"Blind" Shaffron, a horse's head defense, for a Joust (c. 1490), from Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Dublin Core

Title

"Blind" Shaffron, a horse's head defense, for a Joust (c. 1490), from Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Subject

Equestrian Equipment

Description

This piece, made from steel, brass, textile and leather, is traditionally what a knight’s horse wore during the joust.  It was important for the horse to be protected. Horses were expensive, for one; in the film A Knight’s Tale (2001), in the joust, if a knight unseated another, he won his horse, which was an extremely valuable prize. And because horses were the means through which a knight could win glory, they must be protected from the lance as well.  Shards could fly off and hurt the horse.  This image shows a blind headpiece, which shielded the horse’s vision from the opponent. 

Publisher

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 
https://www.metmuseum.org

Date

c. 1490

Contributor

Kristen Sulewski

Type

Still Image

Coverage

Germany
Late Middle Ages (c. 1300-1500)
c. 1490

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

Equestrian Equipment

Physical Dimensions

H. 21 1/4 in. (54.1 cm); W. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm); D. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm); Wt. 5 lb. 13 oz. (2638 g)

Files

Horse Mask.jpg

Citation

“"Blind" Shaffron, a horse's head defense, for a Joust (c. 1490), from Metropolitan Museum of Art.,” Medieval Hollywood, accessed June 6, 2023, https://medievalhollywood.ace.fordham.edu/items/show/37.

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