id: 95928 accession number: 1916.1647 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1647 updated: 2023-02-06 13:56:44.337000 Breastplate, c. 1550. Germany, Nuremberg, 16th century. Steel with etched figure kneeling before Crucifixion; overall: 31.3 x 35 x 20 cm (12 5/16 x 13 3/4 x 7 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1647 title: Breastplate title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 1550 creation date earliest: 1545 creation date latest: 1555 current location: 210A Armor Court creditline: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance copyright: --- culture: Germany, Nuremberg, 16th century technique: steel with etched figure kneeling before Crucifixion department: Medieval Art collection: MED - Arms & Armor type: Arms and Armor find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 31.3 x 35 x 20 cm (12 5/16 x 13 3/4 x 7 7/8 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: European Arms and Armor from the Cleveland Museum of Art (Long-term Loan) opening date: 1993-07-01T04:00:00 European Arms and Armor from the Cleveland Museum of Art (Long-term Loan). Birmingham Museum of Art (organizer) (July 1, 1993-July 1, 1995). title: Armor Court Reinstallation opening date: 1998-09-10T00:00:00 Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE Director of the Porte de Hals of Brussels date: footnotes: citations: Frank Gair Macomber; Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art date: ?-1916 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1916- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: Engraving is one of the oldest techniques for decorating metal objects; here the artist used a sharp instrument to scratch the design into the surface. digital description: wall description: This breastplate, lacking its tassets, is nonetheless a fine example of the superb sculptural forms achieved by Renaissance armorers. Its contours and glancing surface illustrate the extremes sought by both armorers and patrons in order to deflect projectiles such as crossbow bolts and thrusting lances. Embellishment was an important aspect of fine armor. This breastplate bears a fine etched decoration of a kneeling knight, possibly the armor's owner, before the Crucifixion. This may have created a kind of personalized devotional image for use in combat. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Catalogue of Arms and Armour. Vol. 3, 16th century. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915]. page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (160) 163 url: https://archive.org/details/CatArmsArmour3_201602/page/n312 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. page number: Mentioned: p. 63, C7 url: https://archive.org/details/SeveranceCollection1924/page/n88 Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. page number: pp. 78, 163; cat. no. 30 url: Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. page number: cat. no. 24, p. 183 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1647/1916.1647_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1647/1916.1647_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1647/1916.1647_full.tif