Artwork Page for A Tournament

Details / Information for A Tournament

A Tournament

1506

Lucas Cranach

(German, 1472–1553)
Culture
Germany
Medium
woodcut
Credit Line
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1922.246
Catalogue raisonné
Hollstein 116
State
II/II
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Tournaments in the age of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian were not the serious affairs of the Middle Ages, nor did they reflect actual methods of warfare, which relied on heavy cannons and mercenaries. Instead, they provided amusing entertainment for the aristocracy. This complex design, containing numerous combatants jousting with lances, was based on events that took place in the Wittenberg marketplace. Given Cranach's position as painter to the Saxon court, his workshop would probably have been responsible for the various painted decorations associated with such tournaments.
A horizontally oriented woodcut depicts armored figures on horseback carrying long poles within a cobblestone town square. A central group of combatants converges, while spectators gather behind a wooden fence in the foreground and fill ornate balconies in the background. Stone buildings with rows of arched windows extend across the top and right, out of which lean more viewers. In the upper center, the letters LC and 1506 mark a wall.

A Tournament

1506

Lucas Cranach

(German, 1472–1553)
Germany

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork