Tournament Book of Knightly Acts (Thurnier Buech Warhafftiger Ritterlicher Thaten)
Original title: Tournament Book of Knightly Acts (Thurnier Buech Warhafftiger Ritterlicher Thaten)
kurzbeschreibung
Hanns Lautensack brought out Turnierbuch wahrhaftiger ritterlicher Taten in 1561, a printed volume that brings together etchings, woodcuts and letterpress text. The title page carries the book's title in both Latin and German, framed by coats of arms and royal emblems standing for the nobility involved.
Description
Black and white rules the title page, though red accents pick out the title and a few of the shields. A German translation accompanies the Latin title. Rings of coats of arms gather around the wording, with further royal symbols added among them. The illustrations belong to the woodcut and copperplate manner of the Renaissance.
Context
Lautensack, a German artist, assembled this collection in 1561, when tournament books were in demand as objects of courtly display, in order to record knightly deeds and noble families. The shields point to a link with particular tournaments or houses, although the patrons are not documented.
Impact
The meeting of black-and-white printing and red accents lends the title page a ceremonial, representative presence. Coats of arms arranged symmetrically around the title stress the order and formality of what follows.
Technique
Etching, woodcut and letterpress printing are combined in the book. Text and woodcuts were printed in relief, while the etchings allowed finer lines for details such as the coats of arms. The red accents most likely came from additional printing passes or from hand-colouring.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)