The Barriers: From Combat To Dance

The Barriers: From Combat to Dance (Almost)
Author(s): Sydney Anglo

Source: Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research, Vol. 25, No. 2, The
Art that All Arts Do Approve: Manifestations of the Dance Impulse in High Renaissance
Culture. Studies in Honour of Margaret M. McGowan (Winter, 2007), pp. 91-106
Published by: Edinburgh University Press
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The Barriers: From Combat to Dance (Almost)
SYDNEY ANGLO
The relationships between Renaissance courtly dancing, the art of fencing, and military dri
have recently been much commented upon. This paper explores one particular type of mo
combat - the Barriers - where the spectacle moved increasingly close to choreography, bu
without ever quite becoming a dance itself. After a brief outline of the evolution of the Barrier
the paper concentrates on a number of late sixteenth and early seventeenth century treatises which
- rather than the actual combat - all stressed the importance of the passeggio and riverenz
that is the balletic aspects of the spectacle; and placed great emphasis on grace, deportment, fo
placement, and on the need to keep exactly to the tempo set by accompanying music.
An aspect of Renaissance courtly dancing which has recently attracted scholarl

attention is its kinship to various martial activities.1 Fencing and the evolutions
soldiers on the march, in the drill-yard, and even on the field of battle, are now
sometimes regarded as having significant affinities to dancing. Agility, grace,
speed of movement, and rapid reflexes, are required of fencer and dancer alike
while the discipline of accomplishing complex group movements with speed and
precision seems common both to well-drilled troops and to participants in a balle
de com. Moreover, the popularity of mock sieges in court festivals, together wit
sword dances such as the pyrrhic, buffens, morescha, mattachins, and barriera (which
despite its name, had nothing to do with the subject of this study), reinforces th
feeling that choreography and combat were interrelated. It has even bee
maintained that many dancing masters taught fencing and that fencing master
often taught dancing. Unfortunately, the connection between martial an
dancing skills is less straightforward. Fencing masters and dancing masters we
sometimes, but only rarely, identical;2 and the history of the various arts - in
ballroom, school of arms, parade ground, and battlefield - may best be charac-
terised as a series of uneven developments proceeding in similar directions, but
generally along parallel rather than convergent lines.
For example, throughout the Renaissance and beyond, masters of arms and
teachers of dancing were experimenting with movement notation: but even as
late as Garoso and Negri, representations of dancers' postures remained wooden
and uninformative as compared with the lively, highly-differentiated illustratio
of many Italian and German works on personal combat from the late thirteent
century onwards. Moreover, the earliest attempt in print to record fencing mov
92 SYDNEY ANGLO
ments diagramma
Orchesographie by f
nothing in Renaiss
and sophistication o
(1630).4 Similarly R
matic representatio
authors, into an i
numbers of troops,
and to take up dif
armed and armoure
dancers; and it is
ballets, which simi
directly from these
The characterist
relationship to the
evolved into various
in the lists but also
as disguisings, masq
resolve some allego
component at som
century, the tour
gradually, the hap
gave way to a for
was mitigated by
and blunted sword
combatants thus pr
would snap rather
were regularised; r
were stressed.
THE BARRIERS: FROM VIOLENCE TO COURTESY
Ghivalric combat at the barriers merits study because, within the space o
more than a century, it epitomised the evolution of all those activities ge
subsumed under the generic title 'Tournament'. At one end of the story k
engaged in mock combats scarcely distinguishable from real battles; at the
gentlemen leaped about, tapping each other with flimsy laths. And just a
introduction of the tilt and counterlists had effectively reduced the peri
jousting, so, towards the end of the fifteenth century, foot combats were s
restricted by a wooden bar or gate, over which knights fought with staff w
or swords. The obstacle prevented bodily contact, diminished the are
defended, and reduced the variety and strength of the blows.
The Barriers was notionally related to attacking or defending fortified
and it may even have retained some military significance in the seven
century, as can be seen in a treatise by Flaminio della Groce (1617), where
THE BARRIERS 93
Fig. 1. Mobile barrier
barrier is a heavy
cheap, easy to mak
(see Figure I).6 The
combat fought ov
at the siege of Mel
the first tournam
contest - la barri
94 SYDNEY ANGLO
Fig. 2. Barriers at San
fully armed but c

which separated t
experiments: but w
Initially, before ru
year after Sandrico
high and, during
when the victim f
and forced the daze
which would later h
not an isolated inci
multiplied. Article
sword, and contesta
or seize an oppone
evident at the dipl
was not desirable
supposedly enjoyin
Instead of a hard-
an exercise or socia
it was said that 'so
cutting of the swo
barriers even app
THE BARRIERS 95
Fig. 3. Barriers at th
Tubingen as part
significantly, it q
as part of some se
between Love an
Amazons in Munic
displeased. Brantom
barrier fighting o
master Narvaez f
master of arms m
lances used in th
combatants who k
with another: sayi
THEORISTS
Because movement and weapon-handling were so circumscribed at the barr

few masters of arms bothered with it. However, from the closing decades o
sixteenth century, a few writers did comment on the subject, and their v
are revealing. The earliest was, perhaps, Alessandro Rossetti (1571) w
paradoxical coupling of show and the avoiding of affectation was typical o
was to follow in treatment of the barriers.15 Federico Ghisliero (1587), for ex
- despite his assertion that chivalric exercises must imitate 'the truth' of ba
was similarly concerned more with appearances than with fighting. Kn
must never go to extremes: their movements should be natural, 'as much wi
96 SYDNEY ANGLO
Fig. 4. Foot combat po
the body as with t

when entering the
do not look like sta
insistence that tru
Ghisliero followed
an original and bus
barriers conveys a
which characterised
becomes even more
Bartolomeo Sereno
without some ingen
decoration of armo
and, with regard to
arms should not us
that the blows of
Sereno does not like
itself, which is, he
the knight, there is
closed visor, it is im
starts to grope abou
laugh. The best thin
so 'losing only a sm
important as loss of
THE BARRIERS 97
Weapon skills in
appropriate devic
that they will obse
affectation; and en
important is the
dancing, lead with
'abode of the heart
whereby (since tha
132-3). Sereno has
the barriers. On no
vice is sufficient t
He must avoid uns
He must not walk
leap; nor keep tw
wishes to fight w
bending the knee
face his adversary
Sereno notes tha
attacked above the
hinders the agility
been the general ru
usually show knigh
only in hose or b
recent years, he c
driven out the use
fangled fashion: 'b
better seen with
firmest part, that
(P- 121).
Nine years after Sereno 's agitatation about thighs, Giovan' Battista Gaiani
published a treatise devoted entirely to the barriers.18 He has, he tells us, per-
formed and taught to the applause of great princes, knights of quality, and
spectators throughout Italy and, in his view, foot combat - the 'exquisite summit
of art' - has reached a perfection far beyond anything known earlier. Its purpose
is to display elegance; to provide knightly recreation; to give relish to the prince;
and, most of all, to serve the ladies. Its actions should, therefore, 'never pose a
danger to life'. On the other hand it does bring practical advantages in warfare
by making the knight's body nimble and accustomed to wearing armour which,
says Gaiani, can be so oppressive that 'more have been conquered or killed in
war by their own arms than by the weapons of the enemy'.
He has a little to say about handling pike and sword: but recommends that
the staff should be gripped near the calcio (or heel) almost at the terminating spike
and held close to the middle of the chest in order not to lose 'too much of the
length of the pike, which brings disadvantage in striking' (p. 23). 19 This grip
reveals the kind of staff Gaiani has in mind - a feeble little wand whose weight
98 SYDNEY ANGLO
Fig. 5. Barriers at Vie
(even when held at

knight. Indeed, if t
they would have be
bound together at
then dried in an ov
wood left green, th
effect (Gaiani, p. 59
the point tremble:
break their pike.
He has little confi
should aim their b
is very difficult to
THE BARRIERS 99
Fig. 6. Barriers from
judgement' (pp. 23
celata (close helme
the heavy side of
too, about the fast
screws' should be
the helmet should
re-echoing [ribom
The armourer, wit
combat (and especi
100 SYDNEY ANGLO
Fig. 7. Pike virtuosity f
because some knight

been so smashed th
armourer had alread
Gaiani's main con
entering the lists.
movements, often w
wonderfully' - an an
(1688) (see Figure 7
understanding of tem
the placing of the fe
placing one foot on
every pace, pausin
especially when a m
unseemly movement
actions' [tremoli d a
with the general ten
placement, and even
the leather reversed
better. Gaiani reprim
soles of their shoes,
and, unlike Sereno, h
proceed 'as elephants
shows bravura and i
other hand, when ta
knees a little as if to
grace and shows a m
The passeggio into t
the knight is most e
THE BARRIERS 101
be 'slow, grave, an
demonstrate 'grace,
pike'. In short, his e
are many who cann
stands and admires
When several knig
of the drum, and G
to indicate the step
starts simultaneous
cities, Gaiani has se
correct tempo with
marriage of the Duk
at the court of the
Knights must keep
way as to appear 'h
nonchalance - and
intrepidezza e di brav
Nor, curiously, is t
nearly 600 pages of
of muscle-bound
etymologies, likes t
to explain what com
every part of his su
five on cartels; eight
the drum for which
knights mar are to
the lists, which is
acts put together'
discussion of the Co
gestures, and which
show.24
One of Pistofilo's observations concerning the drum is that its beats must
be clear and intelligible and that the knight must adjust each pace and each
movement of his weapon in time with those beats, and 'according to the same
rule that is observed in dancing the galliard' (p. 1 15). Certainly, as he later makes
clear, the knight must not lift the points of his feet, like those who cut capers when
dancing , and must especially avoid dragging and shuffling the feet as when
dancing il cannario ('strisciando e stropicciando, come si balla il cannario'). On
the contrary, the feet should be raised cleanly, as is fitting for the gravity of a
knight (pp. 161-2).25
The most revealing part of Pistofilo's treatise is his Third Book which
consists of 1 1 7 full-page copperplates, intended primarily to elucidate the
chapters devoted to combat. Each plate depicts a single knight adopting some
pose, and each is described in a facing page of text. These engravings, executed
by Giovanni Battista Coriolano, are attractive enough: but few suggest serious
102 SYDNEY ANGLO
combat. They are gen

staff being broken
recommended, in an
Figures 8 and 9).
CODA
In 1629 Antonino Ansalone published a general treatise on knighthood, //

Cavaliere, which encapsulates the entire process of the mutation of the knight
from warrior to courtier and, thereby, provides a context within which one may
see how far the barriers had moved away from combat and towards the dance.26
Ansalone's knight, like Castiglione's courtier before him, has to be good at
everything. He must be a skilled horseman, fencer, swimmer, and hunter;
he must know how to handle firearms; he must be knowledgeable about
mathematics, letters, poetry, theatre, music, and history; he must know how to
tilt, fight in the open field, run at the ring and quintain, perform in carousels and
the cane game; and know about bull-fighting and horse ballet. He must also take
part in the Torneo a piedi which, significantly, is nothing more than a gentle combat
at the barriers; and he must be seen as an active participant in spettacoli e nelle
mascherate.
Ansalone has a lofty view of the barriers, because its performance depends
entirely upon a knight's own virtu and valour rather than that of his horse (p. 125).
However, it soon becomes clear that little valour is involved when Ansalone
discusses the use of the pike which, like Gaiani's oven-dried weapons, is merely
a flimsy lath designed to snap. Similarly, the sword for combat at the barriers
must be light, and the object is to strike the crest of the opponent's helm, not
the opponent himself. Only horizontal blows are permitted, either forehand or
backhand; and even here there are those who 'through weakness of arm, not
being able to hold the weight of the sword easily in the hand, are obliged to
deliver short blows' (p. 130).
Like his predecessors, Ansalone's principal concern is with the entry into
the lists. The knights proceed 'to the sound of drums and other instruments', and
display fantastical devices to show that, beneath their physical appearance, there
resides a 'most beautiful and gentle spirit'. Posture and the manner of the riverenze
must be carefully regulated. Affectation is the great enemy. So, too, are ugly
movements 'which are noisome and displeasing'; and, in order not to fall into
such abominable defects, knights are enjoined to recall what was written on this
matter by Alessandro Rossetti who had stressed the importance of moving body,
arms and legs, al naturale e con vivacitd (p. 127).27 Ansalone also notes that it is of no
small profit to the knight to know how to dance because, 'as said the Count
Baldassare Castiglione, one must observe a certain majesty tempered with
graciousness [leggiadria], and an airy sweetness of movement, with time and
measure'. The knight is enjoined to avoid excessive speed and complicated steps
which go beyond decorum; and Ansalone is at pains to define la leggiadria. This
quality is, he says, a certain observation of natural law governing both the whole
THE BARRIERS 103
Fig. 8. A posture at the b
104 SYDNEY ANGLO
Fig. 9. A surprise! A staff
THE BARRIERS 105
body and the indi

without rule, measu
It is apparent that
repeat the same bas
the riverenza; with
movement; and wit
music. They all stre
an artificial style
fighting techniqu
hampered by a ba
Bearing in mind t
writing about comb
then we are, I think
la barriere in banque
court masques are
it came very close.
NOTES
1 . See especially, Kate Van Orden, Music, Discipline, and Arms in Early Modern France (Chicago
and London, 2005); Barbara Ravelhofer, The Early Stuart Masque. Dance, Costume, and Music
(Oxford, 2006).
2. For example, of the forty-three dancing masters listed by Cesare Negri, Le Gratie dAmore
(Milan, 1602), pp. 2-6, only four are said to have been teachers of fencing. P. Brioist,
H. Drevillon, P. Serna, Croiser lefer (Mayenne, 2002, p. 140, assert that Arbeau and Saviolo
taught both fencing and dancing. But this is unlikely: although John Florio, Second Frutes
(London, 1591), p. 119, does refer to Saviolo as 'a good dancer'. A striking late example
of the combination is the work of Johann Georg Pasch who wrote not only on fencing
and wrestling, but also on dancing.
3. Henri de Sainct Didier, Traicte contenant les secrets du premier livre de Vespee seule (Paris, 1573),
combines a primitive tracking system with figurative representations; and, as the student
Capriol assures his teacher, Arbeau, in the Orchesographie (1588), 'fencing has already
acquainted me with all these gestures'.
4. On Thibault, see Sydney Anglo, The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe (2000), pp. 73-82
etc.
5. See J. R. Hale, A humanistic visual aid. The military diagram in the Renaissance',
Renaissance Studies, II (1988), pp. 280-98.
6. Flaminio della Croce, Theatro militare (second edn: Antwerp, 1617), Figure 5, pp. 147-9.
7. Jean Juvenal ds Ursins, Histoire de Charles VI, Roy de France, ed. Michaud and Poujoulat
(1836), pp. 559-60.
8. A. Vayssiere, Le Pas des armes de Sandncourt (Pans, 1874).
9. History of Bayard, tr. Loredan Larchey (1883), p. 60.
10. At the barriers held in Paris to celebrate the marriage of Louis XII and Henry VIII s sister
Mary in 1514, the French, anxious to humiliate their guests, introduced a German giant
to beat up the Duke of Suffolk who, however, leaned over the barrier and 'by pure
strength tooke hym about the necke, and pomeled so about the hed that the bloud yssued
out of his nose', See Edward Halle, Chronicle, ed. H. Ellis (1809), pp. 571-2. In 1519, at
the barriers at Noseroy, knights were still being knocked to the ground by blows with the
butt end of the lance, or severely wounded by sword cuts to head and hands. See B. Prost,
Traite du dueljudiciare (Paris, 1872), pp. 244-5, 247-8.
11. The Lisle Letters, ed. Muriel St Clare Byrne (Chicago and London, 1981), V, No. 1 109a.
106 SYDNEY ANGLO
12. Johann Ghristoph N

collegis quod Tubingae qu
1 3. See Halle, pp. 722~4;
eBruxelles (Milan, 1997
14. Brantome, Oeuvre
Narvaez, Advertencias
15. Alessandro Rossetti,
consult this work, bu
Rossetti e di un suo libro
16. See S. Anglo, 'Sixtee
cavagliereschi essercitii\
17. Bartolomeo Sereno, T
deWimprese et invention
18. Giovan' Battista Gai
1 9. For more serious ad
of Renaissance Europe,
20. Cf. Pietro Monte, Ex
where the knight is adv
the 'noise and clangour
21. Antonio Vezzani, Ue
22. Discours de ce qui s'est
Barriere, tant a pied qu'a
23. Bonaventura Pistof
24. The head of the pol
be too hard - so that i
25. Like Sereno, Pistofi
he approve of sticking
26. Antonino Ansalone, /
27. See above, n.15.

The Barriers: From Combat To Dance

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The Barriers: From Combat to Dance (Almost)

Author(s): Sydney Anglo

An aspect of Renaissance courtly dancing which has recently attracted scholarl

THE BARRIERS: FROM VIOLENCE TO COURTESY

Fig. 1. Mobile barrier

Fig. 2. Barriers at San

fully armed but c

Because movement and weapon-handling were so circumscribed at the barr

Fig. 4. Foot combat po

the body as with t

Fig. 5. Barriers at Vie

(even when held at

Fig. 6. Barriers from

Fig. 7. Pike virtuosity f

because some knight

combat. They are gen

In 1629 Antonino Ansalone published a general treatise on knighthood, //

Fig. 8. A posture at the b

Fig. 9. A surprise! A staff

body and the indi

12. Johann Ghristoph N

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