Cuirass (Breastplate and Backplate) in the Late Gothic Style
c. 1480
Medium
Steel, brass, and leather
Dimensions
H.: 60 cm (23 1/2 in.)
Classification
suit-element
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
219955
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Sculpted with sleek rippled surfaces and decorative cut edges, this cuirass typifies late gothic German armor. A rare survival, it is fabled to have come out of a church in the Austrian Tyrol at the turn of the 20th century. It may have adorned a shrine figure of Saint George or hung over a noble’s tomb. The heavily pitted exterior attests to centuries of neglect, and a redblistered area of the interior is evidence it was in a fire. The right side of the breastplate below the waist was carefull...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...