Field (Horseman's) Armor
- 108
Practical and technological considerations were paramount, but armor also reflects the artistic climate of the period. Styles in armor followed men's civilian dress fashions, and armor was often elaborately decorated in the style of the time. Ostrich feathers appear to have been commonly used as decorative plumes, for they symbolized steadfastness. They were never ruffled, even in the strongest wind. The plumes in this exhibition are modern reproductions based on designs and colors of the sixteenth century.
This suit is composed of pieces from two different armors. The lance rest on the breastplate is a later addition.
Purchased at his sale, Ancient European Armor and Weapons, including two finely etched suits of Pisan armor from the collection of the Duke of Osuna, American Art Galleries, New York, April 30, 1923, lot 148 or 149, through W. B. Johnson, by William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), New York and San Simeon, CA, 1923-November 24, 1939 [1];
Purchased at his sale, The William Randolph Hearst Collection, Part VII, Arms and Armor, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, November 24, 1939, lot 128, by French and Company, New York, stock no. 19651/42, 1939-April 6, 1940 [2];
Purchased from French and Company by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1940.
NOTES:
[1] It is unclear whether this suit was lot 148 or 149 in the sale. The descriptions of the lots in the catalogue both describe elements that make up the Nelson-Atkins suit, but both also describe elements that are not part of the Nelson-Atkins suit. It is possible that elements of these two suits were later combined into the current configuration. Hearst’s ownership is document in the William Randolph Hearst Archive, Long Island University Post (S/B lot 1033, art. 178, Album 6, p. 29).
[2] Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, French and Company Stock Sheets, box 20.
