Mock Joust of War with Flying and Exploding Shields c. 1512 - 1515

Curator: What a curious drawing. It almost feels like a child's fantastical game. Editor: Agreed! The bright, contrasting colours and exploding shapes give it such a playful yet slightly chaotic feeling. It's a bit naive, almost folk-art-like. Curator: This work, dating from approximately 1512 to 1515, depicts a “Mock Joust of War with Flying and Exploding Shields." It’s rendered in watercolour and appears to be by an anonymous hand. The title itself suggests an interesting ambivalence, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. Jousts and tournaments have always been powerfully symbolic, ways for societies to act out and contain aggressions, and show prowess. To "mock" that ceremony implies something subversive. The artist really plays with recognizable symbolic shapes and expectations, especially those shields! I see echoes of heraldry turned upside down. Curator: I think this artist is tapping into the growing tension between the established medieval order and the changing Renaissance world. Notice how the composition appears flat, almost deliberately avoiding perspective – perhaps questioning traditional representational modes? The shields are fracturing, symbolically representing a disruption to societal structures. Editor: Those fragmented shields! Each shard carries what seems to be symbolic patterning. Look closely at how the green-and-white stripes or ornate floral patterning break apart as if some invisible force violently exploded outwards from the impact point. Curator: Perhaps this mock joust and destruction is about critiquing war’s pageantry, especially for a populace growing wary of incessant battles. Think about the context: wars were constant. The glorification of violence was becoming increasingly scrutinized by humanists of the era. Editor: Yes, I agree. But, in its colourful, decorative style, it is less grim critique than fantastical vision. It is hard to unsee echoes of childhood games here: dress-up, making-believe. The artwork evokes some deep feelings of innocence through violence in me. Curator: Indeed. This "Mock Joust" offers a visual representation of those anxieties and questions in a fascinating way. It’s a surprisingly potent piece, when one thinks about it. Editor: An explosion of societal questioning hidden beneath a playful surface! Curator: Precisely.