The Battle of Anghiari - Pierre-Nolasque Bergeret

A detailed etching by Pierre-Nolasque Bergeret, documenting the composition of Leonardo da Vinci's lost mural, The Battle of Anghiari.

This print by Pierre-Nolasque Bergeret captures the chaotic energy of Leonardo da Vinci's lost mural, The Battle of Anghiari. Originally commissioned for the Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence, Leonardo's work was never completed and eventually disappeared, leaving behind only preparatory sketches and later copies. Bergeret, a student of Jacques-Louis David, produced this interpretation to preserve the composition for a nineteenth-century audience.

The image depicts a struggle for a standard, with soldiers on horseback locked in combat. The horses are rendered with exaggerated muscularity and expressive, almost human, facial features, reflecting Leonardo's fascination with the bestial nature of war. Bergeret employs precise line work to define the tension in the figures, the swirling drapery, and the clashing weaponry. The composition is dense, with overlapping forms creating a sense of claustrophobic movement that draws the eye across the entire scene.

As a printmaker, Bergeret was interested in the transmission of classical and Renaissance themes. By translating Leonardo's lost masterpiece into an etched format, he allowed the composition to circulate among collectors and students of art. The monochromatic palette emphasises the draughtsmanship, focusing the viewer on the anatomical accuracy and the dynamic geometry of the combatants. This work functions as a record of a vanished masterpiece, documenting the artistic dialogue between the Renaissance master and the French Neoclassical tradition.