Cavalry battle melee with figure studies
A dense knot of fighting horsemen, with separate standing figures at the right
A tightly packed cavalry melee fills the left and centre of the sheet, its horsemen and mounts entangled as they thrust weapons and rear up. At the right stand two more loosely sketched figures — one draped, one nude — studied apart from the battle, together with a few small mounted figures at the upper right. The sheet is a rapid pen study of mounted combat combined with single figures. A collection stamp of the Accademia appears at the lower left.
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Entangled warhorses in the melee
The centre of the sheet is packed with horses pressed together and rearing amid the fighting, their bodies overlapping into a churning mass. Smaller mounted figures gallop at the upper right. The tangled animals give the melee its density and force.
Fighting riders and two standing figures at right
Riders twist and strike within the melee, while at the right edge two figures stand apart — one wrapped in drapery, the other nude — evidently studied on their own. The bodies range from violent action to quiet standing poses. They read as separate studies gathered on one working sheet.
Thrusting lances and raised weapons
Lances and other weapons are thrust and raised throughout the mounted melee, driving the action of the combat. They are shown in use amid the horsemen rather than as isolated studies of arms. The weapons help knit the tangle of riders together.