The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Gothic Breastplate

Gothic Breastplate

c. 1540
steel
Overall: 32.4 x 31.4 cm (12 3/4 x 12 3/8 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.684
Location: 210A Armor Court

Did You Know?

If you are looking for this in the armor court make sure to look up; it is displayed as part of a panoply, or display with other arms.

Description

A breastplate is an element of armor that protects the chest and abdomen; it would have been worn with a now missing backplate. Nuremburg was one of the chief armor production centers and gained international renown; armor produced there was exported throughout Europe. It was not a coincidence that Nuremburg was known for its armor. The ore available in the region made Nuremburg an iron producing center close to the raw material needed to make a better quality and reliable product.
  • Marquis de Belleval et de Licques
    -1916
    Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Catalogue of Arms and Armour. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], 1900. cat. 343 archive.org
    Hôtel des Ventes, Beauvais. Catalogue des armes & armures, habit de Mestre de Camp composant la collection de M. le Marquis de Belleval et de Licques. Jan 21-23, 1901. Lot 17. Mentioned: p. 9, lot 17 archive.org
    Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: p. 62, C5 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. 162, cat. no. 9
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. 183, cat. no. 21
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (09/10/1998); "Armor Court Reinstallation"
  • {{cite web|title=Gothic Breastplate|url=false|author=|year=c. 1540|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.684