Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Considered a groundbreaking work in the history of the Italian Renaissance, the CMA holds the only known impression of the print's first state.

Description

This engraving is one of the earliest Renaissance prints to portray the nude male body in action. Antonio del Pollaiuolo’s grimacing warriors appear like clones in different poses. The print may have functioned as a model for workshop apprentices studying human anatomy while learning to draw; however, the artist’s Latin signature suggests it also had an audience educated in literature. Art historians remain uncertain whether Pollaiuolo intended to depict a particular story or historical event. It is possible he created a deliberately ambiguous allegory that would appeal to patrons interested in interpreting symbols. For example, the continuous chain shared by the two central men could refer to an ancient idea that the body is the chain of the soul, only to be released in death.

Citations

Langdale, Shelley R., and Antonio Pollaiolo. Battle of the Nudes: Pollaiuolo's Renaissance Masterpiece. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2002. exh. cat. number 1, p. 2

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 79 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 91 archive.org

Berti, Luciano, Federica Chezzi, Antonio Natali, and Mario Sperenzi. Botticelli: approccio nel nuovo millennio. Firenze: Centro Di, 2015. Mentioned; p. 62; Reproduced: p. 64

Schulz, Anne Markham. The History of Venetian Renaissance Sculpture, Ca. 1400-1530. London : Harvey Miller Publishers, 2017. Mentioned p. 162; Reproduced fig. 53

Rubin, Patricia Lee. Seen from Behind: Perspectives on the Male Body and Renaissance Art. New Haven : Yale University Press, 2018. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 40-41, 122-123, 213, pl. 1.41, 4.14, 6.33

Nethersole, Scott. Art and Violence in Early Renaissance Florence.
New Haven, Connecticut : Yale University Press, 2018 Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 20, 34, 116-117, 176-182, 179. figs. 6, 79,144,147

Exhibition history

Italian Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 26, 1968).

Albrecht Dürer - 500th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 19-March 28, 1971).

Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 29, 1971-January 2, 1972).

Connoisseurship in Italian Figural Compositions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 1980-February 15, 1981).

Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).

CASVA (Curatorial/Conservation Colloquy in conjunction with the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts). National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Landover, MD (June 19-21, 2000).

Battle of the Nudes: Pollaiuolo's Renaissance Masterpiece. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 25-October 27, 2002).

Treasures on Paper from the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 9-June 8, 2014).

Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).