Caparisons

Images of caparisons, worn by horses in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Click here for more information on barding, caparisons, trappings, and how to make them.

• Several illustrations in Histoire d’Outremer, (Brit. Lib. Yates Thompson 12), c. 1232-1261
• Several in the Maciejowski Bible (PML M.638), c. 1250
• Grandes Chroniques de France (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 782), c. 1274 (?): battle of Fontenoy-en-Puisaye (782, fol. 187); Lothar I and his army at Fontenoy-en-Puisaye (782, fol. 187); the Normans flee the army of Richard, Duke of Burgundy (782, fol. 209)
• Bas-de-page, Psalter-Hours of Yolande de Soissons (PML M.729, fol. 287r), c. 1280-1299
• St. George, Lives of the Saints (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 588, fol. 113), end of the 13th century
• Duke William and King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, Miscellaneous Chronicles (Brit. Lib. Cotton Vitellius A. XIII, fol. 3v), c. 1280-1300
• Bas-de-page, bible (PML M.436, fol. 404v), c. 1287-1300
• Bas-de-page, psalter (PML M.155, fol. 158v), c. 1290-1305
• Bas-de-page, psalter (PML M.796, fol. 75v), c. 1297-1310
• Fols. 65v and 85v, the Smithfield Decretals (Brit. Lib. Royal 10 E IV), c. 1300-1340
• Several in the Manesse Codex (UBH Cod. Pal. germ. 848), c. 1305-1340
• Fols. 133v, 142v, and 162, Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 8), c. 1320-1330
• Legend of the knight attending the mass instead of taking part in a tournament, Les miracles de Notre Dame (KB 71 A 24, fol. 123r), 1320-1340
• Fols. 82r and 202v, the Luttrell Psalter (Brit. Lib. Add. 42130, fol. 202v), c. 1325-1335
• The Leopard Tapestry, thought to have been made from a caparison made for Edward III, 14th century; additional details at RMN.fr
• Detail from the Fresco of Guidoriccio da Fogliano by Simone Martini, 1328
• Crucifixion by Vitale da Bologna, c. 1335
• A knight of Prato, Regia Carmina (Brit. Lib. Royal 6 E IX, fol. 24), c. 1335-1340
• Many illustrations in The Romance of Alexander (Bodley 264), c. 1338-1344
• Many illustrations in Roman de Troyes (ONB 2571), c. 1340-1360
• Fols. 9r, 13v, 16v, 34r, 49r, 116v, and 120r, Avis aus Roys (PML M.456), mid-14th century
• A knight on horseback, Rationale divinorum officiorum (ÖNB 2765, fol. 42r), c. 1385-1406
• Battle between Saracens and Christians, Willehalm (ÖNB 2643, fol. 211r), 1387
• Henry I battles his enemies, Grandes chroniques de France (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 783, fol. 177v), 14th-15th century
How to make Devices out of Gilded Paper.
Now and then, for these tourneys and jousts, devices are made on the covered horses and on the uniforms, modeled, and sewn on these productions. So I will show you how to make them out of paper. And these papers are laid first, the whole sheet of paper, either with burnished gold or silver. And it is done in this way: grind a little ocher, some tailors' chalk, and a bit of Armenian bole as fine as ever you can. Temper them together with size which is practically plain water, so that it is not at all strong, but has little substance or worth; and, with a soft bristle brush, or with a minever brush, lay one coat of it all over the sheets of paper, fit for writing, but not written on. And when they are dry, go back, and wet a section with a minever brush, and gild that section in the same way and system as you lay gold on the bole on panel; and when you have got the whole sheet laid, watch for the time to burnish it. Take a good flat slab, or a good smooth, hard board, and burnish your sheets over that; and set them aside. And out of these sheets you may make animals, flowers, roses, and devices of many sorts, and it will win you much renown; and you do it quickly and well. And you may embellish them with a little coloring in oil.

Cennino Cennini, Il Libro dell’Arte

• A drawing of a jousting scene (PML M.346, fol. 5r), c. 1400
• Detail from the Retable of St. George by Andrés Marzal de Sax, c. 1400
• Nebuchadnezzar in Judea, Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 9, fol. 184v), beginning of the 15th century
• February from the frescoes at the Castello Buonconsiglio, c. 1405-1410
• Queen Penthesilea (fol. 103v), Achilles killing Polybetes (fol. 137), knights jousting (fol. 150), collected works of Christine de Pizan (Harley 4431), c. 1410-1414
• The King of Portugal dressed for a joust, c. 1433
• The battle of Castor and Laomedon (fol. 32v) and Castor’s batle (fol. 34v), The Trojan War (ÖNB 2773), c. 1445-1450
• Sir Thomas Holme’s Book of Arms, Part 2 (Brit. Lib. Harley 4205, fols. 9-40v), c. 1446
• The Capodilista Codex, 15th century
• A cavalry battle of the Romans and the Gauls from a Florentine cassone panel, c. 1450-1455
• A battle scene from a Florentine cassone panel, 15th century
• Several illustrations in Les Grandes Chroniques de France (BNF Fr. 6465), c. 1455-1460
• Several in the Tournament-Book of King René of Anjou, of which the BNF has (at least) three copies: Français 2695 (c. 1460), Français 2692 (c. 1488-1489), and Français 2693 (c. 1488-1489).
• Fols. 35r, 46v, 48v, 65r, and 114r, Roman de Girart de Nevers, c. 1460
• Alexander the Great (fol. 143) and Caesar, La fleur des histoires (Bibl. Mazarine 1559), third quarter (?) of the 15th century
• Charles VI enters Paris, La fleur des histoires (Bibl. Mazarine 1560, fol. 454v), third quarter of the 15th century
• Triumph of Lutatius Catulus, Facta et dicta memorabilia (BNF Fr. 41, fol. 79), third quarter of the 15th century
• Cassone panel with a battle at the walls of Troy, made by the workshop of Scheggia
• Justus of the Pees (fol. 2v) and Challenge of Pierre de Masse to Sir John Astley (fol. 275v), Ordonances of Chivalry (PML M.775), second half of the 15th century
• Battle of Issos, Historiae Alexandri Magni (BNF Fr. 47, fol. 52v), second half of the 15th century
• Album of Tournaments and Parades in Nuremberg (Met 22.229), recording jousts in Nuremburg from 1446 to 1561; see also The Metropolitan Museum Journal v. 45
• Achilles kills Hector, Histoire ancienne jusqu’ à César (Douce 353, fol. 117r), third quarter of the 15th century
• Several in Hesperides (Canon. Class. Lat. 81), c. 1457-1468
• Alexander and Bucephalus (fol. 123v), Alexander and Jaddus (fol. 128v), Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 50), 1463
• Battle of Lyon (fol. 2v), Theban legion in front of the idol (fol. 43), death of Julian the Apostate (fol. 211), Battle of the Frigidus (fol. 247), Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 51), 1463
• Mounted knights in the Schachzabelbuch (ÖNB 2801), 1464, on fols. 16v and 22r
• A quarrel over a horse (fol. 37r) and a tournament (fol. 146r), Konzil von Konstanz (ÖNB 3044), c. 1465-1475
• Alexander, The City of God (BNF Fr. 18, fol. 60v), c. 1469-1473
• The death of the Sultan of Persia, Confessio amantis (PML M.126, fol. 44v), c. 1470
• Tournament, Chroniques de Hainault (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 811, fol. 116), c. 1470
• Joust between Pierre de Courtenay and the Sire de Clary (fol. 19v) and Jousting at St. Inglevert (fol. 23v), Froissart’s Chronicles (Brit. Lib. Harley 4379), c. 1470-1475
• Death of de Lagurant (fol. 34r), the King of Portugal fights at Juberotes (fol. 204), the King of France arrives at Sluys (fol. 258v), Recueil des croniques d’Engleterre (Brit. Lib. Royal 14 E IV), c. 1470-1480
• Fol. 78r from the Chronique dite de Baudouin d’Avesnes ou Chroniques martiniennes, c. 1470-1488
• Alexander and the Brahmans, The City of God (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 246, fol. 48v), c. 1475
• Tapestries of Portuguese expeditions in North Africa: Entry of Tangier and conquest of Arzila, designed by Nuno Gonzalves and woven by Grenier Pasquier, c. 1475
• Two champions, Der Renner (PML M.763, fol. 138v), c. 1475-1499
• A tournament-tapestry, end of the 15th century
• Detail of Albrecht der Sieghafte, and Adalbert der Andächtige, the Babenberger Family Tree by Hans Part, c. 1489-1492
• Tournament-book of Kaiser Friedrich III and Kaiser Maximilian I (BSB Cod. icon. 398), 1489-1511
• French troops enter Bordeaux, Grandes Chroniques de France (Brit. Lib. Royal 20 C IX, fol. 248v), late 15th century
• Joab kills Absalom, book of hours (PML M.271, fol. 65r), c. 1495-1500
• David battles the Amalekites, Breviary of Eleanor of Portugal (PML M.52, fol. 291r), c. 1500-1510
• Detail from Adoration of the Magi by Jörg Breu the Elder, 1501
• Battle of the Hebrews and the Canaanites, Antiquitates judaicae (Bibl. Mazarine 1581, fol. 89v), c. 1503
• A mounted knight (Cotton Augustus III, fol. 35), early 16th century
• Clovis and the battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier, Chronique universelle (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 523), first quarter (?) of the 16th century
• Jousting scene, Da Costa Hours (PML M.399, fol. 370r), c. 1515
• A 16th century faience equestrian statuette
• Illustration from the Würsung Turnierbuch, 1518
• Mary helps the King Ludwig of Hungary defeat the Turks, c. 1518-1522
• Tapestry with the Virtue of Honors woven by Pieter van Aelst, c. 1520
• February, March, and May in the Augsburger Monatsbilder, 1520s
• June, The Golf Book (Brit. Lib. Add. 24098, fol. 23v), c. 1520-1530
• Henry VIII on horseback by Cornelis Anthonisz, c. 1538
• Judah Maccabee and Judah Maccabee, attributed to Colin Nouailher
• Tournament-book by Hans Burgkmair (BSB Cod.icon. 403), c. 1540
• Prester John’s ensign (Brit. Lib. W 7226, title page), 1540
• A tapestry with Caesar, 16th century
• A tapestry with Godfrey de Bouillon, 16th century
• The funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth I (Brit. Lib. Add. 35324, fol. 37v), 1603
• A caparison made for the wedding-celebration of Gustaf II Adolf of Sweden and Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, designed by David Vinckboons and woven by the Spiering workshop, 1621