Battle of San Romano

Paolo Uccello painted the Battle of San Romano around 1438-1440 for the Medici palace. This panel shows Florentine commander Niccolò da Tolentino leading the charge against Sienese forces. Lances thrust in geometric patterns, horses rear in frozen motion, and fallen soldiers lie in perfect perspective foreshortening.

Uccello was obsessed with mathematical perspective, and this painting demonstrates his experiments. The broken lances on the ground create orthogonal lines pointing toward the vanishing point. The armor gleams with silver and gold. The scene feels more like a magnificent tournament than bloody warfare.

Three panels originally depicted this battle; they're now divided between the Uffizi, the Louvre, and London's National Gallery.