Battle Scene Gm-00033001

Girolamo Genga (Italian, 1467–1551) Girolamo Genga created a lively assortment of figure types, drawn in a rapid, energetic fashion. Rearing horsemen with their arms thrown back above their heads compete with men on foot carrying shields. Other groups contain pairs of soldiers locked in combat, wrestling each other on the ground or on foot. The artist used a delicate pattern of hatched lines in the background, adding texture and a sense of depth to the figures in front. Along the bottom edge Genga placed the design for a frieze, filled with sea gods riding an assortment of sea monsters.

Scholars propose that this drawing may reflect Genga's early ideas for a battle scene. The Duke of Urbino commissioned him to paint such a scene for the Villa Imperiale in Pesaro.