The artwork under discussion is a page from a notebook created by the eminent High Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci, around 1504 in Florence, Italy. The medium employed for this piece is ink on paper. As a sketch and study, it embodies the explorative and investigative spirit of the time, reflecting the artist’s interest in dynamic human and animal movement, as well as the complexities of battle scenes.

The artwork captures a dramatic moment of conflict, with figures both on horseback and on foot engaged in combat. In the upper section, several riders are depicted in a tangle of motion; horses rear and twist while their riders appear to wield weapons, their postures suggesting the midst of battle. Below, a more chaotic skirmish unfolds, with numerous combatants interlocked in a melee. The lines are loose and sketch-like, indicating movement and the flurry of action. The frenetic energy of the battle is conveyed through the expressive strokes and rapid sketches that give life to the forms, without fully detailing them. This piece stands as a testament to Leonardo’s meticulous observation and his study of the human form and its capabilities, as well as his interest in depicting the intensity of human conflict.