This shaffron is fitted with an escutcheon plate bearing the arms of the barons of Freyberg. It comes from the armory at Hohenaschau Castle in Bavaria, the seat of that noble family, and probably belonged to Pancraz von Freyberg (1508–1565), a courtier in the service of the dukes of Bavaria in nearby Munich. Although unmarked, the shaffron is comparable in form to documented examples made in Landshut, a famous Bavarian armor-making center.
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Title:Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense) with arms of the Freyberg family
Date:ca. 1540
Geography:probably Landshut
Culture:German, probably Landshut
Medium:Steel, pewter, leather, textile, gold
Dimensions:H. 24 7/8 in. (63.2 cm); W. 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm); D. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm); Wt. 4 lb. 13 oz. (2188 g)
Classification:Equestrian Equipment-Shaffrons
Credit Line:Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
Accession Number:14.25.1644
William H. Riggs, Paris (until 1913; his gift to MMA).
Allentown. Allentown Art Museum. "Arms and Armor: A Loan Exhibition from the Collection of Stephen V. Grancsay: with Important Contributions by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the John Woodman Higgins Armory, Worcester, Massachusetts," March 15–June 14, 1964, no. 34.
Seattle, Wash. Seattle Art Museum. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," March 11, 1982–June 6, 1982, no. 30.
Denver, Colo. Denver Art Museum. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," July 18–October 10, 1982, no. 30.
San Antonio, Tex. Witte Museum of the San Antonio Museum Association. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 13, 1982–February 5, 1983, no. 30.
Minneapolis, Minn. Minneapolis Institute of Arts. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 24–July 31, 1983, no. 30.
San Francisco. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 5, 1983–January 28, 1984, no. 30.
Detroit, Mich. Detroit Institute of Arts. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 4–June 17, 1984, no. 30.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Armored Horse in Europe, 1480–1620," February 15, 2005–September 3, 2007, no. 14.
Reitzenstein, Alexander von. "Hohenaschauer Waffen." Waffen– und Kostümkunde: Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für historische Waffen– und Kostümkunde, Zeitschrift für Historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde, 21, ser. 3 v. 4, pp. 41, 50, fig. 17.
Allentown Art Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and John Woodman Higgins Armory. Arms and Armor: A Loan Exhibition from the Collection of Stephen V. Grancsay: with Important Contributions by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the John Woodman Higgins Armory, Worcester, Massachusetts: March 15–June 14, 1964. Allentown, Pa.: Allentown Art Museum, March 15, 1964–June 14, 1964. p. 31, no. 34.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Helmut Nickel, Stuart W. Pyhrr, Leonid Tarassuk, and American Federation of Arts. The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: An Exhibition. New York: The Federation, 1982. p. 74, no. 30, ill.
Pyhrr, Stuart W., Donald J. La Rocca, and Dirk H. Breiding. The Armored Horse in Europe, 1480–1620. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. pp. 7, 35, 45, no. 14, ill.
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