Breastplate of Field Armor, from a garniture, probably made for Ludwig Ungnad von Weissenwolf auf Sunegg

Artist Desiderius Helmschmid (German, Augsburg, 1513–1579)

Artistdecorated by Jörg T. Sorg the Younger (Southern Germany, Augsburg, about 1525 – 1603)

Dateabout 1552

Mediumsteel with embossed, etched, blackened and gilded decoration, with modern brass, velvet, leather and steel

Dimensions51 × 35 × 18 cm (20 1/16 × 13 3/4 × 7 1/16 in.), 8 lb (weight)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

MarkingsAll major components are internally marked with HAM accession number in black on a white field.

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.74.3

DescriptionBreastplate and matching backplate form a cuirass used as a part of a Stechkueriss (p. 54 of Gamber), a Feldkueriss (p.55, ibid), and the Stechzeug component of a Kueriss (p. 59, ibid).

The breastplate consists of mainplate with belly plate and fauld; it is of the long-bellied form with full-length medial ridge, anticipating the true 'peascod' variety. It consists of a long mainplate having a shallow curved neck opening, flexible gussets that form the shoulders, and a deep, dipped articulated waistplate which the mainplate overlaps. To the ends of the downturned flange of this is riveted a skirt lame (once removable via turning-pins), slightly rounded for the hips and having a low arch at the fork. The edge of this arch, the neck opening, gussets and the ends of the skirt lame are inwardly turned and roped. That of the neck is strong, and formed with a medial knurling. The squared tops of the gussets are fitted with modern squared, tongued brass buckles for the backplate straps. At mid-height of the side edges of the mainplate are T-shaped slots for screw fasteners of the back.

The right front of the breastplate is pierced at above mid-height with a vertical set of four holes for the lost lance-rest backed internally by a cross-shaped, threaded screw-plate riveted in place.

The waistplate articulates on a set of internal leathers and sliding-rivets. The slots for the sliding rivets have been modified by shortening, a feature also found on the backplate. The skirt lame is fitted with later, modern leathers for the tassets. There are sets of holes along the basal edge in locations appropriate for internal articulating leathers. All rivets are either the older, but post working-life examples of iron, capped in brass, or more recent solid brass replacements.

The breastplate is decorated in the primary motif along the medial ridge, from the arm openings to the waistline and down across the skirt lame, at the neck and encircling the arm openings proper, the arch of the fork and side ends of the skirt. Encircling the waist at the flange is a new motif: intertwined running helix and lozenge strapwork on a plain gilded ground, edged above by a narrow bright fillet and a thin, etched blackened band.
ProvenancePer Stephen V. Grancsay in the Armory's 1961 catalogue, this armor was inherited from the Sachsen-Altenburg line by the Schwarzburg-Sondershauser in or after 1869. Ex collection, the Duke of Altenburg (Schloss Altenburg, Thuringia, Germany); Prince Schwarzburg-Sondershausen; Clarence H. Mackay (Harbor Hill, Roslyn, L.I., NY). Purchased by Museum on April 1, 1940 from Jacques Seligmann & Co. (NYC), agents for the estate of Clarence H. Mackay, their no. A-20-110. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.

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