Explore the Analysis of this artwork, Battle of Orsha (painting).
The image shows a bird's eye view of several stages of the battle; the same characters appearing in different places - Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski is shown three times. Details of equipment and weapons and portraits of the commanders have been recreated realistically and with great accuracy, showing, among others, such scenes as emptying water from armor after crossing the river. Some scenes verge on the grotesque; others emphasize the cruelty of the battle.
The image has not been preserved in its entirety. Careful analysis suggests that it was initially taller and included the horizon. It's asymmetrical composition suggests that 1/5 of the width was trimmed from the left. The two conflicting columns of heavy infantry, presumably once the center of the image, are now shifted to the left. The painting was most likely created somewhere between 1520 and 1534.
bird's eye view Konstanty Ostrogski