Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio (Italian, 1500/05–1565)
after Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520)
The Battle around the Shield and Lance
INV-0030
Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio (Italian, 1500/05–1565)
after Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520)c. 1527
The Battle around the Shield and Lance
Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio (Italian, 1500/05–1565) after Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520) →engravingprint
Date
c. 1527
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
34.1 × 48.5 cm (13 7/16 × 19 1/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Elizabeth Hammond Stickney Collection
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). 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, Rome.
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