Plate from Battles and Victories (Combats et Triomphes)

Art Historical Context

This exquisite engraving, *Plate from Battles and Vict (Combats et Triomphes)* Etienne Delaune (ca. 1519–1592), captures the chaos and drama of combat in a compact yet intricate composition. Created during the artist's active years (1540s–1580s), it likely depicts soldiers, horses, and clashing weapons in a whirlwind of action, as suggested by its thematic tags. Measuring just 2 11/16 × 8 3/4 inches, this small-scale print exemplifies the precision of 16th-century French engraving, a technique Delaune mastered as a goldsmith and designer influenced by Italian Mannerism. Delaune's work reflects the Fontainebleau school's elegant, elongated figures and dynamic compositions, blending Renaissance humanism with fantastical energy. As a "first state of four," this impression preserves the purest lines before later editions added tone or alterations, making it a prized example for print enthusiasts. Such battle scenes were popular in Renaissance Europe, serving as models for armor, tapestries, and decorative arts amid the era's wars and chivalric ideals. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department through the bequest of Phyllis Massar in 2011, this plate invites visitors to marvel at how engravings democratized high art, spreading Mannerist motifs far beyond elite workshops.

About the Artist

Etienne Delaune · 1514–1583

Comment on works: Draftsman; Engraver; Medalist