In April of 2005, Man at Arms visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to preview the brand new exhibit, The Armored Horse in Europe, 1480 - 1620. Below you will find information from the MET's press package as well as our review.

The Armored Horse in Europe, 1480 - 1620

(photo courtesy of the MET)
February 15, 2005 - January 15, 2006
Arms and Armor Galleries, 1st floor, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gallery

 

The following information is provided courtesy of the MET.

The horse was an integral part of medieval and Renaissance culture, not only as a beast of burden but also as a sign of rank and status. For the nobility equitation was an essential skill, both socially and militarily. Horses played a pivotal role in warfare for several centuries and often wore armor as elaborate and expensive as that of their riders. Drawing exclusively from items in the reserve collection, many of them unpublished and rarely seen before, this exhibition examines various types of European horse armor in terms of style, construction, and decoration, from the peak period of its use ca. 1500 through its eventual obsolescence in the early 17th century.

Forty rare examples of European horse armor-varying in style, construction, and decoration-will go on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on February 15, 2004. The exhibition "The Armored Horse in Europe, 1480­1620," drawn exclusively from the Museum's own collection, will cover the peak period of the use of horse armor from about 1500 through its eventual obsolescence in the early seventeenth century. Established in 1912, the Metropolitan's Department of Arms and Armor houses the most extensive collection of European horse armor in the United States and one of the most comprehensive in the world.

 

Special thanks to our friends in the Arms & Armour department at the MET for
greeting us and taking time to discuss the exhbit.

Click HERE to view the MET calendar of events