Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs
c. 1600
Medium
Pen and ink, and brush and brown and gray wash, red chalk, and white gouache, over traces of black chalk, on ivory laid paper; incised
Dimensions
40.9 × 65.1 cm (16 1/8 × 25 11/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
84513
Art Historical Context
This dynamic drawing by Antonio Tempesta captures the fierce mythological clash between the Lapiths, a civilized Greek tribe, and the unruly centaurs during their wedding feast brawl. Created around 1600, scene embodies themes of order versus chaos that resonated strongly in Renaissance and early Baroque art. Tempesta, an Italian artist celebrated for his energetic battle compositions, brings the ancient story to life through a whirlwind of figures locked in combat. The work showcases Tempesta’s masterful command of mixed media—pen and ink, brown and gray washes, red chalk, and white gouache—...
About the Artist
Antonio Tempesta · 1555–1630
Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630), known as 'Il Tempestino,' was a Florentine painter and printmaker whose extraordinary output of approximately 1,700 etchings made him one of the most influential printmakers of the early Baroque period. Born in Florence and trained under Santi di Tito and the Flemish master Joannes Stradanus, he enrolled in the Accademia del Disegno in 1576 before relocating to Rome i...