'The Battle of San Romano' by Paolo Uccello, probably about 1438-40.
London, The National Gallery.

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'The Battle of San Romano' by Paolo Uccello

This painting shows a real battle that happened six hundred years ago in Italy.

It is in the shape of a wide rectangle and can be roughly divided in half. The bottom half shows the main battle and the top half shows the landscape in the distance.

In the bottom half an army of men on horses, dressed in full metal armour are charging to battle across the painting from left to right. They carry long wooden lances pointing up in the air. Amongst them are musicians, and in front is a young boy holding a large flag. In the centre of the painting is the leader of the army on a magnificent white horse. At the far right three soldiers are attacking an enemy - the only figure who is moving from right to left. On the ground beneath the horses' feet lie broken weapons, armour and fallen soldiers.

There is a bank of foliage immediately behind the soldiers. The foliage dips down at the middle to reveal a section of farmed land at the bottom of a hill in the distance. On the hill are more soldiers on horseback and archers with cross bows.

What a racket these people are making. Can you hear them screaming and shouting?

Those swords look very heavy, don't they? Can you hear them clattering against each other?

The rearing horses at the front of the painting are right in the thick of the battle.

Can you see the musicians at the right encouraging the soldiers with stirring battle music?

It looks like a very windy day. The flag in the centre is flapping wildly.

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