The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Breastplate with Etched Bands of Trophies and Medallions

c. 1550–1600

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

Did You Know?

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.
  • 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
  • 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
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
  • {{cite web|title=Breastplate with Etched Bands of Trophies and Medallions|url=false|author=|year=c. 1550–1600|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

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