The Wallace Collection
Mondays 29 January, 5, 12 and 19 February
This four-week course taught by Curator of Arms and Armour Tobias Capwell will examine the visual, literary, and material culture of the Medieval and Renaissance knight in Europe. The knight was at once a socio-political figure, a heroic symbol, an economic problem, a demonstration of high technology, a professional sportsman, and a deadly warrior. Exploring ten centuries of the knight as a cultural icon, this course will examine his portrayal by poets, historians and, perhaps most importantly, by artists. Students will study sources as diverse as illuminated manuscripts, funerary effigies, martial arts manuals, and even everyday objects such as candlesticks, mirror-cases and water jugs.
Image
Wallace Collection - Gothic' equestrian armour, South German, c. 1480-1500. From Schloss Hohenaschau in Bavaria, the seat of the Freyburg family.
