Knights are emblematic of the Middle Ages. They played a prominent role in feudal society, for these armor-wearing, mounted warriors served their lieges (lords or kings) in battle. Early medieval knights were often of humble birth, but by the late 12th century, they were members of nobility who followed a chivalric code of conduct.
Carpaccio’s Knight
One of the most important paintings of a knight is Italian artist Vittore Carpaccio’s “Young Knight in a Landscape” at Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum. It is potentially the earliest example of a painted European full-length portrait.
Carpaccio (circa 1460/66–1525/26) was one of the principal artists of the Venetian school. Historically, he is best known for large narrative cycles created for “scuole,” or lay confraternities, in his hometown. Nonetheless, his surname may be most recognizable today as the name of the raw beef dish, which was titled in his honor due to his famous use of strong red hues.
The details of much of Carpaccio’s early training and career remain uncertain. Scholars believe he may have studied with the Bellini family. His works have similarities to their style, but also a uniqueness all their own.
Carpaccio was also a renowned portraitist. He received commissions throughout Italy, but few works in this genre survive. “Young Knight in a Landscape” is considered his greatest portrait. While currently celebrated, it was attributed until 1919 to Albrecht Dürer. This was due to the flora and fauna’s extraordinary naturalistic detail, which is also symbolic. An example of this is the falcon illustrated on a tree branch; the bird represents warrior virtue.
The identification of the young knight, who is resplendently attired in armor, remains unresolved. There are a number of candidates for the subject. At bottom left, by the short-tailed weasel, the phrase “Malo mori quam foedari” (“Better to die than be defiled”) provides a potential clue, for it was the motto of the Order of the Ermine. One possibility is that the knight is the Venetian capitano Marco Gabriel. Black and gold, colors of his family’s coat of arms, are prominently depicted on the background’s horseman and on the shoes and scabbard of the knight.
Another prospect is Antonio da Montefeltro, which would make this a posthumous, funerary image. The tree stump at bottom right is symbolic of a life cut short. The most widely accepted opinion is that the figure is Francesco Maria della Rovere, third Duke of Urbino and captain-general of the Papal States, since there are potential links between him and the depicted landscape.
A Warrior Archangel
Several Christian saints are frequently depicted as knights. One such example is St. Michael, who features in the Book of Revelation as a warrior archangel leading an angelic army against a dragon representing evil.
The Met Cloisters in New York City has in its collection a wooden Spanish sculpture of the saint from circa 1530. The artwork was likely positioned at a height and intended to be viewed from below. These conclusions are drawn due to the statue’s large scale and the figure’s leaning pose.
Slaying the Dragon
The Met on Fifth Avenue has an artwork on display, in miniature, of another saint associated with knighthood. The circa 1600 “Watch in the form of a badge of the Order of the Garter,” with a movement by Nicholas Vallin, depicts on its case St. George fighting the dragon. The order’s motto “honi soit qui mal y pense” (“shame to him who thinks evil of it”) is enameled on its band.
Before becoming a Christian martyr, St. George was a Roman soldier famous for his bravery. It is said that one of his heroic feats involved slaying a dragon to save the daughter of a pagan king. His victorious battle with the monster led the king and his subjects to convert to Christianity.
Romance and Enchantment
Knights had a starring role in literary medieval legend. Interest in these epic stories, particularly from the court of King Arthur, was revived in the Victorian age by artists like the Pre-Raphaelites and writers such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The British artist Edmund Blair Leighton (1852–1922) worked a generation after the first wave of Pre-Raphaelites. He was one of the last and greatest propagators of the movement’s interest in heroic knights, damsels, chivalry, and romance, albeit in an academic style.
Blair Leighton’s 1900 canvas “God Speed” has appeared thrice at auction in the 21st century and is currently in a private collection. The titular English phrase dates back to the 15th century. The medieval saying was “God spede you,” which was said to travelers to wish them a prosperous journey.
The painting shows a beautiful young woman bidding her knight farewell as he prepares to depart the castle and enter the battlefield. This type of scene was favored by the Pre-Raphaelites, evoking Tennyson’s poetic interpretation of his nation’s King Arthur legends. The contemporaneous viewer would have easily understood the work’s emotional pull and identified with its celebration of honor and valor; it was painted during the Boer War, which necessitated similar partings of couples.
The young knight in the foreground is mounted on a white charger and wears full armor. Blair Leighton had an extensive arms and armor collection and used them in his work. The painting’s maiden, perhaps a noblewoman or a princess, leans from a balustrade as she ties a richly embroidered red scarf around his arm. Its symbolism is as a token of her love. It is also to remind the knight that she will wait for his return. He looks at her with a heartfelt expression. Alas, the outcome of the battle is unclear. The fallen petals of the pink rambler roses that cling to the stone edifice may foreshadow that their love is threatened.
In Sotheby’s 2007 catalog entry for this work, it says: “The charm of Blair Leighton’s work is in the emotion and beauty captured by an artist who fully understood, like the best theatre or film directors, how to create maximum drama without descending into parody or empty sentimentality. He painted a world of romance and enchantment set in medieval times and can perhaps be credited with influencing the modern-day conception of medieval history, which was later adapted by contemporary film-makers.”
The knightly world came to an end as the Middle Ages made way for the Renaissance. The shift from feudalism to centralized monarchies along with new military maneuvers and weapons made the knight and his full suit of armor antiquated. Instead of warriors on horseback, warfare was dominated by infantry. The rise of firearms meant that hand-to-hand combat was no longer paramount. Knighthood retrenched to an honorific rank bestowed by monarchs. While the medieval concept of a knightly code of chivalry and courtly love is no longer a foundational part of society, knights continue to hold sway over the popular imagination.
