Archery Contest

Description Archery contests were not only fun but also a way of encouraging medieval men to learn this valuable skill. Excellent archers could make all the difference in battle; in England, men were required by law to learn how to use a bow. Note the artist's irreverently playful juxtaposition of imagery here; just above the archery contest, St. Sebastian is being martyred in a barrage of arrows.

Exhibitions

• Checkmate! Medieval People at Play. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2010.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore, after 1894 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, after 1894