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A knight depended on his horse both as a weapon and a means of defense. He therefore had to take great care to protect his charger. From the 1100s on, knights first covered their steeds in trappings of fabric and later of mail. By around 1400, full steel plate armor for horses was complete. It is possible that this armor made for both man and horse originally belonged to a "garniture," an armor with multiple customized exchange elements that could convert the basic suit to various field and sporting uses. With different pieces of the garniture attached, this suit could have been worn either in battle or in various tournament games. The total combined weight of both the man's and horse's armor is 114 pounds. The etched decoration of this armor is of a type that became fashionable in northern Italy during the late 1500s. It consists of ornamental bands of etched figures, animals, portrait busts, and armor trophies. In addition, a coat of arms is represented seven times in different places—the center of the breastplate and blackplate, the front and back of each pauldron (shoulder defense), and the center of the peytral (horse's breastplate). The coat of arms is that of the Colonna family quartered with another, still unidentified family. It probably belonged to an unknown member of the Völs-Colonna family from the South Tyrol, now part of northern Italy.

Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965).

Year in Review (1964)

Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

Armor Court Reinstallation

Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Armor Court

Schloss Prösels, Fiè allo Sciliar, Italy

Prince Peter Soltykoff (active 1840-1861), Paris, France

William H. Rigs (1837-1928), Paris, France, donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1913-64), New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Armor for Man and Horse

Gallery Hangouts: Armor for Man and Horse

Armor for Man and Horse with Völs-Colonna Arms

Who doesn't love to mix function with fashion? Certainly, the knights of what is now Northern Italy and their horses were no exception. Join Sydney Kreuzmann, in a closer look at one of the Cleveland Museum of Art's visitor favorites, <a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.88">Armor for Man and Horse.</a>

General Admission Is Always Free

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Who doesn't love to mix function with fashion? Certainly, the knights of what is now Northern Italy and their horses were no exception.

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