Slovensko
Antonio Calza je danes znan predvsem kot slikar bitk. Učil se je pri Carlu Cignaniju v Bologni, nato pa pri Jacquesu Courtoisu, imenovanem Il Borgognone, v Rimu; tu je veljal za enega njegovih najboljših učencev. Deloval je v svojem rojstnem mestu, Benetkah, v Bologni in v Milanu. Leta 1712 ga je princ Evgen Savojski poklical na Dunaj, kjer je ostal do leta 1716. Možno, da je v tem času nastala tudi naša slika.
Slika kaže srdito konjeniško bitko med kristjani in Turki, ki jih prepoznamo po oblačilih in po pričeskah. Bitka poteka pod mestnimi zidovi v bližini gore. Podobe bojev s Turki so bile zelo priljubljene, tako v Italiji kakor v Srednji Evropi, ko je Otomansko cesarstvo ogrožalo Dunaj in po zmagi, ki je leta 1683 to mesto rešila in se je napadalna vojska počasi umikala. Kakor je ponavadi na takšnih slikah, sta kraj in dogodek popolnoma fantazijsko upodobljena in samo simbolično spominjata na boj cesarske vojske z otomanskimi četami.
Antonio Calza is mostly known as a painter of battles. He was a pupil of Jacques Courtois, called Il Borgognone in Rome, where he was considered to be one of Courtois’ best students. He was active in his native city, as well as in Venice, Bologna and Milan. In 1712, Prince Eugene of Savoy summoned him to Vienna, where he remained until 1716. It is possible that this painting falls into that period.
The picture shows a fierce cavalry battle between the Christians and the Turks, whom we recognize by their clothing and hairstyles. The battle rages beneath the walls of a city with a mountain close by. Images of battles against the Turks were very popular in Italy and in Central Europe when Vienna was threatened by the Ottoman Empire and after the victory of 1683, when the city was saved and the invading army slowly retreated. As is usual in such paintings, the place and the event are completely fictional and only symbolically recall the battles of the imperial army against the Ottoman forces.
