Battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs
by GIORDANO, Luca, Oil on canvas, 255 x 390 cm
The conflict between the Lapiths, a semimythical tribe of giants, and the Centaurs is supposed to have broken out at their king’s wedding, when the Centaurs tried to abduct the bride. Giordano persuasively presents the details while demonstrating the breadth of his abilities. In the foreground, passions rage and threaten to spill off the canvas as the delightful natural wealth in the landscape recalls the happy celebration so rudely interrupted.