Foot Combat with War Hammers and Tartsche Shields
1514
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1514
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Foot Combat with War Hammers and Tartsche Shields is a 1514 ink by German 16th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This ink-and-watercolor drawing shows two fighters locked in combat. They wear heavy armor and hold war hammers and round shields called tartsche. The artist used fine lines and thin glazes of color to build up their armor plate. The armor looks almost real enough to wear. That level of detail wasn’t easy in 1515—artists had to grind pigments by hand and layer them carefully. Look for more German armor drawings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
A German artist from the late 1500s drew lively scenes of knights clashing in parades and mock battles.
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