Battle of Fornovo (1495)

This history painting by **Eloi-Firmin Féron**, dated **1837**, depicts the **Battle of Fornovo** of **6 July 1495**, which pitted the army of **Charles VIII** against the forces of the **League of Venice** during the French retreat. The composition stages the intensity and violence of the fighting while identifying the king of France and the knight **Bayard** among the protagonists. It illustrates the ambiguity of the day, often described as a French tactical victory yet one that could not durably preserve the conquest of Naples. Produced centuries after the event, the work belongs to the heroic historical reconstruction of the nineteenth century and gives a striking face to the first major reversal of the **Italian Wars**.