Mock Joust of War with Fixed Shields c. 1512 - 1515

Curator: This engaging drawing is called "Mock Joust of War with Fixed Shields," created circa 1512-1515. It's rendered in watercolor and colored pencil, and we believe it is by an anonymous artist. Editor: My first impression? Organized chaos! It’s this peculiar blend of a serious face-off and something terribly comical, like medieval slapstick. I suppose it speaks volumes about humanity's need to dress up violence, perhaps to mask it a bit with frivolity. Curator: Jousting was indeed a symbolic performance deeply embedded in medieval culture, almost like theater, right? It spoke to so much—courage, honor, skill, and, of course, power. The shields here being “fixed” suggests it was more ritualistic and less about mortal combat. Notice the repetition of color and pattern in their outfits. Editor: I’m really struck by the tilted perspective too. One knight looks like he’s flying through the air, and the whole composition makes the entire scene somewhat precarious. Curator: Visually, the color choices also say something significant. While subdued, these would have carried their own significance. The black and white on one side suggesting stoicism while red perhaps stood for passion. The costumes weren't just costumes, right? They were billboards broadcasting one's identity. Editor: Exactly! Think of peacocks strutting – that's precisely what’s happening. Though there's always this odd feeling viewing history through art... Like eavesdropping on someone else’s elaborate inside joke. The theatrics do distract from the more base urges, I think. Curator: That distance is essential to reflect on cultural memory. Art functions as a sort of container that holds, and then represents collective values of a period in a comprehensible visual framework. Editor: But sometimes, all the 'containers' do is show us just how silly some things were! At the heart, maybe it's always been about humans seeking the limelight in the most elaborate ways imaginable! But, I must admit, this little glimpse does ignite a playful curiosity. Curator: Perhaps that's the point; to look backward, examine, reconsider and move forward with insights that illuminate both past and present. Editor: Very eloquently put! Now, off to ponder modern jousting equivalents... Corporate ladder climbing, perhaps?