Reinforcing Breastplate

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This reinforcing breastplate was intended to be worn on top of the breastplate of a cuirassier (heavy cavalry) armor in order to make it bulletproof. Bulletproof reinforcing pieces were relatively heavy––this breastplate alone weighs 14 pounds 11 ounces––which is why they were made to be removable when not in use. Cuirassiers usually were armed with a sword and two or more wheellock pistols such as the example also in the Metropolitan Museum's collection (acc. no. 14.25.1426). The symbols deeply engraved on the silvered steel surface of this breastplate and on the barrel and lockplate of the associated pistol include a pentagram, the letter F, and a coronet encircling a pair of crossed palm branches. These are the personal emblems of the Spanish nobleman Don Gómez Suárez de Figueroa Y Córdova, duke of Feria (1587–1634), a prominent military commander in the service of King Philip III. From 1618 to 1625 and again from 1631 to 1633, he held the prestigious post of governor of the duchy of Milan, then a Spanish territory. It was probably during this period that the duke of Feria commissioned this pistol (one of a pair) and the armor, now in the Royal Armory in Turin, Italy, to which this reinforcing breastplate originally belonged.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.

Metropolitan Museum of Art