Fine Art Poster
From $29
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
Battle of the Sea Gods (Left Half) - Andrea Mantegna
Regular price
$29.00 USD
Sale price
$29.00 USD
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
A detailed Renaissance engraving by Andrea Mantegna depicting a mythological battle between sea gods and an allegorical figure of Envy.
This engraving represents the left portion of a larger composition by Andrea Mantegna, a master of the Italian Renaissance. The work depicts a chaotic struggle between mythological figures, specifically satyrs mounted upon hippocampuses, which are creatures with the foreparts of horses and the tails of fish. To the left, an aged woman stands atop a dragon, holding a tablet inscribed with the word INVID (Envy). This figure serves as an allegory for envy, a common theme in classical and Renaissance iconography.
Mantegna employs a rigorous, sculptural approach to the human form, reflecting his interest in antique Roman relief carvings. The figures are rendered with muscular precision, and the cross-hatching technique creates a sense of volume and depth within the monochromatic medium. The composition is dense, with the figures intertwined in a dynamic, violent motion that fills the pictorial space. In the background, a figure holding a trident stands near a mirror, adding a layer of symbolic complexity to the scene. The print demonstrates the technical mastery of the copperplate engraving process, which allowed Mantegna to disseminate his artistic ideas beyond the confines of his paintings and frescoes.
This work is part of a pair of engravings that, when joined, form a continuous frieze. The focus on classical antiquity and the precise, linear quality of the work are characteristic of Mantegna's output during his time in Mantua. The print provides a clear view of the artist's ability to translate the weight and presence of stone sculpture into the two-dimensional realm of paper. It remains a significant example of early printmaking, showing how artists of the period engaged with classical mythology to explore complex human emotions and moral allegories.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
Battle of the Sea Gods (Left Half) - Andrea Mantegna
Regular price
From $29.00 USD
Sale price
From $29.00 USD
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Andrea Mantegna
Mantegna sued his adoptive father. Francesco Squarcione, a Paduan painter and dealer, had taken the boy in around 1441 when Mantegna was roughly ten years old, the son of a woodworker. Squarcione ran a workshop that profited from apprentice labour, and when Mantegna realised the arrangement was exploitative, he took the older man to court. A judge ruled in his favour in 1448, making him legally independent at seventeen.
Padua in the 1440s was the first centre of Renaissance humanism in northern Italy. Donatello was working there on the bronze reliefs for the Basilica of Sant'Antonio; Paolo Uccello and Filippo Lippi had both passed through. Mantegna absorbed their experiments with perspective and classical form, then pushed further. His frescoes in the Ovetari Chapel (completed 1457, largely destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944) showed figures seen from below with an architectural conviction no northern Italian painter had attempted before.
In 1453 he married Nicolosia Bellini, daughter of the Venetian painter Jacopo Bellini, binding himself to the most powerful artistic dynasty in the Veneto. The relationship was productive in both directions: Giovanni Bellini, his brother-in-law, learned from Mantegna's sculptural precision while Mantegna gradually absorbed the Venetians' sensitivity to light and atmosphere, though he never fully abandoned his preference for hard, lapidary surfaces.
From 1460 until his death in 1506, Mantegna served as court painter to the Gonzaga family in Mantua. The Camera degli Sposi (completed 1474) was the first room in European painting to use illusionistic decoration across walls and ceiling as a unified architectural space. The ceiling's famous oculus, a circular opening revealing figures peering down from a balustrade against open sky, was a joke that fooled visitors and influenced decorative painting for two centuries.
Padua in the 1440s was the first centre of Renaissance humanism in northern Italy. Donatello was working there on the bronze reliefs for the Basilica of Sant'Antonio; Paolo Uccello and Filippo Lippi had both passed through. Mantegna absorbed their experiments with perspective and classical form, then pushed further. His frescoes in the Ovetari Chapel (completed 1457, largely destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944) showed figures seen from below with an architectural conviction no northern Italian painter had attempted before.
In 1453 he married Nicolosia Bellini, daughter of the Venetian painter Jacopo Bellini, binding himself to the most powerful artistic dynasty in the Veneto. The relationship was productive in both directions: Giovanni Bellini, his brother-in-law, learned from Mantegna's sculptural precision while Mantegna gradually absorbed the Venetians' sensitivity to light and atmosphere, though he never fully abandoned his preference for hard, lapidary surfaces.
From 1460 until his death in 1506, Mantegna served as court painter to the Gonzaga family in Mantua. The Camera degli Sposi (completed 1474) was the first room in European painting to use illusionistic decoration across walls and ceiling as a unified architectural space. The ceiling's famous oculus, a circular opening revealing figures peering down from a balustrade against open sky, was a joke that fooled visitors and influenced decorative painting for two centuries.
Made to order
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Every piece is printed to order. These are the five finishes, and what makes each one different.
Fine Art Framed
From $89
The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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