Battle of the Centaurs

Battle of the Centaurs is a marble relief sculpture by Michelangelo, created around 1492 while he was under the patronage of Lorenzo de’ Medici. Inspired by a classical relief by Bertoldo di Giovanni and suggested by Poliziano, it depicts the mythic battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs. The work is notable for Michelangelo’s multidimensional approach, departing from then-current practice, and for being the first sculpture he made without a bow drill. It also shows the marks of the subbia chisel left as a final surface, linking it to the tradition of non finito. The sculpture is exhibited in Casa Buonarroti in Florence, Italy.

Battle of the Centaurs relief sculpture by Michelangelo — Michelangelo’s Battle of the Centaurs, a marble relief at Casa Buonarroti in Florence.
© Sailko · CC BY 3.0

Stone relief of Battle of the Centaurs showing a chaotic struggle of nude, intertwined human and centaur figures. — Battle of the Centaurs depicted in a densely carved stone relief with intertwined figures in violent combat.
· Public domain

Battle of the Centaurs high-relief sculpture showing a chaotic struggle among intertwined human and centaur figures. — Battle of the Centaurs, a high-relief sculpture depicting a dense and turbulent melee of human and centaur figures.
January 2008 © carulmare · CC BY 2.0

Battle of the Centaurs relief showing intertwined figures in a chaotic struggle — Michelangelo’s Battle of the Centaurs relief, with muscular figures locked in combat across the carved stone surface.
June 2009 © sailko · CC BY-SA 3.0

Battle of the Centaurs relief sculpture with a dense tangle of muscular figures in a dramatic struggle — Michelangelo’s Battle of the Centaurs shown in a high-relief composition of intertwined figures.
© Giovanni Dore · CC BY 3.0

Battle of the Centaurs marble relief showing a dense struggle of nude, muscular figures — Michelangelo’s Battle of the Centaurs shown as a crowded marble relief of figures locked in combat.
© Sailko · CC BY 3.0

Battle of the Centaurs relief sculpture showing a dense struggle among intertwined nude figures. — Battle of the Centaurs, a white relief sculpture filled with intertwined figures in a violent struggle.
© Michelangelo · Public domain

Battle of the Centaurs marble relief with muscular figures in a dynamic struggle — A detailed section of Michelangelo’s Battle of the Centaurs, showing intertwined figures in a powerful marble relief.
© Sailko · CC BY 3.0

Marble relief of Michelangelo’s Battle of the Centaurs showing nude figures locked in a vigorous struggle. — A close-up of Michelangelo’s Battle of the Centaurs marble relief, with figures intertwined in a dramatic combat scene.
June 2009 © sailko · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification
Title	Battle of the Centaurs
Type	relief sculpture; marble relief; unfinished relief; bas-relief; bar relief; relief; battle scene in relief; early work
Alternative titles	Hercules' Fight with the Centaurs; The Rape of Deianira; Battle of Hercules and the Centaurs; The abduction of Deianira and the battle of the centaurs; Kentauromachie; Centauromachia; "Бой Геркулеса с кентаврами"; "Битва кентавров"
Original titles	La batalla de los centauros; Battaglia dei centauri; Die Kentaurenschlacht; La Bataille des Centaures
Creator
Nationality	Italian
Art movement / period	Renaissance
Artist	Michelangelo; Michelangelo Buonarroti
Historical context
Patronage context	the last work Michelangelo created while under Lorenzo de' Medici's patronage; Michelangelo was working under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici when he sculpted it
Commission status	not commissioned; created for himself
Biographical note on dating	Ascanio Condivi stated that it was executed shortly before Lorenzo's death, at the beginning of 1492
Patron	Lorenzo de' Medici; Lorenzo the Magnificent; Lorenzo il Magnifico
Status at the time of Lorenzo de' Medici's death	unfinished
Age of artist at creation	16
Date created	around 1492; circa 1493; c. 1492
Suggested subject source	Angelo Poliziano; Agnolo Poliziano
Materials
Material	marble; Carrara marble
Chosen medium	marble, chosen to keep down costs rather than using the more expensive medium of bronze
Technique
Technique	relief
Work process	Michelangelo departed from the then current practice of working on a discrete plane and instead worked multidimensionally
Surface finish	subbia chisel marks left visible as a final surface
Tools used	the first sculpture Michelangelo created without using a bow drill
Completion status	possibly intentionally left unfinished; unknown whether intentional; never finished; left incomplete; unfinished
Non-finito significance	significant in the tradition of non finito sculpting technique; considered the first known work that can be regarded as non-finito; the first of a long series of unfinished works; preceded the Taddei Tondo and Pitti Tondo as an early example of non finito
Appearance
Lower section	the losers are visible below, including a seated man protecting his head, a fallen centaur, a man collapsing, and two wrestlers in almost identical positions
Visual effect	the relief seems as if it were composed entirely of male nudes
Border	an irregular framing band
Spatial treatment	the figures blend into one another, sometimes emerging strongly from the background and sometimes only slightly in relief
Action depicted	one figure seen from behind drags a second by the hair; the second is held around the waist by a third man; among them, a woman strangles a man who is trying to free himself; an elderly man is about to hurl a large squared stone; one warrior is attacking another with a stone
Central figure	a young man at the center with his arm raised, in a pose that in Roman sarcophagi was reserved for generals on horseback
Figure treatment	Hippodamia is shown from behind; only the upper bodies of about half of the figures, the centaurs, are visible; the figures show varied poses and facial expressions; the figures blend into one another, sometimes emerging strongly from the background and sometimes only slightly in relief
Figures	numerous naked young male figures, mostly soldiers; one elderly soldier/warrior on the left holding a stone; two female figures; a fallen centaur; a seated man protecting his head; a man collapsing; two wrestlers one on top of the other; possible figures include Theseus and Eurytus
Composition	a tangle of bodies arranged so that the most protruding figures form a kind of visual pyramid whose apex is the young man's head
Description	a marble relief slab framed by an irregular border, showing a mass of figures engaged in a confused battle
Iconography and meaning
Subject	the mythic battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs; the battle between the Greeks and the centaurs; a battle scene during the wedding of the Lapith king Peirithous and Hippodamia; the rape of Hippodamia by the centaur Eurytus during her wedding with Pirithous; the battle of Hercules with the centaurs; the battle of the centaurs with the Lapiths; the abduction of Deianira and the battle of the centaurs; The Rape of Deianira and the fight of the centaurs
Scene type	centauromachy
Mythological source	Ovid's Metamorphoses; Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book XII); the fables of Hyginus; Theseus in Dante Alighieri
Possible figures identified	Hippodamia; Pirithous; Theseus; Eurytus
Interpretations	a wedding battle; an orgy; the victory of civilization over barbarians; the victory of stone over flesh; a visual reminder of why Michelangelo should have focused his efforts on sculpture; Michelangelo embodied the commandments/precepts of the Greeks and Romans; Michelangelo focused on the form of the sculpture rather than its content; the human nude as a central theme; the relief was a scene of combat between figures including centaurs
Symbolic details	the name of the Lapiths sounds similar to words meaning stone and tombstone; the warriors are armed with stones rather than swords or spears; the predominance of nude young male figures fit the Neoplatonic academic concept of love
Possible theme	the victory of civilization (the Lapiths) over barbarians (the centaurs), though in a much softer form than in Michelangelo's interpretation
Discovery and provenance
Context of inspiration	a current fashion for reproducing ancient themes
Influences	Roman sarcophagi; the panels of Giovanni Pisano's pulpits; the contemporary bronze relief by Bertoldo di Giovanni
Location of related inspiration	in the Medici palace at the time; it hung in the Medici palace
Source of Bertoldo's model	a sarcophagus in the Camposanto of Pisa
Nature of Bertoldo's model	a recreation of a damaged Roman battle sarcophagus, requiring liberal imagination to fill in the gaps left by the damaged original
Related source work by Bertoldo di Giovanni	The Equestrian Battle in the Ancient Manner, also known as Battle (with Hercules)
Source of inspiration	a classical relief created by Bertoldo di Giovanni; a relief made for Lorenzo by Bertoldo di Giovanni; a bronze by Bertoldo di Giovanni imitating a Roman sarcophagus battle relief; Bertoldo di Giovanni's bronze relief depicting a battle of cavalry; Antonio del Pollaiuolo's engraving Battle of the Nudes
Location and ownership
Current location	Casa Buonarroti, Florence; Museum of Casa Buonarroti, Florence
Current city	Florence
Current country	Italy
Ownership / retention	Michelangelo kept it for the rest of his life
History and restoration
Historical note	the relief has long been remembered in the Buonarroti Palace
First known mention	a letter written in 1527 by Giovanni Borromeo, representative of the Gonzaga house in Florence, to Frederick, Marquis of Mantua
Condition	unfinished; never finished; left incomplete; possibly intentionally left unfinished
Significance
Artistic significance	a remarkable sculpture in several ways; Michelangelo found himself as a sculptor in this work; Michelangelo regarded it as the best of his early works; this theme later became one of the most characteristic of his art, as in the Last Judgment; it presaged Michelangelo's future sculptural direction
Historical significance	one of Michelangelo's first known independent works; one of Michelangelo's earliest known independent works; an important early work by Michelangelo
Art-historical importance	important in Michelangelo's early career; important in the tradition of non finito sculpting technique; the first of several non finito sculptures; the first known work that can be regarded as non-finito; the second known bas-relief sculpted by Michelangelo
Critical reception	Vasari described it as beautifully made, so wonderfully made, and perfect in the science and practice of art, to the point that a viewer could not believe it was the work of a youth rather than a respected master; Eric Scigliano argued that the young sculptor embodied the precepts/commandments of the Greeks and Romans; art historians have noted that, because of the schematic treatment, the depicted scene cannot be determined unambiguously and some figures cannot be identified
Artistic evaluation	Michelangelo found himself as a sculptor in this work; the artist was especially interested in exploring the theme of the human nude in different poses and states of muscular tension; the models, especially the ancient ones, are described as surpassed by the young artist; the work shows extraordinary ability to exploit the potential of marble to create different spatial planes, with dynamic movement, anatomy, fluid gestures, and strong compositional effectiveness; the work shows bodies in different poses admired for the beauty of classical proportions and extraordinary energy

Battle of the Centaurs

Identification

Creator

Historical context

Materials

Technique

Appearance

Iconography and meaning

Discovery and provenance

Location and ownership

History and restoration

Significance