Jousting Knights Lived Dangerously!

[Matchlock]

- The finest Late-Gothic suit of armor in existence; it was made for the Emperor Maximilian I

- close-ups

- page from Konrad Kyeser: Bellifortis (The Strong Warrior), Eichstätt, Bavaria, 1405

- mechanical breast pieces for the joust

- costume helmet, fox

- two foot combatants: original jousting harnesses, and equiped with original weapons

[Matchlock]

- foot combatants, close-up

- nasal helmet

- from the jousting book Freydal of Maximilian I

- tournament

- jousting toys, two runners, cast-bronze, ca. 1500

- Hungarian winged pavese

- wadding worn under jousting helmets

- golden forehead crest as a lady's gift for taking part in a joust

[Matchlock]

- Gregor Baci, a Hungarian Nobleman

According to tradition, the man portrayed is the Hungarian nobleman Gregor Baci, who was healed after having a lance pierce his right eye during a tournament. In the inventory of 1621 he is identified as an Hungarian hussar, who suffered this injury while fighting against the Turks. In the case of portraits of unusual people the interest of the collector, Archduke Ferdinand II, was not focussed on the painting as a work of art but rather on the person portrayed, his special destiny and his deeds. These were simply the qualities that made him a celebrity and raised him above the level of the average person. This desire to preserve the whole person and his deeds for posterity was, of course, also the motivation for collecting weapons and armour of famous rulers in his heroes armoury (wikipedia).

[kronckew]

gregor's granny always told him that he could put somebodies eye out with that thing. bet it smarted a bit.

[Matchlock]

Grrreat, and thanks, both Kronckew and 'Nando,


Your comments sure have brightened up my Christmas Eve! And I was afraid nobody would be gonna care today ...

My old service guns don't have too much to add either; they prefer keeping silent on everything they've been put thru 400 to 700 years ago but you can see the score is written in the scratches on their stocks and barrels ... Those visions sometimes make me kinda tremble ...


Now go on celebrate with your loved ones, everybody!


Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

The catalog seems to be available only via the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (Vienna), the price is euro 24.95 plus postage.

m

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

...Now go on celebrate with your love ones, everybody! ...

We are (also) celebrating here .

[kronckew]

those photos were just stunning and i'm jealous as i'll likely never get to see it in person.

the bavarian genes in me admire the beauty and want to go out for a beer.

the prussian gene lurking in the background wonders how they defended the castle with all them windows and gaps in the walls. (and no moat monster).

aw heck. tonite i'll be bavarian. or maybe tyrolean - i am after all half austrian.



Fröliche Weihnachten! und ein Gutes Neue Jahr!

Grusse Gott,

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

- The finest Late-Gothic suit of armor in existence; it was made for the Emperor Maximilian I ...

Magnificent !
But no wonder Maximilian had such an elegant taste; his mother was Portuguese