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Breastplate
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This breastplate, lacking its tassets, is nonetheless a fine example of the superb sculptural forms achieved by Renaissance armorers. Its contours and glancing surface illustrate the extremes sought by both armorers and patrons in order to deflect projectiles such as crossbow bolts and thrusting lances. Embellishment was an important aspect of fine armor. This breastplate bears a fine etched decoration of a kneeling knight, possibly the armor's owner, before the Crucifixion. This may have created a kind of personalized devotional image for use in combat.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineBreastplate, c. 1550. Germany, Nuremberg. Steel with etched figure kneeling before Crucifixion; overall: 31.3 x 35 x 20 cm (12 5/16 x 13 3/4 x 7 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance, 1916.1647
