Mock Joust of War with Flying Shields and Without Bevors c. 1512 - 1515

Editor: This delicate drawing, "Mock Joust of War with Flying Shields and Without Bevors," from around 1512-1515, gives us such a precise rendering of Renaissance-era knights in colored pencil and watercolor! The details in the armor and the horses are impressive. It almost feels like a light-hearted scene, yet something feels... off. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's true, there's an element of playful absurdity here. Notice the 'flying shields' mentioned in the title. These aren’t functional parts of the joust. Consider what a joust, even a 'mock' one, symbolized in the early 16th century: power, nobility, martial skill. Editor: So, the detached shields... what do they signify? Curator: Exactly. What happens when you strip away the symbolic weight of objects of power, like shields and armor? Look at how deliberately each element is rendered – consider it less about realistic battle and more about an exploration of the symbols *of* battle. The meticulousness with which these trappings of power are illustrated – do you get a sense of the memory they carried from other artworks or events? Editor: I see what you mean. They feel almost like actors in costume rather than soldiers ready for battle! They seem posed, each element carefully arranged. Curator: Precisely. And those 'costumes', as you put it, evoke layers of historical association. They are loaded signifiers in the context of dynastic and martial rivalries. By disembodying the symbols, the artist invites us to question not just the image of war but perhaps even what these symbols are meant to signify or conceal. Editor: This has definitely made me reconsider my initial, lighter impression. There’s a critical edge to this playfulness! Curator: Indeed. This piece makes you question everything, not at all the straightforward image of heroic knights as it appears. It's always important to remember how symbolic a simple artistic choice can become.