Art Institute of Chicago
Zischägge (Helmet) and Cuirass of Emperor Ferdinand II
South GermanLinkedCulture matchlcp-adc2d297e648
- Date
- c. 1620
- Medium
- Steel, gilding, brass, and leather
- Culture
- Southern Germany
- Department
- Applied Arts of Europe
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 106375
From the Art Institute of Chicago record
The design of this armor follows an eastern European fashion for lighter-equipped cavalry. Its considerable thickness and weight (about 25 pounds) were meant to protect the wearer’s vitals from the deadly threat of firearms. This armor, however, did not belong to any ordinary cavalryman, but to Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II. Ferdinand ruled during the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48), which devastated much of central Europe. Asserting the authority of the Habsburg dynasty, the etched and gilt decoration on the breastplate depicts two of the emperor’s great forebears, Maximilian I on the right and Charles V on the left.
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- George F. Harding Collection
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300209266
Part of a LinkedCulture topic
European Renaissance Armor ComponentsThese objects are all pieces of defensive armor and military equipment from 15th-17th century Europe, primarily from major armoring centers like Italy, Germany, and France.
500 objects from 4 institutions
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