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Armor of the Dukes of Alba

Armorer Lucio Piccinino Italian
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
  • 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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