Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense) of Ottheinrich, Count Palatine of the Rhine (1502–1559)
Not on view
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.
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