Year 1520-1534 Artist Hans Krell | Medium tempera on wood | |
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Dimensions 165 cm × 262 cm (65 in × 103 in) Location National Museum in Warsaw, Warsaw | ||
Battle of orsha
The Battle of Orsha is a painting of the Battle of Orsha, which was fought on September 8, 1514 between the allied forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland (on the right hand side of the painting) against the army of the Grand Duchy of Moscow (left side) as part of the Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars.
Contents
- Battle of orsha
- Silver medal the 500th anniversary of the battle of orsha 1514 2014
- Analysis
- References
It is in the National Museum in Warsaw. It is the only work of its kind in Polish Renaissance painting. The anonymous "Master of the Battle of Orsha" was probably one of the court painters-cartographers, from his technique and style probably an artist from the circle of Lucas Cranach the Elder. Meticulous details suggest he was a witness to the battle. There is a self-portrait of the artist as an unarmed figure in German costume (near bottom, right of centre), sitting on a tree stump on the bank of the Dnieper river, looking at the battle, while framing his fingers to compose a view.
According to one hypothesis the author of the picture was the German artist Hans Krell, court painter of Louis II of Hungary.
Silver medal the 500th anniversary of the battle of orsha 1514 2014
Analysis
The image shows a bird's eye view of several stages of the battle, as evidenced by the same characters appearing in different places - Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski is shown three times. Details of equipment and weapons and portraits of the commanders have been recreated realistically and with great accuracy - showing, among others, such scenes as pouring water from armor after crossing the river. Some scenes verge on the grotesque, others emphasize the cruelty of the battle.
The image has not been preserved in its entirety. Careful analysis suggests that it was taller and included the horizon. An asymmetrical composition suggests that it was trimmed 1/5 the width of the left. Two conflicting columns of heavy infantry formerly constituting the center of the image are now shifted to the left. The established date of image is 1520-1534.