1648
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
La Mort sur un champ de bataille [Death on a Battlefield] is a 1648 ink by Stefano Della Bella, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows a chaotic battle scene with a skeletal figure riding a horse. The horse is rearing up, and the rider holds a sword and a scythe-like tool. Around them, soldiers and horses are tangled in combat, some falling or lying dead on the ground. The background is a dark, stormy landscape with text in French along the bottom. The skeletal rider isn’t just a soldier—this is Death itself, personified. The text below describes how war turns fields into graveyards, showing the artist’s focus on the horror of battle. Want to learn more about how this image was made? Check out etching.
Stefano della Bella (18 May 1610 – 12 July 1664) was an Italian draughtsman and printmaker known for etchings of a great variety of subjects, including military and court scenes, landscapes, and lively genre scenes.
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