Cleveland Museum of Art

Pauldron for Right shoulder

Date

c. 1560–70

Medium

steel, blued and gilded

Culture

Italy, 16th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This element for the shoulder once belonged to a suit decorated by the bluing technique, a process of superheating armor plates to achieve a deep blue color. Bluing required heating to at least 590 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which oxidation occurs. Although the original color is now darkened it would have originally been a deep shade of blue. It was further enhanced with gilding to create additional contrast for a refined appearance. A pauldron is a component of plate armor that covers the shoulder and often the armpit, and parts of the back and chest as well.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.