1550
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Man in Armor beside a Chariot is a 1550 by Francesco Salviati, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A young man in shiny armor stands next to a burning war chariot. Flames lick at the wheels while smoke curls into the sky. This might show Alexander the Great burning his own loot so his army could move faster. Renaissance rulers loved his bold moves, so artists often drew scenes from his life. The quick, sketchy lines make the fire feel alive. To see how other artists drew the same story, look up *Italy, 16th century*.
This drawing of a young soldier setting fire to a cart of war trophies may represent a rarely depicted legend about the Macedonian king Alexander the Great (356–323 BC), who built one of the largest empires of the ancient world by the time he was 30 years old. Because the heavy spoils of war were slowing down his troops, Alexander set fire to his own cart of goods to encourage his soldiers to do the same. Renaissance princes revered him as a brilliant military strategist. Emperor Maximilian I (reigned 1486–1519), pictured in the equestrian portrait and in the great triumphal car nearby,…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Francesco Salviati or Francesco de' Rossi (1510 – 11 November 1563) was an Italian Mannerist painter who lived and worked in Florence, with periods in Bologna and Venice, ending with a long period in Rome, where he died.
See the richer artist page
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