Cuirass and Tassets (Torso and Hip Defense)
ca. 1510–20
Medium
Steel, leather
Dimensions
H. 41 1/2 in. (105.4 cm); Wt. 19 lb. 8 oz. (8845 g)
Classification
Armor
Culture
German, Augsburg
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Marshall Field, 1938
Accession Number
38.143b–d
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of chivalry with this stunning *Cuirass Tassets*, a torso and hip defense crafted around1510–20 bysburg masters Kolman Helmsch and Daniel Hopfer.mschmid, from a renowned family of German armorers, shaped the steel plates to perfection, while Hopfer, an innovative etcher, adorned them with intricate religious motifs. Measuring 41½ inches high and weighing a hefty 19½ pounds, this piece exemplifies the peak of Augsburg's armor-making tradition, a hub of craftsmanship during the early 16th century when plate armor reached its zenith before firearms altered warfare forever. Et...
About the Artist
Kolman Helmschmid|Daniel Hopfer · 1471–1532
**Kolman Helmschmid: Master Armourer of the Renaissance** Kolman Helmschmid (1471–1532), born in Augsburg, Germany, emerged from one of Europe's most illustrious families of armourers, the Helmschmieds, whose name aptly means "helmet smith." The son of the renowned Lorenz Helmschmied (active 1467–1515), Kolman trained within the family workshop, taking control after his father's death in 1515 and...