their bodies are contorted with the tension of the battle. The detailed musculature and expressive poses capture the movement of the scene. The background features dense vegetation with twisted trees and thick foliage. The composition includes overlapping figures creating a sense of chaos and urgency. The style of the drawing has influences from the Renaissance period, focusing on anatomy and dramatic expression.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of W.G. Russell Allen

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 42.8 x 61.8 cm (16 7/8 x 24 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1941.1.16

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Hind 'Engravings', Vol. 1, p.191, no. 1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

W.G. Russell Allen [1882-1955], Boston; gift to NGA, 1941.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1973

  • Prints of the Italian Renaissance, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1973, no. 70.

1983

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., May 1983.

2018

  • The Renaissance Nude, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Royal Academy of Fine Arts, London, 2018-2019 (shown only in Los Angeles).

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.13 (a).

2002

  • Langdale, Shelley. Battle of the Nudes: Pollaiuolo's Renaissance Masterpiece. Exh.cat. The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2002, no. 8 (state ii/ii).

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. 6.2.

Wikidata ID

Q2984746

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