Waistcoat Cuirass
c. 1570—c.1580
Medium
Steel
Dimensions
Wt. 6 lb. 5 oz.
Classification
suit-element
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
106520
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
During the last quarter of the sixteenth century, infantry and naval officers began to wear artfully designed cuirasses (breast and backplates) that hinged open with a front seam that mimicked the doublet or waistcoat. This Italian example is decorated with slanted etched bands to look like embroidered trim as well as large rivets down the front simulating buttons. Despite its fashionable appeal, the front seam did weaken the cuirass, and soon after 1600 the fashion vanished.
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...