Combats and Triumphs: Combats of Centaurs and Lapiths
Etienne Delaune French
Not on view
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 the combat between the Centaurs and the Lapiths in the wedding of Pirithous. To the Centaurs invited by Pirithous, Delaune has added the Satyrs, which are not usually part of the story. In the center, a group formed by Hippodamy, removed from the combat by the centaur Eurythion, who is in turn being attacked by Theseus with a spear. On both sides of this group is a savage mix of characters, who make use of random objects as arms, in conformity with Ovid's description of the episode.
