The Stechhelm formed part of a highly specialized tournament armor worn solely for the Gestech, or German joust, fought with blunted lances. The object was to break lances or to unhorse the opponent. This helmet was probably part of a series kept in the Nuremberg arsenal for civic tournaments.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Overall, front
Left profile
Back, three-quarter right, showing turnbuckle and straps
Front, three-quarter left
Left profile with turnbuckle and straps of lining cap
Overall, back
Right profile with turnbuckle and lining straps
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Helm for the Joust of Peace (Stechhelm)
Date:ca. 1500
Geography:probably Nuremberg
Culture:German, probably Nuremberg
Medium:Steel, copper alloy
Dimensions:H. 17 3/4 in. (45 cm); W. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm); D. 18 in. (45.7 cm); Wt. 17 lb. 14 oz. (8097 g)
Classification:Helmets
Credit Line:Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1929
Accession Number:29.156.67a
Count Franz I zu Erbach-Erbach, Schloss Erbach in Odenwald, Germany (said to have previously been in Nuremberg; until d. 1823; by descent through his family to Count Conrad); Count Conrad zu Erbach-Erbach, Schloss Erbach (until 1922; sold through Major Hans Müller-Hickler to Dean, December, 1922); Bashford Dean, Riverdale, NY (1922–d. 1928; his estate, 1928–1929; sold to MMA, 1929).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Gothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg, 1300–1550," April 8–June 22, 1986, no. 265.
Nuremberg. Germanisches Nationalmuseum. "Nürnberg 1300–1550: Kunst der Gotik und Renaissance," July 24–September 28, 1986, no. 265.
Erbach-Erbach, Eberhard zu. General-Catalog der Gräflich Erbachischen Sammlungen im Schlosse zu Erbach. Erbach im Odenwald: Druck und Verlag von Chr. Franz & Sohn, 1867. p. 8, no. 39 (as "schwerer Erbacher Turnier-helm aus dem 15. Jahrhunderte").
Viollet-le-Duc, Eugène-Emmanuel. Dictionnaire Raisonné du Mobilier Français: de l'Epoque Carlovingienne à la Renaissance. Vol. 2. Paris: A. Morel, 1871-1875. vol. 2, p. 381.
Erbach-Erbach, Eberhard zu. General-Catalog der Gräflich Erbachischen Sammlungen im Schlosse zu Erbach. 2.: Der Rittersaal. Erbach im Odenwald: Aug. Franz, 1894. p. 8, no. 39 (as "schwerer Erbacher Turnier-Helm aus dem 15. Jahrhunderte").
Müller-Hickler, Hans. Die Waffensammlungen in Erbach i. O. K. F. Bender, 1923. pl. XXIV, fig 151.
Grancsay, Stephen V., Thomas T. Hopes, George C. Stone, and Fred G. Blakeslee. [Boxed Set Containing "Brief Essays on Armor and Arms," Nos. 1–4 and a Series of 17 Pamphlets of Photographs of Arms and Armor in Members' Collections, Nos. 1–85]. New York: Armor and Arms Club, 1925. no. 2 [52], ill.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Stephen V. Grancsay, and Carl Otto von Kienbusch. The Bashford Dean Collection of Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Portland, ME: Southworth Press for the Armor and Arms Club of New York City, 1933. pp. 134–36, no. 51, pl. XXXI.
Nickel, Helmut. "The Tournament." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (1973–74), p. 82, ill.
Nickel, Helmut. Ullstein-Waffenbuch: eine kulturhistorische Waffenkunde mit Markenverzeichnis. Berlin: Ullstein, 1974. p. 87, ill.
Angerer, Martin, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Nürnberg, 1300–1550: Kunst der Gotik und Renaissance. 1st ed. Munich: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986. pp. 455–56, no. 265.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Gothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg, 1300–1550. 1st ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 1986. pp. 455–56, no. 265.
Nickel, Helmut. "Arms and Armor from the Permanent Collection." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (Summer 1991), pp. 20, 64, ill.
Karcheski, Walter J. "The Nuremburg Stechzeuge Armours." The Journal of the Arms and Armour Society (September 1993), pp. 187–88, fig. 6.
Pyhrr, Stuart W. "Of Arms and Men: Arms and Armor at the Metropolitan, 1912–2012." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (Summer 2012), pp. 29–30, fig. 44.
La Rocca, Donald J. How to Read European Armor. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2017. pp. 85–88, fig. 99.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
![Of Arms and Men: Arms and Armor at the Metropolitan, 1912–2012 [adapted from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 70, no. 1 (Summer, 2012)]](/-/media/images/art/metpublication/cover/2012/of_arms_and_men_arms_and_armor_at_the_metropolitan_1912_2012.jpg)
