Battle of the Sea Gods (left side)

One of the most significant Italian engravers of the 15th century, Mantegna frequently found inspiration in ancient sources for his compositions and transformed them into images of inventive originality. The shallow field of this half of a battle scene between mythical sea gods and beasts recalls carved reliefs from ancient Roman sarcophagi. But the artist’s attention to anatomical definition and the depth suggested by the carefully incised shading and foreshortening imbue the figures with a vital force behind their aggressive postures. Some view this print as a depiction of artistic envy; the emaciated woman on the left holds a tablet that reads “invid,” the Latin root for “envy.” The gods depicted belong to the Telchines race, a group of sea-living gods who were master metalworkers. They were responsible for the creation of several important metal objects in Greek mythology, including Poseidon’s trident.