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Cuirassier's Armor: Helmet
c. 1600–20
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
The cuirassier was the heavy cavalryman of the late 1500s and early 1600s. Carrying pistols and a sword, he was clad in full armor, with the exception of his lower legs, which were protected by heavy riding boots. Shortly after 1650, such heavy cavalry armor disappeared from use. By then, European cavalries had abandoned full armor as impractical against the increased sophistication of firearms.
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Details
- Title: Cuirassier's Armor: Helmet
- Date Created: c. 1600–20
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 171.4 cm (67 1/2 in.)
- Provenance: Archduke Eugen of Austria, the Castle of Hohenwerfen, near Salzburg; Anderson Galleries, New York (1927); William Randolph Hearst (1956); David Norton Yerkes, Washington, DC; to his daughter, Catharine Y. Kulski [by inheritance]
- Type: Arms and Armor
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2012.37.a
- Medium: steel (originally blued, now black); leather straps
- Inscriptions: Proof mark (musket shot) is located on the proper left side of the breastplate
- Fun Fact: When assembled, this suit of armor is just over 5-1/2 feet tall.
- Department: Medieval Art
- Culture: Austria, Graz(?), early 17th century
- Credit Line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Collection: MED - Arms & Armor
- Accession Number: 2012.37.a
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