The Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs
Luca Giordano, The Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs, 1682, oil on canvas, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by proceeds from the exhibition Stroganoff: the Palace and Collection of a Russian Noble Family, public domain, 2001.2
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
The Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs
- Artist
Luca Giordano (Neapolitan, 1634-1705, active in Italy and Spain)
- Date
1682
- Medium
oil on canvas
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
34 3/4 in x 49 1/4 in
- Collection Area
European Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
Italian
- Credit Line
Museum Purchase: Funds provided by proceeds from the exhibition Stroganoff: the Palace and Collection of a Russian Noble Family
- Accession Number
2001.2
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
The paintings of Luca Giordano embody the spectacle, dynamism and drama that characterized Baroque art. This famous subject from Greek mythology shows the Centauromachy, or battle between the Lapiths, the legendary inhabitants of Thessaly, and the centaurs, half-human and halfhorse creatures with wild natures. The fight erupted at the wedding feast of Pirithous, king of the Lapiths, when the centaurs became intoxicated and tried to carry off the women, including the bride. The subject later came to symbolize the human struggle between bestial inclinations and civilized behavior. Giordano painted several versions of the violent confrontation of closely-packed bodies.
- Exhibitions
2015 Paradise: Fallen Fruit Portland Art Museum
