Festival of the Archers - Schuttersfeest 1493 by Meister von Frankfurt ,Meester van Frankfurt, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium, Belgian. ( The fifteenth century, cities in the Low Countries relied on civic militias to help maintain public order. Armed guilds like this also represented their town at festivities elsewhere, and organised competitions and parties of their own. A well-attended festival staged by one of Antwerp’s four crossbow companies is what we see here. The host was the ‘Guild of the Old Handbow’, which owned the painting for many years.

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n the fifteenth century, cities in the Low Countries relied on civic militias to help maintain public order. Armed guilds like this also represented their town at festivities elsewhere, and organised competitions and parties of their own. A well-attended festival staged by one of Antwerp’s four crossbow companies is what we see here. The host was the ‘Guild of the Old Handbow’, which owned the painting for many years. The fortresses in the background help us read this lively panel as we can link their coats of arms and flags to the prestigious guildhalls in the centre of Antwerp, where the various companies were headquartered.

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Size: 5197px × 7785px
Location: Antwerp
Photo credit: © Peter Horree / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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