The battle of the Amazons.

Drawing, pen and black ink, brush and black/grey wash, heightened with white, 86,5 x 133,5 cm, montage of 8 sheets of laid paper, unsigned (mounted on canvas support, heavily brown-toned, lacune of 0,5 cm at the lower right page, water stains to right edge section, several considerable tears: 4 restored tears of ca. 5 cm at upper left, tear of 15 cm at upper left edge, tear of 12 cm at center right, tear of 7 cm at lower left, sm. tear of 3 cm at woman's back at lower center edge, several smaller tears).

Under large wooden frame (not studied outside frame).

The battle between the Greeks and the Amazons (also known as amazonomachy). Greek cavalry can be seen charging across the bridge of Troy from the right side, Amazons falling backwards with their horses from the left side. Troy in flames seen through the arch in the background. After the famous painting by Rubens from 1618, now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. In this work, the Antwerp baroque painter paid tribute to Leonardo da Vinci as the composition and its dramatic poses are based on the latter's Battle of Anghiari. Indeed, Rubens made his own copy of the Da Vinci painting which is now lost. The present drawing reverses the orientation of the Rubens painting, and was most likely based on the engraving made by Lucas I Vorsterman in 1623, which also shares the same dimensions with our drawing.