Battle between Three Tritons

Hopfer often used imagery from prints such as this as models for the decoration of armor or metal vessels. This is a copy after the left half of an engraving by the Italian 15th-century artist Andrea Mantegna (the right half of Mantegna's engraving is exhibited nearby). Tritons were half man and half fish and escorted the sea god Neptune. Here they are shown in conflict, stirred up by the figure of Envy in the left background, characterized by her wasted body. She looks across towards a river to the right, next to which is Neptune with his back to us and holding a trident.