Battle of the Sea Gods [right half]
1481
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1481
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Battle of the Sea Gods [right half] is a 1481 ink by Andrea Mantegna, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows a wild fight between naked men in the water. Some are pulling each other’s hair, others are punching or grabbing weapons. Waves crash around them, and one man holds a fish like a shield. The scene is messy, with tangled limbs and swirling lines. Notice how the artist used lots of thin lines to build up dark shapes. This makes the figures look solid even though it’s just ink on paper. This is an example of engraving.
![Battle of the Sea Gods [left half]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/084dd803fb0016b2/thumb.webp)
![Battle of the Sea Gods [left half]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/2510247af42f8c24/thumb.webp)
