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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileA dense cluster of men and horses are depicted in a state of high-energy conflict, with bodies and limbs overlapping in a swirling composition. Leonardo uses rapid, expressive lines to convey the muscular strain and raw aggression of both the riders and their mounts. The sketch focuses on the chaotic interaction of figures, capturing the essence of motion and psychological struggle.
The work exemplifies Leonardo's study of 'pazzia bestialissima' (beastly madness), an idea found in his notebooks regarding the irrational violence of war. It bridges art and natural philosophy by examining how extreme psychological states manifest as physical distortions in human and animal anatomy.
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Leonardo da Vinci, Trattato della Pittura
The text contains Leonardo's instructions on how to depict the 'beastly madness' of war through physiological expression, as seen in this study.
Object
Oil on panel
scientific
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Web Gallery of Art: Image Info about artworkwga QS:P11807,"l/leonardo/06anghia/3study1"
Public domain
1030 × 821 px
87a952770764cefad46b4733a98e23bc60e029d1
August 20, 2010
March 23, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.