The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Pikeman's Breastplate
c. 1620–30
Overall: 38.7 x 35.6 cm (15 1/4 x 14 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1923.1063.b
Location: 210A Armor Court
Description
Pikemen formed the backbone of infantry tactics through the end of the English Civil Wars (1642–51). Since muskets alone were ineffective against cavalry charges, companies of pikemen, armed with pikes, or spears, of 12 to 16 feet in length, were deployed in defensive formations to protect the musketeers, who wore no armor. A pikeman was usually equipped with a breastplate and backplate, hinged tassets reaching to mid-thigh, and sometimes a gorget, or neck piece, worn over a heavy buffcoat. High boots replaced leg armor. A brimmed, high-combed helmet known as a "pot" protected the head. Pikeman's armor withstood hard service. It was colored and treated (though the black paint seen here is modern) to control rusting and to add decorative interest.- Bashford Dean, New York; [The American Art Galleries, New York, sale 23-24 November 1923, lots 227c, 227i].
- Gilchrist, Helen Ives, and Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. 2nd ed., 1948. Mentioned: p. 16; Reproduced: p. 27 archive.org
- Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).The Cleveland Museum of Art (09/10/1998); "Armor Court Reinstallation"
- {{cite web|title=Pikeman's Breastplate|url=false|author=|year=c. 1620–30|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1923.1063.b