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Breastplate

Armorer Valentin Siebenbürger German
ca. 1530–35
Not on view
The armorer Valentin Siebenbürger is recorded from the 1530s to the 1550s with commissions for the city of Nuremberg and several noble clients, including Emperor Charles V. This breastplate is important as an example of his work, particularly for its lively and inventive etched decoration. In quality and rarity, it is the single best item from the Ellis Collection, which was donated to the Metropolitan Museum in 1896.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Breastplate
  • Armorer: Valentin Siebenbürger (German, Nuremberg, ca. 1510–1564, master in 1531)
  • Date: ca. 1530–35
  • Geography: Nuremberg
  • Culture: German, Nuremberg
  • Medium: Steel
  • Dimensions: H. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm); W. 15 1/8 in. (38.4 cm); D. 8 in. (20.3 cm); Wt. 6 lb. 12.3 oz. (3070.3 g)
  • Classification: Armor Parts-Breastplates
  • Credit Line: John Stoneacre Ellis Collection, Gift of Mrs. Ellis and Augustus Van Horne Ellis, 1896
  • Object Number: 96.5.115c
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
More Artwork
Pair of Mitten Gauntlets, Valentin Siebenbürger  German, Steel, gold, German, Nuremberg
Armorer Valentin Siebenbürger
ca. 1535
Album of Tournaments and Parades in Nuremberg, Pen and ink, watercolor, gold and silver washes; paper bound in gold-tooled leather, German, Nuremberg
German, Nuremberg
late 16th–mid-17th century
Breastplate, Hans Prunner  Austrian, Steel, leather, Austrian, Innsbruck
Armorer Hans Prunner
ca. 1485–95
Crinet, Valentin Siebenbürger  German, Steel, German, Nuremberg
Armorer Valentin Siebenbürger
ca. 1535
Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564), Kunz Lochner  German, Steel, brass, leather, German, Nuremberg
Armorer Kunz Lochner
dated 1549

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