Read the visual description
This is a painting of a warrior woman in battle. The central figure is an armored female warrior standing against a backdrop of a turbulent sky and battlefield. She holds a horn to her lips. Her attire is ornate with flowing garments and distinct armor pieces. To her sides, numerous weapons, shields, and banners are visible. The background contains a detailed landscape with armed figures in battle. The painting is in the style of Peter Paul Rubens.
National Gallery of Art · Print
Bellona Leading the Imperial Armies Against the Turks
Jan Muller after Bartholomaeus Spranger
- Date
- 1600
- Medium
- engraving on laid paper
- Dimensions
- plate: 70.2 × 51 cm (27 5/8 × 20 1/16 in.) sheet: 72.6 × 52.6 cm (28 9/16 × 20 11/16 in.)
- Classification
- Accession number
- 2012.92.571
- Credit line
- Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen
- Time span
- 1551 to 1600
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- allegory
- engraving
- military
Provenance
Ture Lundh, Sweden (not in Lugt). (Frederick Mulder, London); Ruth Kainen, Washington, D.C., purchased November 15, 1976; Gift to NGA, 2012.
Inscription
below image, at left: B. Sprangers inuent. / Ioan. Muller sculp.; below image, at right: G. Valck ex.; below image, at center: Serenissimo Principi Domino Dño MATHIAE, Archiduci Austriae, Duci Burgundiae, Stiriae, Carinthiae, Carniolae et Wirtembergae B. (?) Comiti Tirolis R. (?) Nec non / Generali et supremo totius Christiani exercitûs contrà Turcas Duciae Praefecto foelicissimo, Dño suo clementissimo, Bartholomaeus Spranger. S. C. M. Pictor. D. D.; below image, in four stanzas: En Bellona ciet turmas procùl aere canôro, / Spicula Marte vibrat dextro succinctaque flagris / Bella fremit, fremebunda parat, gaudetque paratis. / Nec mora, feruet opus, Iouis ales praelia miscet / Quid dubitet. Bona caussa facit. Caducifer inquit / Macte animis: caussarum sum Deus ipse bonarum. / Exere tu modò vim facto agmine, Romula pubes. / Terrificum Turcis fulmen, victoria vobis / Nube volans praesto est: nihil impedit, exere vires. / Non ergò differ pacis, Germania, sedes: / Praesidio maiore iuua Iouis alitis ausus. / Sic sternes Mahomet: victrix tua causa triumphet.
NGA object ID 153994. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.