Armor of the Dukes of Alba

ca. 1575–85

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 374

This is one of the few armors attributable to Lucio Piccinino, the last of the great Italian armor embossers. Distinctive of Piccinino's style is the covering of the armor surface with a dense network of embossed ornament with vertical bands connected laterally by swags of acanthus and fruit. Originally, the steel ground was blued and highlighted with gold and silver damascening. Although damaged by fire in the nineteenth century, this armor amply demonstrates Piccinino's skill in designing a complex program of Classically inspired decoration.
Acquired directly from the ancestral collection of the dukes of Alba in Madrid in 1861, this armor appears to combine the remains of two armors of nearly identical size and style. They were probably made for two of the sons of Fernando Alvarez de Toledo (1507–1582), third duke of Alba, a famous Spanish general.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Armor of the Dukes of Alba
Armorer: Lucio Piccinino (Italian, Milan, active ca. 1575–90)
Date: ca. 1575–85
Geography: Milan
Culture: Italian, Milan
Medium: Steel, gold, silver
Dimensions: Wt. 25 lbs. 12 oz. (11.68 kg); Helmet (a) H. 12 in. (30.5 cm); W. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); D. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm); Wt. 5 lbs. 1 oz. (2,296.31 g); Colletin (b) H. 7 in. (17.8 cm); W. 11 7/16 in. (29.1 cm); Wt. 2 lbs. 2 oz. (963.88 g); Breastplate (c) H. 18 1/8 in. (46.0 cm); W. 15 in. (38.1 cm); D. 7 7/8 in. (19.9 cm); Wt. 5 lbs. 4 oz (2,381.36 g); Backplate (d) H. 14 5/8 in. (37.2 cm); W. 14 5/8 in. (37.2 cm); Wt. 3 lbs. 3 oz. (1,445.83 g); Pauldron right (e) H. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm); W. 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm); Wt. 2 lbs. 9 oz. (1,162.33 g); Pauldron left (f) H. 10 3/8 in. (26.4 cm); W. 11 in. (27.9 cm); Wt. 2 lbs. 12 oz. (1,247.38 g); Arm Defense right (g) L. 18 1/2 in. (46.9 cm); Wt. 2 lbs. 7 oz. (1,105.63 g); Arm Defense left (h) L. 18 1/4 in. (46.4 cm); Wt. 2 lbs. 6 oz. (1,077.28 g)
Classification: Armor for Man-1/2 Armor
Credit Line: Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
Object Number: 14.25.714a–h, j
Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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Half Armor attributed to Don Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba y Fernández de Córdoba, Duke of Sessa (1520/1524–1578), Lucio Piccinino Italian, Steel, gold, Italian, Milan — Half Armor attributed to Don Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba y Fernández de Córdoba, Duke of Sessa (1520/1524–1578)
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Elements of an Italian Light-Cavalry Armor <i>alla Tedesca</i> (in the German Fashion), Steel, gold, copper alloy, leather, Italian, Milan — Elements of an Italian Light-Cavalry Armor *alla Tedesca* (in the German Fashion)
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