Combats and Triumphs: Grotesque Combat
Engraving, part of a set of 12 prints of rectangular shape, executed over black backgrounds, and depicting combats and triumphs, likely influenced by the combat scenes created by German masters such as Georg Pencz and the Beham brothers. This print represents a grotesque combat between peasants, who use the tools of their work, kitchen utensiles and tableware as arms, a common practice in combats of this sort during the 15th and 16th centuries. Most of the confrontations in the scene take place between individuals of the same sex, except for one, near the left border of the print, in which two women attack one man. In the center of the print, a young, beautiful woman, shows its triumph over an older, ugly woman, on the floor. It is likely that this print was intended to criticize the vanity of conflict and war, insisting on their fratricidal aspect, especially in the context of religious war, especially by showing conflicts only between characters of the same condition and same sex.
Artwork Details
- Title: Combats and Triumphs: Grotesque Combat
- Artist: Etienne Delaune (French, Orléans 1518/19–1583 Strasbourg)
- Date: before 1556
- Medium: Engraving: first or second state
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 2 9/16 × 8 3/4 in. (6.5 × 22.3 cm)
- Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947
- Object Number: 47.139.84
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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