Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs

Antonio Tempesta · c. 1600

Medium

Pen and ink, and brush and brown and gray wash, red chalk, and white gouache, over traces of black chalk, on ivory laid paper; incised

Original size

40.9 × 65.1 cm (16 1/8 × 25 11/16 in.)

Currently held

Art Institute of Chicago

Movement

Mannerism

Antonio Tempesta's drawing of the Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs crackles with the barely contained chaos of one of mythology's most celebrated clashes — figures locked in struggle across the page with a controlled energy that feels cinematic even four centuries later. Tempesta was a Florentine artist who spent most of his career in Rome, where he became one of the most prolific draughtsmen of his generation, prized for battle scenes, hunts, and mythological friezes teeming with figures and movement. This work showcases his command of mixed media: pen and ink define the composition's architecture while brown and gray wash build depth, red chalk adds warmth to flesh, and white gouache lifts highlights from the ivory paper. The drawing is incised, indicating it served as a preparatory work for engraving — meaning its urgent, tightly worked lines were designed to translate into print, giving the composition a precision rarely found in purely expressive sketching. Tempesta produced over 1,500 prints across his career, making him one of the most widely distributed visual artists of the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Our hand-painted oil reproduction translates Tempesta's layered draftsmanship into paint, preserving the work's dramatic contrasts and kinetic composition on canvas built to last.