Artwork Page for The Tournament with lances

Details / Information for The Tournament with lances

The Tournament with lances

1509

Lucas Cranach

(German, 1472–1553)
Culture
Germany
Medium
woodcut
Measurements
Sheet: 29 x 41.6 cm (11 7/16 x 16 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1927.204
Catalogue raisonné
Hollstein 118
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

While the tilt was the most popular type of jousting in the 1500s, the mêlée remained in favor and often formed the climax of the greatest tournaments.

Description

Group engagements fought between two teams of contestants gained favor during the 1500s. These mêlées were often confused and chaotic, as shown in this woodcut. Lucas Cranach the Elder sketched many tournament scenes, often transferring them in faithful detail to woodblocks.
A horizontally oriented woodcut displays a dense tournament scene packed with armored knights on caparisoned horses. A chaotic web of long lances creates sharp diagonal lines across the composition. In the upper background, spectators peer from balconies, while in the center, a knight faces away from the viewer. The artist's monogram, "LC 1509," is inscribed on the ground at the bottom, anchoring the intricately detailed work.

The Tournament with lances

1509

Lucas Cranach

(German, 1472–1553)
Germany

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