The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Tilting Suit (composed)

Tilting Suit (composed)

c. 1560–80
steel, leather straps, brass rivets
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1511
Location: 210A Armor Court

Did You Know?

Currently only the helmet of this suit is displayed in the museum's armor court; although both helmet and suit came into the collection together they do not belong together.

Description

This armor was developed for the joust-a sporting combat between two mounted contestants. Although all of the elements of this armor date from the same period, they are not all from the same suit. This armor is thus called "composed." It also shows the asymmetry of jousting armor. The participants rode along a wall-like barrier known as a "tilt" with their left sides facing one another. Consequently, armor on that side of the body had to be thicker. Note the large plate (grandguard) over the left shoulder for extra protection. Also, the breathing holes in the helmet were placed on the right side (farthest from an opponent's lance) to avoid injuries from splinters. The bracket attached to the right breastplate is called the lance-rest, a shock-absorbing support designed to accommodate the lance when "couched" under the right armpit.
  • ?-1916
    Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • 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: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: pp. 33-34, A12; Reproduced: Plate V, A12 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. 2d ed., 1948. Reproduction: p. 26 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. p. 50; cat. no. 1, p. 162
    Olsen, Kirstin. All Things Shakespeare: An Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's World. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2002. p. 43
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 3, p. 182
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).
  • {{cite web|title=Tilting Suit (composed)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1560–80|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1511