The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 25, 2023

Breastplate with Etched Bands of Trophies and Medallions

c. 1550–1600

This object has related works. See Buffe (etched with bands of trophies); Burgonet

North Italy, 16th century

Etched steel

Overall: 46 x 34.7 x 15.9 cm (18 1/8 x 13 11/16 x 6 1/4 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1654

Location

210A Armor Court

Fun Fact

Etching is a technique where either the design or its ground is bitten into the metal surface with acid, the rest being protected by a protective wax or varnish.

Description

Shown here together is a burgonet, buffe, and breastplate all decorated with a technique known as etching. A burgonet is a light open helmet characterized by a peak, a fall over the eyes, and hinged earpieces. The face is protected by the addition of a buffe, a sperate detachable element worn with the open helmet that extends to the throat. It connects to the breastplate which protects the abdomen and is worn with a backplate.

Provenance
Edwin J. Brett (1828-1895), London, England
?-1916
Frank Gair Macomber, Boston, MA (1949-1941), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1916-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Catalogue of Arms and Armour. Vol. 3, 16th century. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915]. Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (157) 160 archive.org
"Front Matter." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 5, no. 5 (1918). Reproduced: Front Matter www.jstor.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. 64, C10 archive.org
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. pp. 79, 163, cat. no. 31
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 25, p. 183
Exhibition history

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

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1654