Armor Garniture of George Clifford (1558–1605), Third Earl of Cumberland
The Cumberland armor is part of a garniture for field and tournament use. It was made in the royal workshops at Greenwich under the direction of the master armorer Jacob Halder (documented in England 1558–1608). The complete garniture is illustrated in the Jacobe Album, a late sixteenth-century manuscript of pen-and-wash drawings that records the decorated armors produced in the Greenwich workshops. The surviving pieces are the man’s armor and several exchange or reinforcing elements––a grandguard (defense for the lower face and upper left torso), passguard (defense for the left elbow), and four vamplates (hand defenses affixed to the lance) for the tilt; a close helmet with detachable visor reinforce for the tournament fought on foot––and horse armor, consisting of a shaffron (head defense) and saddle plates.
The Cumberland armor is the best preserved armor garniture from the royal workshops at Greenwich. It represents a technical and decorative high point of the Greenwich school.
Artwork Details
- Title:
Armor Garniture of George Clifford (1558–1605), Third Earl of Cumberland
- Armorer: Made under the direction of Jacob Halder (British, master armorer at the royal workshops at Greenwich, documented in England 1558–1608)
- Date: 1586
- Geography: Greenwich
- Culture: British, Greenwich
- Medium: Steel, gold, leather, textile
- Dimensions: H. 69 1/2 in. (176.5 cm); Wt. 60 lb. (27.2 kg)
- Classification: Armor for Man
- Credit Line: armor (32.130.6a–y): Munsey Fund, 1932; terminal lame of the grand guard (36.98.1): Rogers Fund, 1936
- Object Number: 32.130.6a–y; 36.98.1
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
Audio
4425. Armor of George Clifford, Part 1
STUART PYHRR: This armor is one of the best preserved and most complete armors made in the royal workshops at Greenwich.
NARRATOR: Curator Stuart Pyhrr.
STUART PYHRR: By this period—about 1585 or '86—the workshop was making armors for Elizabeth's courtiers, her favorites; and George Clifford was certainly one of them. In 1590 he was appointed the Queen's champion—that is, the representative of the Queen at tournaments and defender of her honor.
NARRATOR: The emblems on Clifford’s armor indicate his close connection to the Queen.
STUART PYHRR: The decoration includes the Tudor rose, the fleur-de-lis of France, then part of the British arms, and the monogram of two “E”s back-to-back, the initials of the monarch Queen Elizabeth I. The decoration is striking in its brilliant blue-and-gold coloring. The color—the blue—is achieved by heating the surface of the metal. Over the centuries the brilliant dark blue has matured into a brownish color, what we call "russet." It's no longer quite the brilliant peacock blue of its original state. The gilding, however, is preserved in perfect condition.
This armor can also be appreciated as a fashion statement. The elegantly shaped pointed breastplate and the bulging hips reflect the masculine dress of the time. A doublet and trunkhose were worn beneath this armor so that fashion in textile and fashion in steel merged together to create a unified look.
NARRATOR: To hear about some of the other pieces in this case, press "Play."
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