# Jousting Shield (Stecktarge) with the Coat of Arms of the City of Deggendorf

- By: South German; Bavaria
- Date: 1450/60
- Medium: Wood, iron, leather, canvas, gesso, and paint
- Classification: Armor
- Dimensions: 77.5 × 53.3 cm (30 1/2 × 21 in.)
- Culture: Saxony
- Credit line: George F. Harding Collection
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/112052)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/1d4589c0-4d36-06a7-8310-83d81bfa286d/full/!1852,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This large curved rectangular shield was developed especially for use with a lance. The jouster rested his lance in the cutout opening on the proper right, called a bouche or mouth. Such shields had been common in war, but by the mid-15th century they functioned more often in jousting, as targets. After tournaments these were frequently hung in homes or in public places to celebrate a noble family or, as in this case, a city.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0