Tournament Shield (Targe)

German

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 307

Shields of this shape were inspired by Hungarian light-cavalry shields and were adopted in Germany and Austria for the Hussarisch Turnier (tournament in Hungarian-style costume). The German motto around the owl reads in translation, "Although I am the hated bird, I rather enjoy that." Below this are the quartered arms of the Tänzl and Rindscheit families, which were united by marriage in 1499.

Tournament Shield (Targe), Wood, burlap, leather, gesso, polychromy, German

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Front

Tournament Shield (Targe), Wood, burlap, leather, gesso, polychromy, German
Tournament Shield (Targe), Wood, burlap, leather, gesso, polychromy, German
Tournament Shield (Targe), Wood, burlap, leather, gesso, polychromy, German
Tournament Shield (Targe), Wood, burlap, leather, gesso, polychromy, German

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.