Although it was in wide use across Europe by the early fifteenth century, very little plate armor survives from that period. This breastplate is one of the earliest German examples in existence. It is almost identical to the breastplate on a statue of Emperor Friedrich III (1415–1493), dated 1453, and represents the latest innovation in German armor design and technology of the time. Unfortunately, it is not known where Dean acquired this piece.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Breastplate (Kastenbrust)
Date:ca. 1450
Culture:German
Medium:Steel
Dimensions:H. 16 in. (40.6 cm); W. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm); D. 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm); Wt. 5 lb. 4.4 oz. (2392.7 g)
Classification:Armor Parts-Breastplates
Credit Line:Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Bequest of Bashford Dean, 1928
Accession Number:29.150.79
Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," January 15–March 18, 1953, no. 13.
San Francisco. California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 18–June 7, 1953, no. 13.
Pittsburgh. Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute. "Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," October 1953–April 1954, no. 13.
Hagerstown, Md. Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. "Loan Exhibition of Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," February 27–March 31, 1955, no. 7.
Newark. Newark Museum Association. "Loan Exhibition of Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 15–September 15, 1955, no. 7.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Bashford Dean and the Creation of the Arms and Armor Department," October 2, 2012–October 13, 2014.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Stephen V. Grancsay, and Carl Otto von Kienbusch. The Bashford Dean Collection of Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Portland, ME: Southworth Press for the Armor and Arms Club of New York City, 1933. p. 139, no. 55, pl. XXXIV.
Grancsay, Stephen V. Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1953. p. 12, no. 13.
Grancsay, Stephen V., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. Loan Exhibition of Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hagerstown, Md.: Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, February 27–March 31, 1955. no. 7, pl. 7.
Robinson, H. R. "Some Examples of Mid-15th Century German Armour." The Journal of the Arms & Armour Society (1957), pp. 136–43.
Bosson, Clément. "L'Armure a Cannelures." Armes Anciennes (1958), p. 90, pl. 21, fig. 1.
Michalak, Arkadiusz. "South German Inspirations in the Armour of Late Medieval Combatants from the Silesian-Lusatian-Brandenburg-Polish Borderland. Iconographic Examples." Fasciculi Archaeologiae Historicae (2017), pp. 87–8, fig. 5.2.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
