German Joust of Peace c. 1512 - 1515

Editor: Here we have "German Joust of Peace," a coloured-pencil drawing made around 1512-1515 by an anonymous artist. The scene shows two knights falling off their horses during a jousting match. The broken lances really highlight the force of impact, but there is something stylized about it. How do you read this work? Curator: I read this through its materiality and the labour embedded within its production. The coloured pencil, a relatively accessible medium even then, points to a potential function beyond 'high art'. Consider the social context: tournaments weren't just sport; they were performative displays of wealth and power. The creation of even a 'simple' drawing like this speaks to the economics surrounding such displays. Editor: So you're suggesting the materials themselves reflect the socio-economic realities? That it might be a record, or a study for a larger project? Curator: Exactly! Think about the paper. Was it readily available? Was the pigment locally sourced or imported? Who commissioned this work, and for what purpose? These are critical questions that a materialist approach pushes us to consider. Was this drawing, for example, meant for planning elaborate textiles related to the joust, tapestries perhaps, mapping material cost and aesthetic display to communicate status? Editor: It's fascinating to consider the drawing not just as an image, but as a record of resources and a reflection of labour. Curator: Precisely. And by examining those material conditions, we begin to dismantle the artificial hierarchies that separate "art" from "craft," gaining a richer understanding of the forces shaping artistic production and its relationship to the social hierarchy. Editor: I see how shifting our focus to the materials and production expands our interpretation of the image. I'll never look at coloured pencil the same way again!