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Domenico Campagnola

The Battle of Naked Men

Description

Maker

Domenico Campagnola (Italian, ca. 1500-1564), designer

Title

The Battle of Naked Men

Year

1517

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

engraving

Dimensions

21.9 x 22.9 cm (8 5/8 x 9 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift in memory of William Babcock Weeden by his children

Object Number

43.400.130

Type

Projects & Publications

Publications

  • Books

The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650

Renaissance engravings are objects of exquisite beauty and incomparable intricacy that are composed entirely of lines. Artists began using this intaglio process in Europe as early as 1430. This captivating catalogue focuses on the height of the medium, from 1480 to 1650, when engravers made dramatic and rapid visual changes to engraving technique as they responded to the demands of reproducing artworks in other media. The Brilliant Line follows these visual transformations and offers new insight into the special inventiveness and technical virtuosity of Renaissance and Baroque (Early Modern) engravers. The three essays discuss how engraving’s restrictive materials and the physical process of engraving informed its visual language; the context for the spread of particular engraving styles throughout Europe; and the interests, knowledge, and skills that Renaissance viewers applied when viewing and comparing engravings by style or school.

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

The Brilliant Line
Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650
Sep 18, 2009 – Jan 03, 2010

Label copy

Since Domenico Campagnola was well known among collectors for his drawings, it is possible that he sought to imitate his drawing style in this fluid, sketchy engraving. The long, flowing lines characterize the rhythm and movement of the bodies rather than describing their volumes, and the style challenges some of the rigidity and clarity that we usually associate with engraving’s materials.

Battle and tournament scenes such as this demanded great skill in the arrangement of composition and mastery of the representation of men and horses, while retaining a loose association with the classical past. Although famous battle pieces by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were widely circulated in copies, Domenico more likely looked to a composition by Titian, making it his own by emphasizing great confusion and turmoil.

Engravings of the 15th and 16th Centuries
Nov 10, 1948 – Feb 04, 1949

Related Publications

Related Publications

  • Books

The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650

Renaissance engravings are objects of exquisite beauty and incomparable intricacy that are composed entirely of lines. Artists began using this intaglio process in Europe as early as 1430. This captivating catalogue focuses on the height of the medium, from 1480 to 1650, when engravers made dramatic and rapid visual changes to engraving technique as they responded to the demands of reproducing artworks in other media. The Brilliant Line follows these visual transformations and offers new insight into the special inventiveness and technical virtuosity of Renaissance and Baroque (Early Modern) engravers. The three essays discuss how engraving’s restrictive materials and the physical process of engraving informed its visual language; the context for the spread of particular engraving styles throughout Europe; and the interests, knowledge, and skills that Renaissance viewers applied when viewing and comparing engravings by style or school.

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Domenico Campagnola (Italian, ca. 1500-1564), designer
The Battle of Naked Men, 1517
Engraving, trimmed to platemark
21.9 x 22.9 cm (8 5/8 x 9 inches)
Gift in memory of William Babcock Weeden by his children 43.400.130

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