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A Roman Triumph

Maarten de Vos

1568

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

A Roman Triumph is a 1568 ink by Maarten de Vos, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Maarten de Vos
When & what style?: 1568 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This drawing shows a busy battle scene with lots of tiny figures fighting and marching. In the background, there’s a grand building with arches and columns, like an ancient Roman structure. The figures are packed together, some on horseback, others on foot, and the whole scene looks chaotic but organized. The artist used a lot of lines to build up shadows and shapes—this is called *cross-hatching*. It gives the drawing depth even though it’s just ink and wash. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists use lines to create light and shadow.