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Harquebusier's Armor of Pedro II, King of Portugal (reigned 1683–1706)

Armorer Attributed to Richard Holden British
Armorer Helmet cheek pieces and metal plates on shoulder straps made by Daniel Tachaux French
ca. 1683 and later
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 371
This armor can be identified by its decoration as having belonged to Pedro II (reigned 1683–1706). The decoration includes the crowned monogram PR for Pedro Rex (Pedro the King) and the cross of the commander of the Order of Christ, a hereditary office held by the kings of Portugal.

Harquebusiers were armored cavalrymen generally equipped with a carbine (known as a harquebus) carried at the right side on a shoulder belt, a pair of pistols holstered at the front of the saddle, and a sword. This form of armor, consisting of a triple-barred helmet, a cuirass with a bulletproof reinforcing breastplate, and an elbow gauntlet, was commonplace in England up to about 1645. The armor of King Pedro is significant not only as a very late example of this type but also as the probable work of the London armorer Richard Holden. A very similar armor made by Holden in 1686 for James II of England (reigned 1685–88) is in the Royal Armouries in the Tower of London.

The armor is shown with an associated buff coat (acc. no. 29.158.885). This sturdy leather defense, which provided effective protection against sword cuts, was worn throughout the seventeenth century, first in conjunction with armor and later alone.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Harquebusier's Armor of Pedro II, King of Portugal (reigned 1683–1706)
  • Armorer: Attributed to Richard Holden (British, London, recorded 1658–1708)
  • Armorer: Helmet cheek pieces and metal plates on shoulder straps made by Daniel Tachaux (French, 1857–1928, active in France and America)
  • Date: ca. 1683 and later
  • Geography: London
  • Culture: British, London
  • Medium: Steel, gold, leather, textile
  • Dimensions: Wt. 43 lb. 5 oz. (19.6 kg); helmet: 14 x 11 x 15 1/4 in. (35.6 x 27.9 x 38.7 cm); Wt. 9 lb. 10 oz. (4354 g); breastplate: 18 1/2 x 16 5/16 x 7 13/16 in. (47 x 41.4 x 19.8 cm); Wt. 10 lb. 14 oz. (4944 g); backplate: 17 1/2 x 16 1/4 x 8 1/2 in. (44.5 x 41.3 x 21.6 cm); Wt. 11 lb. 5 oz. (5126 g); reinforcing breastplate: 17 3/8 x 16 3/16 x 6 13/16 in. (44.1 x 41.1 x 17.3 cm); Wt. 9 lb. 6 oz. (4264 g); bridle gauntlet: 5 1/2 x 19 7/16 x 6 3/4 in. (14 x 49.4 x 17.1 cm); Wt. 2 lb. 2 oz. (953 g)
  • Classification: Armor for Man
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1915
  • Object Number: 15.113.1–.5
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

Audio

Cover Image for 4409. Harquebusier's Armor of Pedro II, King of Portugal

4409. Harquebusier's Armor of Pedro II, King of Portugal

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NARRATOR: Stuart Pyhrr is Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Curator in Charge of Arms and Armor.

PYHRR: This represents the last type of European battle armor which was devised in the early seventeenth century, when firearms were commonplace in the battlefield. With the increasing effectiveness and use of firearms, the European soldier found that he had to increase the weight of the plates, the thickness of the plates, in order to make them bullet proof. The knight, on the other hand, found that he did not want to wear such cumbersome harness and so gradually began to discard pieces, first the lower leg armor, and piece by piece he ended up, in the 1620s and 30s, with a reduced form of armor that however was made bulletproof by the use of reinforces and thick plate where absolutely necessary. The armor of Pedro the Second, King of Portugal is perhaps the last royal battle armor, and was made around 1683 in England for the brother in-law of the English king, Pedro of Portugal. The decoration of the breastplate is richly guilded and includes the monogram and crown of the King of Portugal.

More Artwork

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Harquebusier's Armor of Pedro II, King of Portugal (reigned 1683–1706) with Buff Coat
Armor attributed to Richard Holden (British, London, recorded 1658–1708)
ca. 1683 and later; buff coat, 17th–18th century

Armor Garniture of George Clifford (1558–1605), Third Earl of Cumberland

Made under the direction of Jacob Halder (British, master armorer at the royal workshops at Greenwich, documented in England 1558–1608)
1586
Cross Hilt Sword
Blade signed by Clemens Horn (German, Solingen, 1580–1630)
1600–1625
Presentation Smallsword with Scabbard
James Morisset (British, London 1738–1815)
hallmarked for 1797–98
Left Gauntlet of Henry (1594–1612), Prince of Wales
Made under the direction of Jacob Halder (British, master armorer at the royal workshops at Greenwich, documented in England 1558–1608)
ca. 1608

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