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Portions of an Armor for Vincenzo Luigi di Capua, Prince of Riccia, ca. 1595
Pompeo della Cesa (Italian, active ca. 1565–1600)
Milan
Steel, gold, leather, and brass; H. 19 in. (48 cm)
Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gift, 2001 (2001.72)
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Description
Italian armor making in the last quarter of the sixteenth century was dominated by Pompeo della Cesa, armorer to the Spanish court in Milan. His richly decorated harnesses were coveted by Philip II of Spain, the ruling dukes of Savoy, Parma, and Mantua, and the scions of the leading Spanish and Italian families. Pompeo was one of the few armorers who regularly signed his pieces, a reflection of his pride of workmanship and his elevated status in the world of military alta moda.
Vincenzo Luigi di Capua (d. 1627), prince of Riccia, belonged to an ancient Neapolitan family. Don Vincenzo's armor, made shortly after he succeeded to his noble titles in 1594, exemplifies Pompeo's best work. The surfaces are covered with closely set vertical bands etched with trophies of arms, religious and allegorical figures, and grotesques, all partly gilt. The owner's emblem, or impresa, appears at the top of the breastplate (see detail)—a radiant sun with a crown above and a motto below, NVLLA QVIES ALIBI (No repose but here); Pompeo's name is etched beneath. Now incomplete, the half-length infantry armor originally included an open-faced helmet and arm defenses. The matching backplate is preserved in Warwick Castle, England.
(Entry written by Stuart W. Pyhrr)
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