Amasa uccido da Joab

This depiction of Amasa being killed by Joab, painted in 1524, is another of Lorenzo Lotto's remarkable Old Testament designs created for the intarsia choir stalls of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo. The violent biblical episode — in which Joab treacherously murders his cousin Amasa — was part of an extensive cycle that occupied Lotto from 1524 to 1532. These intarsia cartoons represent some of Lotto's most inventive narrative compositions, requiring him to create designs that could be effectively translated into the demanding medium of wood marquetry.

The composition is designed with strong diagonals and clear figure-ground separation necessary for translation into wooden inlay. Lotto captures the violence of the scene through dynamic poses and dramatic gestures while maintaining the graphic clarity required by the intarsia medium.