The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 19, 2026

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
woodcut
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1922.246
Catalogue raisonné: Hollstein 116
Location: Not on view

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.
  • Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).
    16th Century German Woodcuts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 24-February 26, 1939).
    Special Exhibition of Prints lent by Various Out of Town Dealers. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 29-October 15, 1922).
  • {{cite web|title=A Tournament|url=false|author=Lucas Cranach|year=1506|access-date=19 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1922.246