The Battle of Pavia

"The Siege and Battle of Pavia" was painted by an unknown artist, shortly after the Battle between the French and the forces of the Emperor Charles V in February 1525. The painting, which includes numerous foot-soldiers and horsemen representing phases of the imperial assaults on the French besiegers shows a view of the city from the north giving a detailed, visual account, in a compressed synopsis, of the main recorded events of the Battle. Groups and individuals are identified with numbered labels or by their heraldic banners. This is the third title to appear in a uniform series of booklets illustrating and discussing major paintings in the Ashmolean's collections. Two previous titles are Piero di Cosimo's "Forest Fire" and Paolo Uccello's "Hunt in the Forest". "The Battle of Pavia" includes notes by the conservator who has recently worked on the picture and a chapter by Timothy Wilson on the heraldry depicted by the artist.