Battle of the Sea Gods (right portion of frieze)

An artist who was profoundly interested in the world of classical antiquity, Mantegna was also one of the first Italian painters to use engraving as a medium for his original designs. In this engraving, the right half of a two-part frieze, the artist's point of departure is
a sarcophagus like the one etched by Mercati at left. From such a source, Mantegna took the sea centaurs with Nereids on their backs and the Triton blowing his horn. Yet Mantegna added to the mix the violence of ancient battle sarcophagi and the muscular physique of the famous Horse Tamer statues on the Quirinal Hill in Rome to create a work of great originality and power. Among the many artists who admired this engraving was Albrecht Dürer, who in 1494 produced a drawing of this print that was one of the starting points for his marvelous Sea Monster.