Shield Depicting Saint George Slaying the Dragon

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Italian armorers of the mid to late sixteenth century produced armors with amazingly lavish and complex decoration. They used a technique known as embossing or repoussé and chasing—the ornamentation of metal by raising designs in relief from the surface and then chiseling and filing the details on the front. Because this method seriously weakened armor plate and eliminated the smooth surfaces that served to deflect weapons, embossed armors were created exclusively for ceremonial use in military and civic festivals. Following the tradition of the Negroli armor workshop, Milanese armorers pursued new pictorial and sculptural styles of armor decoration. Shields, helmets, and entire armors were embossed with complex, multifigured scenes from ancient history, legends, mythology, and the Bible. To further enrich the raised surfaces, they were often damascened with gold or silver and contrasted with a russet or blued background. The finest armor decorator of the period was Lucio Piccinino (active about 1575–90), who reputedly designed, embossed, and damascened the armors himself, uniting skills usually assigned to separate craftsmen.

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