Tournament watercolors by annonymous

Salvete Omnes,
for the medieval and early modern manuscripts the French National Library known under its digital name as  Gallica is a fantastic treasure to explore.
This fine status can be exemplified by this collection: dated to 1530AD, collected, during the 1760s,  by the author of Munchausen Tales R.E. Raspe.
 vive la France - one almost wants to shout seeing all this good work the French librarians and French taxes are doing in furtherance of our common European patrimony.

The watercolors pertain or seem to pertain to the activities of dukes of Brunswick within the Holy Roman Empire (already in the throes of the religious and social wars provoked by the raise of protestant heresy or protestant revolution; naturally a view dependent on the position one holds regarding these early modern conflicts in Christian Europe) and show the glory and opulence of the early XVI century Imperial chivalry and knightly martial arts of that epoch.

Note the size of lances - especially the lance points: sharp and tournament -type , lance proportions and potion of lance handle;  and especially the richness of horse caparisons' paintings and adornments (the jingle bells) - imagine the number of painters and other artisans employed for this works.
We cannot say much about the steeds or destriers - they seem muscular and powerful, but for the lower legs they are well covered with trappings. Curb-bits seem the norm, while horses are shod with wide plate shoes.



 
 


Enjoy
Valete!