Caraglio Battle   

Battle with a Shield and Lance (1522-1532)

by:   Caraglio   |    Raphael      category: Print   

note:  The inscription at the bottom of the engraving attributes the design for this print to Raphael. It may preserve a rejected idea for his Battle for the Milvian Bridge in the Sala di Costantino in the Vatican; Amidst the chaos of battle, a shield and lance rest quietly in the foreground. These icons of military prowess are surrounded by bucking horses, falling soldiers, and spears. It is ironic that Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio chose to depict the Romans as skilled cavalrymen, since the cavalry was the weakest part of the Roman army until the late Imperial Period (A.D. 3rd/4th century). https://www.artic.edu/artworks/30/the-battle-around-the-shield-and-lance