ORThe Open Room
Digital gallery
Back to the NGA collection
This is a drawing of a battle scene with horses and warriors. The image is filled with figures in motion, illustrating the intensity of the skirmish. Horses are shown galloping and rearing, while warriors engage in combat with shields and weapons. The detailed linework conveys movement and drama, with overlapping forms emphasizing the complexity of the battle. Fine lines and cross-hatching add depth and texture to capture the energy and chaos of the scene.
Read the visual description

This is a drawing of a battle scene with horses and warriors. The image is filled with figures in motion, illustrating the intensity of the skirmish. Horses are shown galloping and rearing, while warriors engage in combat with shields and weapons. The detailed linework conveys movement and drama, with overlapping forms emphasizing the complexity of the battle. Fine lines and cross-hatching add depth and texture to capture the energy and chaos of the scene.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Battle on Horseback

Domenico Campagnola

Date
1510s
Medium
pen and brown ink with brown wash over black chalk on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 19 × 31 cm (7 1/2 × 12 3/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2022.75.2
Credit line
The Edith Tanenbaum Rudolf Collection
Time span
1501 to 1550
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record
Provenance

Sir Peter Lely [1618 - 1680] London (Lugt 2092). Victor Koch, London. (sale, Christie's London, 19 April 1988, no. 31). William Rudolf, Hampden, CT; bequest to NGA, 2022.

Inscription

by later hand, lower right in brown ink: Campagnola; by later hand, center verso in graphite: Covered with [not deciphered] paper; by later hand, lower left verso in graphite: Polidoro called Caravaggio 1498 - 1545 / fr. Sir Peter Lely's Coll; fr. Sir Peter Lely's Coll; by later hand in graphite: rough tracing of watermark

Marks

Sir Peter Lely [1618 - 1680] London (Lugt 2092)

Watermarks

three hills(?) in a circle with a Latin cross above

NGA object ID 213172. 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.