Kunz Lochner

Kunz Lochner was an eminent master plate armourer, blacksmith and silversmith from Nuremberg, Germany, Holy Roman Empire. He was the son of a skillful armourer with the same name, and his two brothers Heinrich and Hans who were also skillful armourers and blacksmiths. In 1543, Lochner started working for the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, and the following year he began his service at the future Maximilian II as court armourer. Lochner's workshop produced some of the most magnificent plate armours made during the 16th-century Renaissance period for field warfare, tourney and ceremonial occasions. Lochner's patrons included royalty, knights and nobility from across Europe.
Armour crafted by Lochner, bearing Lochner's personal hallmark: a shield with demi-lion in dexter and bendy of six in sinister; similar is also his other personal hallmark: a shield with lion rampant, or on stylistic grounds bearing the Nuremberg hallmark, can be found preserved in museums such as the Royal Armoury in Stockholm, the Dresden State Art Collections in Dresden, the Army Museum in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.