Two Men Fighting: The Louvre Drawing in the Manner of Bosch

One man leans backwards beneath a raised blade while his opponent advances with a sword above his head. Small round shields occupy the space between them. Their bare feet point in different directions, and strips of cloth stream away from their heads. The encounter has no surrounding army or battlefield: the two bodies, their weapons and their precarious balance supply almost the entire scene.

The Louvre holds this small pen drawing as INV 20660 recto, under the French title Combat de deux maures. Its current attribution is in the manner of Hieronymus Bosch.^[1] The older English name Moorish Battle can make the subject sound more extensive and its identification more certain than the surviving image warrants. Looking closely reveals a tightly organised encounter between two figures whose precise identities remain unestablished.

At a Glance

• Descriptive titleTwo Men Fighting
• Louvre titleCombat de deux maures
• Current attributionIn the manner of Hieronymus Bosch
• Other proposalWorkshop of Vranck van der Stockt, recorded by the Louvre from Koreny, 2012
• Execution dateNot specified in the current Louvre record
• MediumPen and brown ink
• Dimensions11 × 14.2 cm
• CollectionMusée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, Paris
• InventoryINV 20660 recto; formerly NIII 8896 and MA 8400
• AcquisitionFrom the Saint-Morys collection, received by the museum in 1797

Compare these works across Bosch’s career

These date ranges are estimates, not a documented year-by-year sequence. These works provide context for the article; none is highlighted as the object discussed here.

Approximate dates

14801490150015101520

Saint Jerome at Prayer

Circa 1485–1495 ^[2]

Crucifixion with a Donor

Circa 1490–1500 (BRCP) ^[2]

Hermit Saints Triptych

Circa 1495–1505 ^[2]

Saint Liberata Triptych

Circa 1495–1505 ^[2]

The Hearing Forest and the Seeing Field

Circa 1500–1505 (Berlin exhibition) ^[3]

The Haywain Triptych

1510–1516 (BRCP) ^[2]

Annotated Details from Two Men Fighting

The Louvre drawing shows two men confronting one another with blades and small round shields. The older title is discussed in the article.

Details from TWO MEN FIGHTING

The museum places this work in the manner of Bosch. These views follow the two opposing poses.

1

The figure leaning back

The figure at the left bends away while raising both arms. A long blade and a small shield cross above the backward movement of the head.

2

The advancing figure

The right figure lifts a blade over his head and holds a small shield forward. Bent legs, flying cloth and diagonal hatching make the movement emphatic.

Image and detail crops: Wikimedia Commons source 1 (public domain reproductions).

The Figure Leaning Backwards

The man at the left bends away from the centre. His head tips upwards, his face turned towards the raised weapons, while his torso continues on a different diagonal. The separation between the direction of the head and the inclination of the body makes the pose feel unstable. He is responding to something above him while trying to maintain a position below it.

Both arms rise. One hand holds a curved blade, and the other brings a small round shield close to the face. The arms do not spread into a broad, open gesture; they gather around the threatened upper body. The shield’s circular outline becomes especially conspicuous among the straighter lines of wrists, forearms and weapons.

Below the belt, the short garment opens around the legs. One foot remains low towards the left, while the other leg reaches into the gap between the opponents. The arrangement stretches his support away from his retreating head. That contrast gives the impression of a movement interrupted before the figure can recover a comfortable stance.

A sheath-like object hangs at the hip. Its diagonal continues the belt’s movement and adds another projecting form beneath the raised arms. Even at this small scale, the clothing and equipment contribute to the action. They occupy the spaces around the body without hiding how far it is being pulled out of alignment.

The Advancing Opponent

The man at the right occupies more of the page’s height. His sword arm rises above his head, with the curved blade extending towards the left. The other arm pushes a round shield towards his opponent. The difference between the raised hand and the forward hand creates a wide, angular opening around his head and shoulders.

His face turns firmly towards the left. Short curls gather around the head, and long strips from the head covering trail towards the right. The strips reinforce the sense of forward movement by extending in the opposite direction. Their narrow, fluttering outlines differ from the more substantial mass of the bent torso.

The legs establish a broad stance. One knee projects towards the centre, while the other leg extends back towards the right edge. The forward foot has room to spread its toes against the ground. Compared with the left man’s backward inclination, this distribution of weight makes the right figure appear to press into the encounter.

The garment follows that pressure. A belt catches the tunic at the waist, and longer folds fall behind the upper leg. Close strokes describe the changing surfaces of thigh, calf and sleeve. The body remains legible through its clothing because the lines keep returning to the joints that govern the pose.

Blades, Shields and the Space between Them

The weapons create a second structure above the figures. One long blade curves almost horizontally from the raised hand at the right. The other rises more steeply from the left figure’s side. Their directions converge over the gap between the men, concentrating the encounter into a narrow upper zone.

The shields provide smaller, more compact forms below that convergence. Each is held close to an arm, but their positions differ: one protects a retreating head, while the other projects outwards. The drawing creates a relationship between attack and defence without needing to record a clearly completed blow.

The central gap is therefore essential. Empty paper separates hands, blades and faces, allowing the eye to follow the equipment without losing the two bodies beneath it. If every shape touched the next, the encounter would become much harder to understand. Here small intervals keep the action readable even where the poses overlap visually.

There is no securely depicted outcome. Neither figure lies defeated, and no visible sequence tells us what happens after the raised weapons descend. The scene holds a moment of unequal balance, rather than illustrating the conclusion of a known contest. The viewer supplies a sense of danger from the positions of the bodies.

Cloth, Hair and Moving Outlines

Both figures have curling hair and trailing cloth, which help connect them as a pair. Their equipment also follows a similar pattern of blade, round shield and belted clothing. Those shared elements make the difference in posture particularly clear. The draughtsman can vary the action while keeping much of the visual vocabulary constant.

The trailing strips describe movement through outline alone. They bend away from the heads in long curves, occupying otherwise empty areas near the sides. They are not tied to a described wind blowing through trees or across a landscape. Their effect is local, extending the energy of the two bodies into the paper around them.

The shorter folds behave differently. Around the left man’s waist, cloth gathers into small angular shapes. At the right man’s hip, longer sections turn beside the leg. These changes keep the garments from looking like rigid coverings. Each fold participates in the bending, stretching or turning of its wearer.

Hatching and the Feeling of Ground

Much of the drawing’s volume comes from closely repeated pen strokes. Some run along the legs, others cross the backs and sleeves. The marks do not fill every area equally. Pale expanses sit beside denser passages, allowing the eye to move between a body’s outline and the surface contained within it.

Below and behind the figures, groups of lines suggest ground and shadow. Their directions change across the page, creating a shallow base without opening into a distant view. The men appear to occupy the same small patch of space. There are no buildings, trees or spectators to establish a larger setting.

The result is concentrated rather than miniature in ambition. The sheet measures only eleven by just over fourteen centimetres, yet the action reaches from the low feet to the raised hand near the upper edge.^[1] Close inspection reveals how much work is being done by a tilted head, a bent knee or a narrow interval between two weapons.

The Historical Title and the Limits of Identification

The Louvre’s current title calls the figures Moors, while its transcription of an earlier Musée Napoléon inventory describes the subject more generally as two men fighting.^[4] These are recorded descriptions of the drawing, rather than a surviving title supplied by its maker. The more specific wording should not be treated as a documented identification of the two individuals.

The visible costume and curved blades contribute to their distinctive appearance. They do not, on their own, establish the figures’ birthplace, religion or participation in a particular war. The scene contains no inscription naming a combatant and no clearly described location. A descriptive title keeps attention on the action while preserving the historical name for identification.

An Attribution That Remains Qualified

The current Louvre entry distinguishes its manner-of-Bosch classification from several proposals, including Bosch himself, the Master IAM of Zwolle and Vranck van der Stockt’s workshop.^[1] Recording those alternatives does not make them a single agreed identification. The museum supplies no execution date for the sheet.

The qualified classification is the appropriate starting point here. A connection with Bosch’s manner does not establish a direct copy of a lost Bosch composition or documented production within his workshop. The drawing’s particular achievement remains visible in either case: two opposing movements made legible through a compact arrangement of bodies, cloth and weapons.

From the Saint-Morys Collection to the Louvre

The museum records the sheet’s seizure from the Saint-Morys collection during the French Revolution and its receipt in 1797.^[1] That collecting history places the drawing within the museum’s holdings without identifying its original patron or purpose. Its small format alone does not prove that it prepared a larger painting.

The encounter can consequently be examined on its own terms. Follow the left man’s retreating head down to his extended foot, then reverse direction through the advancing figure’s bent knee and lifted sword arm. The two movements pull against each other across the page. Their relationship gives this modest sheet its sustained tension.

Artworks and related attributions

Browse paintings, drawings and related attributions. Records group triptychs, fragments and two-sided sheets where appropriate. Dates follow the cited museum records or catalogue headings and are generally estimates. Rows marked “2016 catalogue” report that publication’s attribution and collection information; these are dated opinions, rather than a claim that every work is an accepted autograph Bosch.

79 records

Search records Medium All media Drawing Painting Reset

Name	Date	Medium, attribution and collection
A Crossbowman	Second half of the sixteenth century	Oil on oak panel · Copy after Hieronymus Bosch · Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid · P002695 Source 1. Source 2.
A Woman Spinning and an Old Woman	Museum estimates: about 1480–1490 for the women and 1500–1505 for the reverse; the precise chronology is disputed	Pen and brown and grey ink on the front; pen and brown ink on the reverse · Hieronymus Bosch · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam · N 190 recto and verso (PK) Source 1. Source 2.
Adoration of the Child in Cologne	Second half of the sixteenth century	Oil on oak panel · Imitator of Hieronymus Bosch, in the city collection record · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne · WRM 0474 Source 1. Source 2.
Adoration of the Magi in Philadelphia	Early sixteenth century in the museum record; around 1495–1520 in the BRCP catalogue	Oil on oak panel · Hieronymus Bosch in the museum record; workshop of Bosch in the 2016 BRCP catalogue · Philadelphia Museum of Art, John G. Johnson Collection, 1917 · 1321; museum object 103592 Source 1. Source 2.
Adoration of the Magi — New York	c.1470–1480	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Metropolitan Museum 13.26 2016 catalogue.
Adoration of the Magi — Prado triptych	c.1494	Oil on oak; grisaille exterior · Bosch · Prado P002048 Object source.
Adoration of the Magi — three associated fragments	c.1515–1535	2016 catalogue: Follower of Bosch · Two Shepherds / Retinue in Philadelphia; associated Adoration in private collection in 2016 2016 catalogue.
Ascent of the Blessed — Venice	c.1505–1515	Oil on panel · Bosch · Gallerie dell’Accademia; Visions of the Hereafter Object source.
Battle of the Birds and Mammals	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; pen and brown ink · Berlin KdZ 14715 2016 catalogue.
Beggars and Musicians	Around 1530–1540	Ink and wash on paper · Unknown follower of Hieronymus Bosch · Albertina, Vienna · 7798 Source 1. Source 2.
Christ Carrying the Cross Drawing	Around 1470 in the museum catalogue	Black chalk or charcoal, pen and brush in brown ink, white corrections · Anonymous, workshop of Rogier van der Weyden · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam · N 81 recto and verso (PK) Source 1. Source 2.
Christ Carrying the Cross in Vienna	Around 1490–1510 in the current KHM record and BRCP catalogue	Oil on oak, painted on both sides · Hieronymus Bosch; possible workshop involvement in the Passion side discussed by the BRCP · Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna · Gemäldegalerie, GG 6429 Source 1. Source 2.
Christ Carrying the Cross — El Escorial	c.1495–1505	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Patrimonio Nacional 10014739 2016 catalogue.
Christ Carrying the Cross — Ghent	c.1510–1516 (museum)	Oil on panel · Bosch in museum listing; authorship disputed · MSK Ghent 1902-H Object source.
Christ Mocked — London	c.1510	Oil on wood · Bosch · National Gallery NG4744 Object source.
Concert in the Egg, After Hieronymus Bosch	Around 1561; third quarter of the sixteenth century	Oil on canvas · Anonymous, after Hieronymus Bosch · Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille · P 816 Source 1. Source 2.
Conjurer / Comical Concert — Louvre drawing	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch (recto), follower (concert verso) · Pen and brown ink · Louvre INV 19197 2016 catalogue.
Conjurer / Cross-bearing and beggars — Liège sheet	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch (verso), follower (recto) · Pen and brown ink · Album d’Arenberg 534 2016 catalogue.
Crowning with Thorns — El Escorial	c.1530–1540	2016 catalogue: Follower of Bosch; oil on oak · Patrimonio Nacional 10014743 2016 catalogue.
Crucifixion with a Donor	Circa 1495–1505; Circa 1490–1500	Oil on oak panel · Hieronymus Bosch · Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels · 6639 Source 1. Source 2.
Death and the Miser Drawing	Not securely established; probably made after the painting	Pen and brush, dark ink and white highlights on prepared paper · Workshop of Hieronymus Bosch in the BRCP catalogue; alternatives recorded by the Louvre · Musée du Louvre, Department of Prints and Drawings, Paris · RF 6947, Recto Source 1. Source 2.
Death and the Miser — Washington	c.1485/1490 (NGA)	Oil on panel · Bosch · National Gallery of Art 1952.5.33 Object source.
Ecce Homo Triptych — Boston	c.1495–1500; wings c.1500/1503	2016 catalogue: Workshop of Bosch; oil on oak · Museum of Fine Arts Boston; several production phases 2016 catalogue.
Ecce Homo — Frankfurt	c.1490	Mixed technique on oak · Bosch · Städel 1577 Object source.
Fall of the Damned — Venice	c.1505–1515	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on panel · Visions of the Hereafter · Venice 2016 catalogue.
Garden of Earthly Delights	1490–1500 (Prado)	Oil on oak; grisaille exterior · Bosch · Prado; triptych Object source.
Gluttony and Lust / Allegory of Intemperance — Yale fragment	c.1500–1510 (group dating)	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Yale 1959.15.22; fragment associated with Ship of Fools 2016 catalogue.
Group of Ten Spectators, a Follower of Bosch	Around 1510–1540 in the current museum record	Pen and two brown inks on paper, with a brown framing line · Follower of Hieronymus Bosch in the Morgan record; Bosch in the BRCP catalogue · Morgan Library & Museum, New York · I, 112 Source 1. Source 2.
Head of an Old Woman	About 1500	Oil on panel · Attributed to Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam · 2439 (OK) Source 1. Source 2.
Hell and the Flood — Rotterdam panels	Around 1515 in the museum records; around 1510–1520 in the BRCP catalogue	Oil on oak panels · Jheronimus Bosch in the museum records; workshop of Bosch in the BRCP catalogue · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam Source 1. Source 2.
Hermit Saints Triptych	Circa 1495–1505	Oil on oak panels · Hieronymus Bosch · Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice · 2044 Source 1. Source 2.
Infernal Landscape	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; pen and brown ink, red accent · Private collection in 2016 2016 catalogue.
Infernal Scene with Anvil / Monster Studies	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; attribution debated in entry · Pen and brown ink · Berlin KdZ 548 2016 catalogue.
Infernal Scene with Tree-Man / Standing Man	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Workshop of Bosch; pen and brown ink · Dresden C 1875; historical reverse title includes a proposed prophet 2016 catalogue.
Job Triptych — Bruges	c.1510–1520	2016 catalogue: Workshop of Bosch; oil on oak · Groeningemuseum / Hoeke loan in 2016 2016 catalogue.
Last Judgement — Bruges triptych	c.1495–1505	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Groeningemuseum 2016 catalogue.
Last Judgement — Munich fragment	c.1530–1540	2016 catalogue: Follower of Bosch; oil on oak · Alte Pinakothek 5752 2016 catalogue.
Last Judgement — Vienna triptych	c.1500–1505 (BRCP 2016)	Oil on oak · Bosch and workshop (BRCP 2016) · Academy of Fine Arts Vienna 2016 catalogue.
Man in a Basket and Comic Figures	Around 1500–1515 in the museum record	Pen and brown ink on paper; the reverse is catalogued as iron-gall ink · Hieronymus Bosch in the current Albertina record; attribution has been debated · Albertina, Vienna · 7797 recto and verso Source 1. Source 2.
Man Seen from Behind	About 1550–1569; About 1565–1570	Traces of black chalk, pen and brush in light brown ink · Anonymous, circle of Pieter Bruegel the Elder · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam Source 1. Source 2.
Mary and John at the Foot of the Cross	About 1440	Brush in grey and black · Unknown, possibly Netherlandish · Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden · C 815 Source 1. Source 2.
Model Sheet with ‘Witches’	Disputed; proposals depend on the attribution	Pen and brown ink; the BRCP also records underlying black chalk · Hieronymus Bosch; follower attributions also recorded · Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, Paris · INV 19721 recto Source 1. Source 2.
Peasant and Three Bust-Length Figures	1401–1500	Brown pen over a black preliminary drawing · Attributed to the Master of the Drapery Studies; Bosch circle also recorded · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 777 Source 1. Source 2.
River to Hell — Venice	c.1505–1515	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on panel · Visions of the Hereafter · Venice 2016 catalogue.
Saint Anthony and a Concert in an Egg	Around 1510–1525 in the museum’s 2016–17 exhibition texts	Pen in light and dark brown inks · Workshop of Hieronymus Bosch; underlying monsters: Bosch (BRCP), possibly Bosch (exhibition text) · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 711 recto and verso Source 1. Source 2.
Saint Christopher Carrying the Christ Child	c.1500; 1490–1505 in restoration material	Oil on panel · Bosch · Boijmans St 26 Object source.
Saint James and Hermogenes	About 1551–1575 in the KIK-IRPA catalogue	Oil on wood, painted on both sides · Anonymous follower of Hieronymus Bosch · Musée des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes · P.46.1.44; older number 176 Source 1. Source 2.
Saint Jerome at Prayer	Circa 1485–1495	Oil on oak panel · Hieronymus Bosch · Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent · 1908-H Source 1. Source 2.
Saint John on Patmos / Passion Scenes	c.1495–1505; estimates vary	Oil on oak · Bosch · Gemäldegalerie Berlin 1647A Object source.
Saint John the Baptist in Meditation	Late 15th century; c.1485–1510 (Prado exhibition)	Oil on panel · Bosch · Lázaro Galdiano 8155 Object source.
Saint Liberata Triptych	Circa 1495–1505	Oil on oak panels · Hieronymus Bosch · Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice · 2045 Source 1. Source 2.
Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things	1505–1510 (Prado)	Oil on poplar · Bosch (Prado); workshop/follower disputed · Prado Object source.
Ship of Fools — Louvre painting	1475–1500 (record); c.1505–1515 (exhibition)	Oil on oak · Bosch · Louvre RF 2218; fragment Object source.
Ship of Fools — Louvre workshop drawing	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Workshop of Bosch · Pen, brush, grey-brown ink and white highlights on prepared paper · Louvre RF 3714 2016 catalogue.
Studies of Monsters	About 1530–1550, according to the current Ashmolean record	Pen and brown ink on laid paper, both faces · Anonymous follower of Hieronymus Bosch · Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford · WA1863.155 Source 1. Source 2.
Studies of Saint Anthony and Monsters	No execution date specified in the current Louvre records	Pen and brown ink on paper · Bosch listed; reverse questioned by Louvre; BRCP accepts both faces · Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, Paris · INV 20871 recto and verso Source 1. Source 2.
Temptation of Saint Anthony — Kansas City fragment	c.1500–1510	2016 catalogue: Bosch; oil on oak · Nelson-Atkins 35–22 2016 catalogue.
Temptation of Saint Anthony — Lisbon triptych	c.1500	Oil on oak · Bosch · Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga 1498 Pint Museum.
Temptation of Saint Anthony — Prado panel	c.1530–1540	2016 catalogue: Follower of Bosch (2016 opinion); oil on oak · Prado P002049 2016 catalogue.
Terrestrial Paradise	Approximately 1505–1515	Oil on oak panel · Hieronymus Bosch · Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice Source 1. Source 2.
The Burning Ship Drawing	1500–1520	Pen and iron gall ink on paper · Attributed to Hieronymus Bosch · Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Graphic Collection · HZ-2554; numbered 2554 in the BRCP catalogue Source 1. Source 2.
The Comical Barber Scene	About 1550–1580, according to the British Museum	Pen and brown ink, grey and brown wash, over black chalk · Anonymous follower, after Hieronymus Bosch · British Museum, Department of Prints and Drawings, London · 1854,0628.46 Source 1. Source 2.
The Conjuror, After Hieronymus Bosch	Probably after 1525; around 1530–1540 in the BRCP technical report	Oil on oak panel · Anonymous follower of Hieronymus Bosch · Musée Ducastel-Vera, Saint-Germain-en-Laye · 872.1.87 Source 1. Source 2.
The Cure of Folly / Extraction of the Stone of Madness	1501–1505 (Prado)	Oil on oak · Bosch (Prado); workshop/follower disputed · Prado P002056 Object source.
The Entombment Drawing	About 1505–1515, current museum record	Brush and black and grey ink, with grey wash, over black chalk · Workshop of Hieronymus Bosch; drawn by the Master of the Prado Haywain Triptych; Hieronymus Bosch, argued by the BRCP in 2016 · British Museum, Department of Prints and Drawings, London · 1952,0405.9 Source 1. Source 2.
The Gathering of the Birds	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; pen and brown ink · Berlin KdZ 13136 2016 catalogue.
The Haywain — Prado triptych	1510–1516 (BRCP 2016)	Oil on oak · Bosch (BRCP 2016) · Prado; separate Escorial version exists 2016 catalogue.
The Hearing Forest and the Seeing Field	Circa 1500–1505	Pen and brown ink on paper · Hieronymus Bosch; reverse: Bosch and workshop · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 549, front and reverse Source 1. Source 2.
The Owl’s Nest — Rotterdam	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch; pen and brown ink · Boijmans N 175 2016 catalogue.
The Passion Triptych in Valencia	Workshop of Bosch, about 1510–1520; Follower of Bosch; centre about 1530–1540, wings about 1540–1550	Oil and gold on oak panels · Workshop of Bosch, about 1510–1520; Follower of Bosch; centre about 1530–1540, wings about 1540–1550 · Museu de Belles Arts de València Source 1. Source 2.
The Pedlar / Wayfarer — Rotterdam	c.1500 (museum)	Oil on panel · Bosch · Boijmans 1079 (OK); rejoined exterior Object source.
The Tree-Man — Vienna drawing	c.1505	Pen and brown ink · Bosch · Albertina, Vienna Object source.
The Wedding at Cana, After Hieronymus Bosch	Approximately 1560 in the current museum record	Oil on panel, 93 cm high × 72 cm wide · Anonymous, after Hieronymus Bosch · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, St 25 Source 1. Source 2.
Two Fantastical Creatures — Berlin KdZ 550	Around 1505–1515 in the museum’s 2016 exhibition text	Pen in brown ink on reddish prepared laid paper · Hieronymus Bosch · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 550, recto and verso Source 1. Source 2.
Two Figures Wearing Mitres	About 1480	Oil on panel · Anonymous (Boijmans); Bosch circle (RKD) · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam · 1177 (OK) Source 1. Source 2.
Two Men and the Temptation of Eve	About 1505–1515 in the Prado’s 2016 exhibition guide	Pen and grey-brown ink on paper · Hieronymus Bosch in the 2016 catalogues discussed here · Private collection, as recorded in 2016 Source 1. Source 2.
Two Men Fighting	Not specified in the current Louvre record	Pen and brown ink · In the manner of Hieronymus Bosch · Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, Paris · INV 20660 recto; formerly NIII 8896 and MA 8400 Source 1. Source 2.
Two Men — Berlin KdZ 5210	Not specified in catalogue heading	2016 catalogue: Bosch questioned · Pen, brush, ink, chalk and white highlights · Berlin KdZ 5210; historical title Two Oriental Men 2016 catalogue.
Two Monsters — Berlin KdZ 547	Approximately 1500–1510 in Berlin's 2016 exhibition catalogue; an estimated range	Pen and brown ink on paper · Hieronymus Bosch · Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · KdZ 547, drawn on both sides Source 1. Source 2.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Louvre’s title?

The Louvre catalogues INV 20660 recto as Combat de deux maures. Two Men Fighting describes the visible encounter without treating the historical title as proof of the figures’ identities.^[1]

Is it a drawing by Bosch himself?

The current Louvre classification is in the manner of Bosch. Other proposals, including Vranck van der Stockt’s workshop, are recorded; authorship is not secure.^[1]

Does it depict a known battle?

No particular battle is established by the evidence discussed here. The surviving image contains two fighting figures without an identifiable army or battlefield.^[1][4]

When was the drawing made?

The current Louvre record does not specify an execution date. An exact year should not be inferred from an artist’s biography or an older reproduction label.^[1]

References

1. Musée du Louvre: Combat de deux maures, INV 20660 recto, current collection record View source.
2. BRCP Catalogue Raisonné (2016), object dates in catalogues 1, 2, 8, 15 and 20; catalogue 20 object metadata only for the Haywain comparison. View source
3. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, 2016 exhibition wall texts, p. 3: approximate date of KdZ 549. View source
4. Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques: INV 20660, including the Musée Napoléon inventory transcription View source.
5. Splash image, Two Men Fighting, catalogued by the Louvre as Combat de deux maures, in the manner of Hieronymus Bosch, pen and brown ink, 11 × 14.2 cm, Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, INV 20660 recto. No execution date is specified in the current record. View source.