Mantegna, Andrea (c.1431-1506)
Zuffa degli dei marini (Battle of the Sea Gods, with Envy (Invidia) on the Left)
1485–1488
Engraving on paper, 27.6 x 41.1 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Fight between satyrs riding on hippocampi and old woman as personification of envy standing on dragon’s back. This is the left half of a frieze with fighting river gods.
Andrea Mantegna was the first Italian painter to make prints so that his work would be disseminated far and wide. This depiction of sea gods is the left half of a frieze (long narrative picture) inspired by an ancient relief. Mantegna turned this into an imaginary battle with gods and monsters, encouraged by Envy (Invidia), portrayed as a naked hag. (RIJKS)
Compare:
Mantegna, Andrea (c.1431-1506)
Battaglia degli dei marini
s.d.
Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo
Mantegna, Andrea (c.1431-1506)
Zuffa di dei marini
c.1470–1475
Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton