Pageantry and Decoration of the Knightly Defense
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Late 15th c Parade Shield
Flanders/Burgundy
Height 83cm
British Museum
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The 1400’s were a distinct time of artistic flourishing in Northern Europe,
particularly the Netherlands and Bruges. This coincides with the evolution of
tournament from mere martial competition to a lavish and popular spectator
sport. When one considers the art of defense, there is one item that stands as
the embodiment of protection; the shield. Medieval shields were both useful
tools from which one could display their heraldry and in some cases, lavish
status symbols. Due to the ephemeral nature of object, there are very few 14th
and 15th century shields that have survived the centuries.[1] Of
examples remaining, there are some proudly adorned by exquisite works of art.
Such examples include the lavish ‘Vous ou la Mort’ Flemish parade shield,
currently held in the British Museum. (Left) This is possibly the most
intricate and unusual shield still in existence. Its lavish construction and
unusual shape hint that this shield was not intended for use in combat or
tournament, but may have been a display piece, or possibly a tournament prize.[2] I
agree that this particular example was intended for use at court and not on the
battlefield; however there are many remaining examples of immaculately
presented shields which did see martial use. As a recreationist, I have spent
the past few years attempting to reconstruct the amazing style, subjects and
designs displayed on these stunning tools of defense.
Evolution of Style and Shape
During the 15th century
the most common shield shapes in use were the stechtartsche[3] (small
jousting shield), and pavise or setzschild.[4]
By the 15th century, the knightly heater, which was popular in the
14th century, was less necessary due to improvements in armour,
changes in fashions and change in the style of warfare.[5]
The evolution of warfare and
armour are the two main driving factors that influenced shield shapes and
sizes. As plate armour developed through the 14th and into the 15th
century, the shield became less of a primary defence because the wearer had
much more physical safety when wearing such protective armour. This becomes
apparent as in the 15th century where the common primary weapons for
knightly foot combat was the long sword or pole axe, both styles where the
weapon acts as both offensive and defensive tool. Similarly in war, a knight
would ride on horseback with spear. In this way, a knight in plate was much
like the Middle Ages equivalent of a tank, heavily armoured, fast and able to
strike from a distance. The shield was not a necessity for these knights to
stay alive, because his armour acted as both a shell to protect his body and
also in the case of the breastplate, acted as a crumple zone (much like in car
safety design) to protect the vitals within the torso. So with less necessity
for bodily protection, shields could evolve for more sporting purposes, such as
the joust.
The stechtartsche is a shield designed to be worn during the joust. They are strapped to be worn over the left shoulder. The stechartsche or 'targe' is a small (covering approximately a third to a quarter of the wearer's torso), curved shield. They were shaped in a way to aid in the joust. From studying the shapes of some examples which are concave and ridged over the surface, one could hypothesise that these shapes evolved in order to catch the lance and ensure that if the shield was struck, it would not deflect into the head, which would be far more dangerous for the rider.
The setzschild,
meaning ‘standing shield’ is believed to be just that. During the 15th
century warfare had evolved to include heavy fire from crossbowmen. These
soldiers were lightly armoured, at best and on foot. Therefore these large
shields were developed to create cover from enemy projectiles. It is implied
that pavises could be set to stand upright[6] so
that crossbowmen could shoot from behind them. This is why crossbowmen were
also known as ‘pavissiers’.[7]
The pavise also evolved into a smaller hand held version in the late 15th
to early 16th centuries, as seen in the Triumph of Maximilian woodcuts.
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Triumph of Maximilian - Plate 38
16th century Woodcut
Hans Burgkmairv
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Subject Matter and Design
Parade
shields and shields for field use alike had a common purpose; pageantry. A
shield was a vital tool to the medieval knight, not only as a tool for defense,
but as it could bear his personal device, giving him an identity even when he
is concealed in armour. There are examples of 15th c shields bearing
heraldic designs, full achievements, and even representations of whole scenes
and characters.
Shields of the period seem to follow a similar trend for adding visual splendour as was the fashion developing in clothing, armour and other knightly accoutrements of the period. As the 15th century progressed, armour became more ornate with higher levels of embellishment such as etched designs, gilded motifs and pieces being raised into ornate forms becoming functional works of art. Pageantry and the rise of tournament culture created the outlet for individuals to show their personal wealth and opulent style, to be displayed through heraldic accessories such as the shield and banner. It is recorded that in the 1470's the Conducteurs in the Burgandian armies began competing with those of other ordinances to have the most splendid heraldic standards and banners.[8] This fashion for greater embellishment could explain why in the 15th century, shields were being more pictorially decorated in artist workshops creating a visually splendid piece, rather than purely a practical tool.
Shields of the period seem to follow a similar trend for adding visual splendour as was the fashion developing in clothing, armour and other knightly accoutrements of the period. As the 15th century progressed, armour became more ornate with higher levels of embellishment such as etched designs, gilded motifs and pieces being raised into ornate forms becoming functional works of art. Pageantry and the rise of tournament culture created the outlet for individuals to show their personal wealth and opulent style, to be displayed through heraldic accessories such as the shield and banner. It is recorded that in the 1470's the Conducteurs in the Burgandian armies began competing with those of other ordinances to have the most splendid heraldic standards and banners.[8] This fashion for greater embellishment could explain why in the 15th century, shields were being more pictorially decorated in artist workshops creating a visually splendid piece, rather than purely a practical tool.
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Jousting Shield 1450
German
56 x 40.5 cm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Courtly
love seems to be a common theme presented on the more intricate shields. This example
bears the motto "Hab Mych als Ich Bin” (Take me as I am)[9]
and the aforementioned parade shield shows
the motto “Vous ou la Mort” (You or Death).[10]
That example displays a scene in which the knight is declaring his dedication
to his lady, with death lurking behind him.
Although
personal shields were at times elaborately painted, they were more commonly adorned
with just one’s personal heraldry. However, there are a vast number of extant
pavises adorned with sophisticated artwork. The pavise is a more accommodating
artistic carrier as they are larger and take less constant abuse, especially in
the case of the large standing shields. German and Bavarian pavises were commonly
decorated with motifs of patron saints, filigree and mottos. A common
composition was a border containing text or filigree, surrounding a central
depiction of a saint, most commonly St. George.
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Three Bohemian Pavises depicting St. George
15th century
Sizes Vary
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Mediums and Materials: Base, paints, gilding
The Preparation and decoration of
finely embellished parade shields of the Fifteenth Century is vastly similar to
that of the panel paintings of the period.[11]
The shield takes the place of the flat wooden panel which is the traditional
carrier.
The construction of shields and
pavises of the period consisted of a wooden core, some examples including
maple, sycamore[12] or
poplar core covered in a layers of canvas and leather[13]. The
wood would commonly be laminated or in several pieces, joined together to
create the preferred shape for the piece.[14] The
binding medium used to join the pieces and adhere the leather and canvas to the wood commonly
seems to have been animal glue[15], which
differs from traditional panel preparation which calls for cheese glue.[16]
This could indicate that the animal glue was the stronger adhesive, as the
intent for the shield is to be put through use and one would construct it to
withstand a beating. The leather layer also differs from traditional carrier
construction. The leather could have aided in creating structural integrity for
the shield, but also was playable, and was sometimes decorated with stamps or
raised to give three-dimensional qualities to a shields embellishment.[17]
Next the shield would be coated
with a layer of gesso[18],
a thick white undercoat. Although Gothic panels used a thin gesso which coated
no thicker than paper[19],
some shield examples have been coated in a chalk gesso (calcium carbonate)[20]
which is thicker, but is pliable and able to be shaped or carved[21]
back to create patterns, as commonly done in background of Gothic panels.
If the shield was to be gilded the
areas to be gold were undercoated in red with hematite (iron oxide).[22]
The pigments of paints were typical of the painters of the period. By the 15th
century, egg tempra had been gradually superseded by oils[23]
and so especially by the latter half of the century, shields would have been
painted using oil binding mediums.
Bibliography:
- D. Edge,
J. Paddock, Arms and Armour of the
Medieval Knight, Saturn Books Ltd., China, 1696
- J. Piet Puype, H. Stevense, Arms and Armour of Knights and
Landsknechts, Eburon academic publishers, Netherlands, 2010
- O.
Neubecker, Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning, Tiger Books International,
Great Britain, 1977
- D.V. Thompson, The Materials and Techniques of
Medieval Painting, Dover Publications, New York, 1956
- C. Cennini, D.V. Thompson, The Craftsman’s Handbook;“Ïl Libro
dell’Arte”, Dover Publications, USA, 1960
- J. C. Smith, The Northern Renaissance, Phaidon
Press Ltd., New York 2004
- Trustees of the British Museum, Examination of a Medieval Parade Shield from Northern Europe,
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Tournament Shield (Targe), The Metropolitan Museum of Art
[2] Unknown Author, Shield
of Parade, Trustees of the British Museum
[Online Resource]
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_mla/s/shield_of_parade.aspx
[3] D. Edge, J. Paddock,
Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight, Pg. 163
[5] D. Edge, J. Paddock,
Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight, Pg. 121
[7] D. Edge, J. Paddock,
Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight Knight, Pg. 121
[8] McGill, P., Pacou, A., Erskine Riddell, R , The Burgundian Army of Charles the Bold: The Ordonnance Companies and Their Captains, Pg42
[8] McGill, P., Pacou, A., Erskine Riddell, R , The Burgundian Army of Charles the Bold: The Ordonnance Companies and Their Captains, Pg42
[9] Unknown Author, Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History: Tournament Shield (Targe), The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
[Online
Resource] http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/25.26.1
[11] Unknown Author, Examination
of a Medieval Parade Shield from Northern Europe, Trustees of the British Museum
[Online Resource]
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/e/examination_of_a_parade_shield.aspx
[12]ibid
[13]D. Edge, J. Paddock,
Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight, Pg. 83
[14]ibid
[15] Unknown Author, Examination
of a Medieval Parade Shield from Northern Europe, Trustees of the British Museum
[Online Resource]
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/e/examination_of_a_parade_shield.aspx
[17]D. Edge, J. Paddock,
Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight, Pg. 84
[18] Ibid
[20] Unknown Author, Examination
of a Medieval Parade Shield from Northern Europe, Trustees of the British Museum
[Online Resource]
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/e/examination_of_a_parade_shield.aspx
[22] Unknown Author, Examination
of a Medieval Parade Shield from Northern Europe, Trustees of the British Museum
[Online Resource] http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/e/examination_of_a_parade_shield.aspx
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