Battle Scene: Charles VIII Receiving the Crown of Naples, Francesco Bassano (1590)
Clashing swords; a tangle of bodies; confusion reigns on this battlefield. In the midst of the melee, a knight in armor, holding a sword and a scepter bearing the fleur-de-lis, receives the crown handed to him by a child. Here, the Venetian painter Francesco Bassano depicts the conquest of Naples by the French king Charles VIII, eager to regain the former French province. However, this battle never took place. On February 22, 1495, Charles VIII was handed the keys of the city without having to fight
Discover more Old Masters in the following collections: