The Tournament

This lively engraving is the earliest known print depicting a tournament. A small Bavarian coat of arms on the apothecary shop at right, below the inscribed date, suggests that the scene is set in Munich, the seat of the Bavarian court. The central figures on the balcony may be Duke Albrecht IV and his wife, Kunigunde of Austria. Charming details abound, such as the attendant straining to help a fallen knight to his feet and a spooked horse biting an unsuspecting knight from behind, sending his steed into a gallop. The identification of the engraver as the Munich goldsmith Matthäus Zasinger is generally accepted. Yet the aerial view of the scene, the broad composition, and the deftly light and spirited burin work cast doubt on this association, suggesting instead that Master MZ may have been a painter.