Battering Rams from De re militari (Concerning Military Matters), Plate 45 from Woodcuts from Books of the 15th Century
1472, portfolio assembled 1929
Medium
Woodcut in black, and letterpress in black (recto and verso), on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 31 × 22.3 cm (12 1/4 × 8 13/16 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
129345
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This woodcut was taken from Roberto Valturio’s De re militari (Concerning Military Matters), a 12-volume series of books on military practices. While most of the techniques described were innovations of the Roman Empire, they were still essential to medieval and Renaissance warfare. De re militari was the second illustrated book to be printed in Italy, and its text and woodcuts were printed independently. The initial letters were also left unprinted and were intended to be added later by the min...