Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePainting1504-1505 (original); copy later

The Battle of Anghiari

Leonardo da Vinci (original); unknown copyist · 1504-1505 (original); copy later

A copy of Leonardo's lost mural of a violent cavalry battle, painted in rivalry with Michelangelo for the Palazzo Vecchio.

This copy preserves Leonardo's lost mural depicting the fury of battle, made in rivalry with Michelangelo.

Ask Leonardo da Vinci about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Brown and grey ink-and-wash drawing of a cavalry battle: armored riders on rearing horses clash with swords and banners, and a fallen soldier lies under the hooves in the foreground.
Copy after Leonardo da Vinci's lost fresco in the Palazzo della Signoria, Florence, executed 1504-1505 and destroyed around 1560.

About this source

What it is

The Battle of Anghiari was a wall painting by Leonardo da Vinci, begun around 1503-1505 in the Hall of the Five Hundred in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. Leonardo never finished it, and the work was eventually lost; what survives today are preparatory studies and later copies, including the drawing shown here.

Why it matters

Leonardo was commissioned to paint one wall of the hall while his rival Michelangelo painted the opposite wall - the only time the two worked on the same project. Leonardo experimented with a new oil technique that failed, and the painting was abandoned and eventually destroyed. The surviving copies show his vision of the fury and violence of war through rearing horses and struggling men.

Look closer

  • What feelings does the artist create through the poses of the horses and riders?
  • Why do we only have copies and studies instead of the original painting?
  • What might this story tell you about the risks and failures behind even famous artists' projects?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Leonardo da Vinci sources

Meet the AI Leonardo da Vinci →
Painting of a woman with long dark hair and a subtle smile, seated with her hands folded on an armrest, in front of a hazy landscape with winding paths, a river, and mountains.Painting

Primary source

Mona Lisa

Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1503-1519

Black and white line engraving of a bearded man in a dark brimmed cap and dark cloak, turned three-quarters to the left. Below the image is the printed title LEONARDO DA VINCI, with small inscriptions in the margins.Painting

Secondary source

Leonardo da Vinci portrait line engraving by Raphael Morghen

R. Morghen

Scan of a page from a Leonardo da Vinci manuscript notebook: mirror-writing handwritten notes in brown ink, a geometric diagram of a triangle and rectangle at top, and a sketch of a catapult or siege engine with a flame at lower right.Book

Primary source

Manuscript Notebook MS B

Leonardo da Vinci

Mural painting of the Last Supper showing Jesus seated at the center of a long table with twelve disciples in groups of three on either side, with bread and dishes on the table. Coffered ceiling and windows visible in the room.Painting

Primary source

The Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1495-1498

Lantern slide of a Leonardo da Vinci architectural study sheet. Labels read 'VINCI (Leonardo da) (1452-1519)', 'Etude d'architecture', 'Dessin', and 'B 5989'. The drawing shows a domed church sketch, a semicircular plan, a rectangular church floor plan with columns, workers hauling a block with a cart, and a seated figure.Painting

Primary source

Architectural Studies

Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1500

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Leonardo da Vinci now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions