Composed Armor
This armor was restored and assembled into this configuration in the 1920s. Several rare pieces of it came from a large find of medieval armor discovered in 1840 in the ruins of the fortress of Chalcis, on the Greek island of Euboea (then a Venetian colony called Negroponte). The fortress had been captured and destroyed by the Turks in 1470. Now divided largely between the Ethnological Museum, Athens, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Chalcis hoard contains many rare and unusual elements of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century armor. Of particular importance are the variety of headpieces and the many fragments of brigandines (armor for the torso constructed of small plates riveted to layers of fabric), some of which retain portions of their original velvet covering. The Chalcis armor provides a unique picture of the armament used in the Aegean, one of the easternmost military outposts of the Venetian empire.
Artwork Details
- Title: Composed Armor
- Armorer: Left tasset made by Julian Arrechia (Spanish, active in New York late 19th–early 20th century)
- Armorer: Left pauldron made by Raymond Bartel (French, died 1949)
- Date: ca. 1450–60 and later, restored and composed in the 1920s
- Culture: Italian
- Medium: Steel, copper alloy (latten), leather
- Dimensions: Wt. 57 lb. (25.85 g); helmet (a); Wt. 6 lb. 13.4 oz. (3101.4 g); 29.150.7d (backplate); H. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm); W. 15 1/16 in. (38.3 cm); D. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm); 29.150.7g (upper arm defense); H. 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm); W. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm); D. 10 in. (25.4 cm); Wt. 2 lb. 3.3 oz. (1000.7 g); 29.150.7h (left arm defense); H. 18 in. (45.7 cm); W. 6 in. (15.2 cm); D. 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm); Wt. 4 lb. 7.5 oz. (2027 g); 29.150.7j (right gauntlet); L. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm); W. 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm); D. 5 in. (12.7 cm); Wt. 12.1 oz. (343 g); 29.150.7k (left gauntlet); H. 9 9/16 in. (24.3 cm); W. 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm); D. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm); Wt. 1 lb. 1.6 oz. (499 g); 29.150.7l (tasset); H. 8 5/16 in. (21.1 cm); W. 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm); D. 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm); Wt. 15.8 oz. (448 g); 29.150.7m (tasset); H. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm); W. 10 3/8 in. (26.4 cm); D. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm); Wt. 14.6 oz. (413.9 g); 29.150.7q (thigh defense); H. 19 in. (48.3 cm); W. 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm); D. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 7 oz. (1559.2 g); 29.150.7r (thigh defense); H. 19 in. (48.3 cm); W. 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm); D. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 8.6 oz. (1604.6 g); 29.150.7t (greave); H. 16 in. (40.6 cm); W. 5 in. (12.7 cm); D. 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm); Wt. 1 lb. 13 oz. (822.1 g); 29.150.7w (mail shirt); H. 30 5/16 in. (77.0 cm); W. 57 7/8 in. (147.0 cm); Diam. (outside) of front links 5/16 in. (7.6 mm); Diam. (inside) of front links 7/32 in. (5.8 mm); Diam. (outside) of back links 5/16 (7.9 mm); Diam. (inside) of back links 7/32 in. (5.6 mm)
- Classification: Armor for Man
- Credit Line: Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Bequest of Bashford Dean, 1928
- Object Number: 29.150.7
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Italian, probably Milan
ca. 1450–60
Italian, probably Milan
ca. 1450–60; rondel, stem, and aventail, later
Italian, Milan
ca. 1450–60
Italian, Milan
ca. 1450–60
Italian
ca. 1400–1450 and later
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
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.