Details

Object type

breastplate

Place Associated

Germany, South Germany (place of manufacture)

Date

circa 1560

Materials

steel, leather, brass

Dimensions

overall: 426 mm x 380 mm x 180 mm 6060 g

Description

When Napoleon’s forces sacked Vienna and looted the imperial armoury they took away a fine group of armours that were probably ordered by the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I for a great tournament in Vienna in 1560 held to honour a visiting duke. Parts of these armours are now to be found in collections throughout the world. This armour is comprised of elements of that group of armours. It is therefore categorised as a composite armour.

This spectacular armour was made by one of the two greatest living armourers from one of the foremost armour-making centres for one of the most powerful men on the planet at the time. ‘Wolfe Grechedyll’ is mentioned in a list of Almain armourers working at the Royal Workshop at Greenwich in 1517. Wolfgang died in 1563 and his workshop in Landshut in Bavaria was taken over by his son Franz (1520-81). In 1555 Philip II of Spain (during his short reign as king of England) ordered payment of 1350 gold escudos whilst in London to ‘Frans Grosshedel hijo de Maestre Volff mi armero vecino de Lançuete que es en Alemanya’ (‘the son of Master Wolf my armourer residing in Landshut which is in Germany’). This enormous sum was for just one armour! Franz was enobled in 1566 and went on to make armour for Maximilian II, and the dukes of Bavaria and Saxony.

Emperor Ferdinand, or the courtier who sported this armour, would have been excellently protected whilst still having great manoeuvrability due to the clever use of articulating leathers and sliding rivets in the armour’s construction. It has been decorated with delicate etching of scrolling foliage and running vines. Not all the decoration matches however – this is how we know it is a composite.

Credit Line/Donor

Bequeathed by R L Scott, 1939

Collection

R L Scott Collection

ID Number

E.1939.65.r.1.1

Location

Kelvingrove Picture Promenade