The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 30, 2020

Hauberk

c. 1400- 1450

Germany (?), first half 15th Century

Steel and brass rings, riveted with modern buckles and straps

Overall: 76.2 cm (30 in.); Sleeves: 43.2 cm (17 in.)

Gift of John L. Severance 1923.1120

Location

210A Armor Court

Description

Mail armor was the predominant form of metal body defense for European knights until about 1350. The term derives from the Old French word maille (mesh), implying a protective textile. Each mail garment was constructed of small linked metal rings and "woven" for a specific part of the body. Mail for the torso is a hauberk and typically reached mid-thigh.

Provenance
Ancient German Armory; Bashford Dean, New York (sale American Art Association, November 23, 1923, lot 246).
Citations
Gilchrist, Helen Ives. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1948. Reproduced: p. 21 archive.org
Exhibition history

The Cleveland Museum of Art (09/10/1998); "Armor Court Reinstallation"

J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"

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

Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Center for the Visual Arts (February 13-June 7, 2009).

Source URL: https://cmaweb23-bbn-2.clevelandart.org/art/1923.1120