Jousting shield I. c.1370-1460 - plywood

Wooden base for a medieval shield - the cavalry shield with a cutout for the lance.

The triangular shape of the shield used by heavy cavalrymen, which was used with only minor modifications in the 13th century and the first half of the 14th century, began to undergo changes after around 1350. In the following decades, the corners of the shield gradually rounded, and a cutout for positioning the lance during an attack appeared on the shield. This cavalry shield, referred to in Czech as "tarče" (from the German "Tartsche"), was mainly intended to protect against hits from arrows or lances of opponents and was not primarily designed for fencing either on horseback or on foot with a one-handed weapon. It was used for both combat and tournament disciplines involving lances – known as jousting. This type of shield was used by heavy and semi-heavy cavalrymen in Europe from the second half of the 14th century until around the first decade of the 16th century. Over time, the shape of the shield continuously evolved according to needs and fashion – from the original curvature towards the bearer to concave curvatures in the opposite direction and various variations of reinforcement and surface decoration.

The material is bent very light birch plywood with a thickness of 5mm.

• Dimensions 43 x 70 cm