Rare targe de tournoi « à la Hongroise »,... - Lot 90 - Pierre Bergé & Associés

Rare targe de tournoi « à la Hongroise », Flügeltartsche, Allemagne du Sud milieu XVIe siècle. A rare "Hungarian" tournament shield, Flügeltartsche, South German, mid-16th century. With convex wooden body, the upper edge swept-up to the rear corner, covered with thin leather over a hemp lining on both sides, the inner face painted red with pale blue and black borders edged in white lines and the outer border also painted red, with six iron nails previously attaching enarms and a strap, the outer face painted red over its entire surface, and fitted with six characteristic bevelled triangular iron washers seating the nails for the interior leathers. H.: 84 cm - W.: 58.5 cm. Provenance: Galerie Fischer, Luzern, May 24, 1983, lot 105. Shields of this type were used in the so-called "Huszarischen" tournaments that became fashionable at the Habsburg court in the middle of the 16th century and which took place in Vienna and Prague. Examples are preserved in the former Imperial Collection in Vienna and appear to have been derived from taller true Hungarian shields for light cavalry. See, GAMBER, Ortwin and BEAUFORT, Christian, Katalog der Leibrüstkammer, II Teil, 1990, pp.151-153, 216-217. Also see, KALMÁR, J., Régi Magyar fegyverek, 1971, pp.308-319.