The Battle around the Shield and Lance

1522·Engraving in black on ivory laid paper·34.1 × 48.5 cm (13 7/16 × 19 1/8 in.)

<p>Amidst the chaos of battle, a shield and lance rest quietly in the foreground. These icons of military prowess are surrounded by bucking horses, falling soldiers, and spears. It is ironic that Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio chose to depict the Romans as skilled cavalrymen, since the cavalry was the weakest part of the Roman army until the late Imperial Period (A.D. 3rd/4th century). The inscription at the bottom of the engraving attributes the design for this print to Raphael; it may preserve a rejected idea for his <em>Battle for the Milvian Bridge</em> in the Sala di Costantino in the Vatican, Rome.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1522
Medium: Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: 34.1 × 48.5 cm (13 7/16 × 19 1/8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio

Artist

Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio

Printmaking

Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio (Italian, 1500/05–1565)

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