This is a fine late example of a fluted armor, made shortly before the style went out of fashion. It is distinguished for its unusually large proportions and impressive height. The bands of scales and the distinctive roping of the lower edge of the associated helmet and the top edge of the breastplate are features frequently found on armors from northern Germany (possibly Brunswick), a region generally not known for producing fluted armors. The leg defenses are of the same period but originally did not belong with the rest of the armor.
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Title:Armor
Date:ca. 1535
Geography:possibly Brunswick
Culture:German, possibly Brunswick
Medium:Steel, leather
Dimensions:as mounted, H. 77 in. (195.6 cm); Wt. approx. 61 lb. 6 oz. (27.85 kg)
Classification:Armor for Man
Credit Line:armor: Gift of George D. Pratt, 1926; helmet and left gauntlet: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1938; mail brayette: Gift of Prince Albrecht Radziwill, 1927; mail sleeves: Rogers Fund, 1927
Marking: What appears to be a mark on the forehead area of the helmet has been compared to the guild mark of the armorers of the city of Landshut, in southern Germany. However, this is probably a blemish in the metal, rather than an actual mark.
Ex. coll.: armor: Sir Archibald Lamb; S. J. Whawell. Helmet and left gauntlet: Dr. William Meyrick; Henry Arthur Brassey, Preston Hall, Kent, England; Leonard Brassey, Apethorpe Hall, Peterborough, England; William Randolph Hearst. Mail brayette: Prince Albrecht Radziwill. Mail sleeves: Archduke Eugen.
London. Gothic Hall, Pall Mall. "A Grand Collection of Antient Arms and Armour," 1819, no. 18 (26.92.1a–n).
London. The Gothic Armoury, No. 3 Lower Grosvenor Street. "Exhibition of Ancient Arms and Armour," 1838, no. 19 (possibly 26.92.1a–n, mounted on a horse).
Hastings, England. Science and Art Schools, The Brassey Institute. "Loan Exhibition of Armour At the Brassey Institute," 1896 (26.92.1).
Gothic Hall. Catalogue of a Splendid Collection of Military Antiquities, Comprising the Most Rare and Interesting Specimens of Arms and Armour from the Norman Conquest to the Latest Periods. 4th ed. London, 1819. pp. 7–8, no. 18 (26.92.1a–n).
Meyrick, Samuel Rush. A Critical Inquiry into Antient Armour: As It Existed in Europe, but Particularly in England, from the Norman Conquest to the Reign of King Charles II, with a Glossary of Military Terms of the Middle Ages. Vol. 2. 1st ed. London: Robert Jennings, London, 1824. p. 115 (26.92.1a–n, "fluted suit of Albert of Bavaria," possibly this armor).
Pratt, Samuel L. Catalogue of the Exhibition of Ancient Arms and Armour, No. 3 Grosvenor Street. London, 1838. no. 19 (26.92.1a–n, a fluted armor of colossal size, possibly this armor).
Meyrick, Samuel Rush. A Critical Inquiry into Antient [sic] Armour: As It Existed in Europe, Particularly in Great Britain from the Norman Conquest to the Reign of King Charles II.... Vol. III. 2nd ed. London: H. G. Bohn, 1842. p. 115 (26.92.1a–n, "fluted suit of Albert of Bavaria," possibly this armor).
Bonnefons de Lavialle and Roussel. Catalogue de la précieuse collection d'objets d'art et de curiosité... composant le cabinet de M. S... [Sommeson] Vente 24 janv. 1848.... Paris: Impr. et Lithogr. de Maulde et Renou, January 24–26, 1848. p. 38, no. 217 (38.128.1, "Heaume allemand..." possibly this helmet or a very similar one).
Fairbank, Frederick Royston. Catalogue of the Loan Exhibition [consisting Chiefly of Armour and Rubbings of Brasses] at the Brassey Institute, March 16th, 1896, and Introductory Handbook, &c., of the Same, by F.r. Fairbank. [with Plates.]. St. Leonards: Daniel & Co., 1896. no. 161 (26.92.1a–n).
Diener-Schönberg, Alfons. Die Waffen der Wartburg: Beschreibendes Verzeichnis der Waffen–Sammlung S.K.H. des Grossherzogs Wilhelm Ernst von Sachsen–Weimar-Eisenach. Berlin: Historischer Verlag Baumgärtel, 1912. no. 22, tafel 11 (a similar armor).
Christie, Manson & Woods. Catalogue of a Collection of Arms and Armour: The Property of Sir Achibald Lamb. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, May 15, 1922. p. 7, no. 71 (26.92.1a–n).
Christie, Manson & Woods. Meyrick Arms and Armour Being the Collection Formed About the Middle of the 19th Century by the Late Dr. William Meyrick. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, February 21, 1922. pp. 9, 11, nos. 41, 61 (38.128.1, .2).
Cripps-Day, Francis Henry. A Record of Armour Sales, 1881–1924. London: G. Bell and Sons, 1925. pp. 249–50, fig. 192, and p. xlviii, n. 7 (26.92.1a–n).
Anderson Galleries. The Great Historical Collection of Arms & Armour. New York: Anderson Galleries, March 1–5, 1927. p. 143, no. 830 (27.68.6, .7, "side pieces of an oriental mail shirt").
Grancsay, Stephen V. "Maximilian Armor." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (April 1928), pp. 97, 100–103, ill. (on cover), fig. 1 (26.92.1a–n).
Grancsay, Stephen V. "A Maximilian Helmet and Gauntlet Retrieved." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (December 1938), pp. 268–71, figs. 1–2.
Connoisseur. "The Connoisseur in America: Maximilian Helmet and Gauntlet Acquired by the Metropolitan." The Connoisseur (February 1939), p. 101 (38.128.1, .2).
Lane, James W. "Notes from New York." Apollo (January 1939), pp. 90–91, ill. (38.128.1).
Spitzlberger, Georg. Landshuter Plattnerkunst, Ein Überblick mit Katalog der Ausstellung, vom 14. Juni bis 20. Juli 1975, täglich 9–17 Uhr, im Deutschen Saal der Stadtresidenz. Landshut: K. Möginger, 1975. p. 55, pl. 19.
Grancsay, Stephen V., and Stuart W. Pyhrr. Arms & Armor: Essays by Stephen V. Grancsay from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 1920–1964. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986. p. 23, 214; fig. 6.1, 72.2.
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