This shaffron is decorated with narrow bands of etched foliate ornament on a blackened, dotted ground in a manner associated with armor from Nuremberg. The decoration includes the date 1529 (in the center of the nose) and a shield emblazoned with the arms of the Palatinate and Bavaria (at the muzzle), indentifying the shaffron as having been made either for Ottheinrich (1502–1559) or for his brother Philipp (1503–1548), the two of whom co-ruled as counts palatine of the Rhine. It most likely comes from their large armory at Neuburg Castle, which rises over the Danube in the vicinity of Ingolstadt. Although the year 1529 was eventful for both siblings, it seems more probable that the armor to which this shaffron belongs was ordered by Ottheinrich for the ceremonies attendant with his wedding to Susanne, daughter of the duke of Bavaria, in that year.
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.
Shaffron, overall front
Detail of base, showing etched decoration with coat of arms
Detail of roped ridge and etched decoration in center of front
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense) of Ottheinrich, Count Palatine of the Rhine (1502–1559)
Date:dated 1529
Geography:probably Nuremberg
Culture:German, probably Nuremberg
Medium:Steel, copper alloy, leather
Dimensions:H. 22 3/8 in. (56.8 cm); W. 13 in. (33 cm); D. 7 in. (17.8 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 15 oz. (1794 g)
Classification:Equestrian Equipment-Shaffrons
Credit Line:Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
Object Number:14.25.1654a
[Frédéric Spitzer, Paris, until d. 1890; his estate, 1890–95; Armes et Armures faisant partie de la collection Spitzer, Georges Petit, Paris, June 10–14, 1895, no. 94, sold, for Fr. 1200, to Riggs]; William H. Riggs, Paris (1895–1913; his gift to MMA).
Louisville, Ky. Speed Art Museum. "European Arms and Armor: A Loan Exhibition," November 15, 1952–December 28, 1952, no. 17.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Armored Horse in Europe, 1480–1620," February 15, 2005–September 3, 2007, no. 9.
Exposition universelle internationale de 1889. Exposition rétrospective de l'art française au Trocadéro, edited by Alfred Darcel, and Emile Molinier. Exposition universelle de 1889. Lille: L. Danel, 1889. p. 32, nos. 41–42, ill. (including portrait of the Marechal Marquis de Perignon, 1754–1818).
Galerie Georges Petit. Catalogue des Armes et Armures Faisant Partie de la Collection Spitzer. Paris: Galerie Georges Petit, June 10–14 1895. no. 94, ill.
Stöcklein, Hans. "Ein Gelieger aus dem Besitz des Pfalzgrafen Ott Heinrich." Münchner Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst (1928), pp. 269–273 (chaffron probably came from Pfalzgraf's arsenal at Neuburg or D. by way of Paris, as Napoleon and his generals thoroughly plundered the arsenal in 1800).
Reitzenstein, Alexander von. "Die Harnische der Neuburger Rüstkammer." Zeitschrift für Historische Waffen– und Kostümkunde, Zeitschrift für Historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde, 16, n.s.v.7 p. 50, fig. 10, ill. (our chanfron ill. and described as having come from Otto Heinrich's castle at Neuburg).
Grancsay, Stephen V., and Speed Art Museum. European Arms and Armor: A Loan Exhibition. Louisville, Ky.: Speed Art Museum, 1952. no. 17.
Reitzenstein, Alexander von. "Ottheinrichs Harnische." In Ottheinrich: Gedenkschrift zur vierhundertjährigen Wiederkehr seiner Kurfürstenzeit in der Pfalz, 1556-1559, edited by Georg Poensgen. Heidelberg, Germany: Vereinigung der Freunde der Studentenschaft der Universität Heidelberg, 1956. p. 109.
Reitzenstein, Alexander von, and Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich and Berlin. "Ein Harnisch Valentin Siebenbürgers in französischem Museumbesitz." Waffen– und Kostümkunde: Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Historische Waffen– und Kostümkunde, Zeitschrift für Historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde, 32, ser. 3 v. 15, no.2 pp. 99–108,146–158, fig. 6, ill.
von Reitzenstein, Alexander Freiherr. "Die Harnischkammer des Neuburger Schlosses im Jahre 1628." Waffen– und Kostümkunde: Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Historische Waffen– und Kostümkunde, Zeitschrift für Historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde, 32, n.s.v. 15 no.2 pp. 146–158.
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, 39–41, 58, 68, no. 9, ill.
Château de Versailles. Cheval En Majesté: Au Cœur d’Une Civilisation, edited by Hélène Delalex. Paris: LienArt, 2024. pp. 286, 288, no. 86, ill.
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.
