Ruitergevecht 1565 - 1630

Antonio Tempesta created this engraving titled Ruitergevecht; or cavalry fight in the late 16th or early 17th century. Born in Florence, Tempesta straddled the worlds of the Medici court, Rome, and Antwerp, a cosmopolitanism that deeply affected his understanding of art. Here, we see an imagined battle scene, a swirling mass of combatants and fallen figures dominated by a central horseman taking aim, staged before a fortress. It’s easy to get lost in the details of conflict, but the bodies on the ground tell a different story. Who are the figures? What are their identities? Do they reflect the artist’s culture or heritage? Tempesta does not offer answers, and it leaves us to reflect on the cost of conflict. What did Tempesta feel about what he made, and what do you feel as you reflect on this image of chaos, violence, and humanity?