Recent study of this "bell-shaped" bronze cuirass has led to its assignment as a product of the Late Bronze Age Hallstatt culture (western-central Europe). Such cuirasses have been discovered in the area north of the Alps (present-day Southeastern France and Switzerland). The front and back pieces, hinged together, render the male anatomy in a stylized pattern of embossed knobs and rows of dots.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Bronze cuirass (breastplate)
Period:Late Bronze Age
Date:12th-10th century BCE
Culture:Hallstatt (Western European)
Medium:Bronze
Dimensions:Overall: 20 1/16 x 15 1/2in. (51 x 39.4cm)
Classification:Bronzes
Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1909
Object Number:09.41
Until 1869, collection of William Henry Forman (1794-1869), Pippbrook House (near Dorking), UK; until 1889, collection of Mrs. Burt (W.H. Forman’s sister-in-law); from ca. 1889 to 1899, collection of Major A.H. Browne (W.H. Forman’s nephew), Callaly Castle, Northumberland, UK; [June 19, 1899, sold through Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, London (lot 153)]; [until 1909, with David Reiling, Maintz]; acquired in April 1909, purchased from David Reiling.
Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge. June 19–22, 1899[London: Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 1899]. The Forman Collection: Catalogue of the Egyptian, Greek and Roman Antiquities (the Bronzes and Vases Described by Cecil H. Smith...) and Objects of Art of the Renaissance, etc ... (first portion), June 19–22, 1899, London. lot 153.
Forrer, Robert. 1907. Reallexikon der prähistorischen, klassischen Altertümer. p. 591, pl. 164, 2, Berlin & Stuttgart: W. Spemann.
Forrer, Robert. 1908. Urgeschichte des Europäers von der menschwerdung bis zum anbruch der geschichte. p. 456, pl. 164, Stuttgart: W. Spemann.
Déchelette, Joseph. 1908. "Archéologie celtique ou protohistorique. Part 1: Age du Bronze." Manuel d'archéologie Préhistorique celtique et gallo-romaine, vol. II. pp. 235–35, fig. 77, Paris: A. Picard et Fils.
Dean, Bashford. 1909. "Recent Accessions." Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 4(5): pp. 89–90.
Richter, Gisela M. A. 1915. Greek, Etruscan and Roman Bronzes. pp. 420–21, no. 1565, New York: Gilliss Press.
McClees, Helen and Christine Alexander. 1933. The Daily Life of the Greeks and Romans: As Illustrated in the Classical Collections, 5th ed. pp. 84, 86, fig. 1087, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
McClees, Helen and Christine Alexander. 1941. The Daily Life of the Greeks and Romans: As Illustrated in the Classical Collections, 6th ed. pp. 84, 86, fig. 1087, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
de Puma, Richard Daniel. 2013. Etruscan Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 163–5, no. 5.27a, New Haven and London: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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.
The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than 30,000 works ranging in date from the Neolithic period to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312.
