The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Body Guard (Brigandine)

Body Guard (Brigandine)

c. 1500–1525
(?)
linen; gold velvet; steel; brass
Overall: 56.5 x 47.6 cm (22 1/4 x 18 3/4 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1921.1250
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This vest only weighs about five and a half pounds, considerably lighter than plate armor.

Description

The brigandine is a light, vest-like body defense popular with both knights and infantry from the 1400s through about 1550. It is constructed of multiple small plates attached to a cloth covering. Finer examples, like this one, are faced in velvet or fabric made of gold thread. The lightweight brigandine provided protection from the weather, and was extremely flexible.
  • 1921
    Sale: American Art Association, New York, NY, Nov. 18-19, 1921
    1921-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • American Art Association. An Important Collection of Ancient Arms and Armor. 1921. cat. no. 236
    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. 66, C14; Reproduced: Plate XIV, C14 archive.org
    Gilchrist, Helen Ives. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1948. Reproduced: p. 22 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. cat. no. 39, p. 164
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 15, p. 183
    Dobson, Chris. Beaten Black and Blue: The Myth of the Medieval Knight in Shining Armour. Sant'Albano Stura, Italy: Chris Dobson, 2023. Reproduced: p. 62, fig. 64
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
  • {{cite web|title=Body Guard (Brigandine)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1500–1525|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.1250