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A Visit to the Armor Galleries

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Program Information

A Visit to the Armor Galleries

Program information

In the 1920s the Metropolitan began to explore filmmaking as part of its educational program, and in 1924 it released two films about arms and armor. In preparation for this new undertaking, Bashford Dean, the head of the Arms and Armor department, sought the advice of Hollywood professionals D. W. Griffith and John Barrymore. Once the scripts were complete, Dean left most of the actual work to his young assistant curators, Stephen V. Grancsay and Thomas T. Hoopes, who also appear in the films. A Visit to the Armor Galleries was especially popular and includes memorable scenes: a Gothic armor steps out of its vitrine to answer visitors' questions about the collection, a seesaw with a small child on one end and a medieval mail shirt on the other demonstrates the relatively modest weight of armor, and a fully armored knight on horseback gallops through Central Park, with Belvedere Castle (the park's weather station) rising picturesquely in the background. When actor Douglas Fairbanks Sr. viewed the film at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, he pronounced it "bully."

Dressing in Steel: Part One

Dressing in Steel: Part One
(00:37:39) 700 views

Dressing in Steel: Part Two

Dressing in Steel: Part Two
(00:20:04) 288 views

A Visit to the Armor Galleries

A Visit to the Armor Galleries
(00:30:21) 4369 views

Bashford Dean and the Creation of the Arms and Armor Department, 1904&ndash;1929

Bashford Dean and the Creation of the Arms and Armor Department, 1904–1929
(00:30:12) 227 views

The Art of Arms and Armor: Challenges of Research, Display, and Education

The Art of Arms and Armor: Challenges of Research, Display, and Education
(00:33:09) 321 views

Curators, Collectors, and Dealers: The Growth of the Arms and Armor Collection, 1929 to the Present

Curators, Collectors, and Dealers: The Growth of the Arms and Armor Collection, 1929 to the Present
(00:36:37) 209 views

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Parade Helmet

Date:
possibly early 17th century
Culture:
Turkish
Medium:
Gilt copper
Dimensions:
H. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm); wt. 2 lb. 8 oz. (1.139 g)
Classification:
Helmets
Credit Line:
From the Collection of Nina and Gordon Bunshaft, Bequest of Nina Bunshaft, 1994
Accession Number:
1995.68

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 379

40004853

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