The Triumph of Mars, ca. 1570
Oil on panel, 28 5/8 x 46 5/8 in. (72.7 x 118.4 cm)
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr., B.A. 1913, Edwin J. Beinecke, Class of 1907, Archer M. Huntington, Class of
1897, and Mrs. Gile Whiting Funds
1974.40
The Triumph of Mars follows a format popularized in fourteenth-century Italy by the writings of Petrarch. Based on a classical triumphal procession, the painting is an elaborate allegory of the evils of war, symbolized by the Roman god Mars riding on the cart of Revenge with Want seated before him. Beneath him are piled high the spoils of conquered nations, and a string of captives follows behind the cart. The fierce horses Destruction and Devastation are driven by Fury, while Famine, Blasphemy, and Cruelty or Strife walk alongside.
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