The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 19, 2024

Demi-Chanfron

Demi-Chanfron

c. 1550

Did You Know?

A knight depended on his horse as both a weapon and a means of defense, and thus went to great lengths to care for and protect his charger.

Description

The chanfron, head defense for a horse, was introduced in the 1300s. It included two side pieces to protect the cheeks. In the 16th and 17th centuries, when armor failed to protect against firearms, it assumed greater importance as ornament. For this reason the demi (or half) chanfron covered the forehead of the horse but extended, like this one, only halfway down the nose. The Habsburg Spanish Court was served by the armorers of Augsburg in the 16th century. This impressively decorated piece, by tradition, is said to have once belonged to Philip II of Spain (1527–1598).
  • Philip II of Spain (1527-1598)
    Frederic Spitzer (1815–1890), London England, and Paris, France
    ?-1916
    Frank Gair Macomber, Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Galerie Georges Petit, Paris. Armes & Armures. June 10-14, 1895. Lot 88. Mentioned: vol. I, p. 24, lot 88; Reproduced: vol. II, p. [17], lot 88 archive.org
    Catalogue of Arms and Armour. Vol. 3, 16th century. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915]. Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (135) 138 archive.org
    Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: p. 232, J4; Reproduced: Plate XLVII, J4; XLVIII, J4 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. 2d ed., 1948. Reproduction: p. 49 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. p. 67; p. 97; cat. no. 69, p. 165
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 70, p. 185
  • Master Goldsmiths of the Renaissance: Their Models and Designs. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 2, 1982-March 20, 1983).
    Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
  • {{cite web|title=Demi-Chanfron|url=false|author=|year=c. 1550|access-date=19 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1526