PIERO DI COSIMO
(b. 1462, Firenze, d. 1521, Firenze)

Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs

1490s
Panel, 71 x 260 cm
National Gallery, London

Much of the artist's sympathy for animals, and the fantastical imagination for which he was also noted, can be seen in this painting and in the Death of Procris (also in London). Both must have adorned the backboards of benches or chests in Florentine town houses.