Gauntlet from a Tournament Garniture of a Hapsburg Prince
Medium
Steel, gilding, brass, and leather
Dimensions
13.3 × 13.3 × 28 cm (5 1/4 × 5 1/4 × 11 in.)
Classification
arms and armor
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
116439
Art Historical Context
This exquisite gauntlet, crafted by the renowned Austrian armorer Antonffenhauser in 1571, forms part of a lavish tournament garniture commissioned for a Hapsburg. During the Renaissance, the Hapsburg—rulers of vast European territories—embraced chivalric tournaments as displays of power, skill, and prestige. These events blended martial prowess with spectacle, and garnitures like this were custom-fitted sets of armor for jousting, emphasizing both protection and opulence. Forged from steel with intricate gilding, brass inlays, and leather lining, the gauntlet measures a compact 13.3 × 13.3 ×...