Peytral
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
This peytral belongs to a large group of horse armor, including more than a dozen peytrals, which came from the armory of Nieśwież Castle, the seat of the Polish noble family Radziwill, the greater part of which was sold at two London auctions in 1926 and 1927. Most of the peytrals from the group were made in Nuremberg and are struck with that city's control mark. This example also bears a related Nuremberg mark, the letter N within a pearled circle, on the inside of the central plate. The Radziwills ordered armor from a number of German armorers during the sixteenth century. The Metropolitan Museum is fortuante to own important pieces from their armory, among them the portions of a magnificent "costume" armor made about 1525 by Kolman Helmschmid of Augsburg, possibly for Prince Jerzy Herkules Radziwill (acc. nos. 24.179 and 26.188.1, .2), and elements belonging to a larger garniture of armor with distinctive gilt and polychromed decoration made about 1555 by Kunz Lochner of Nuremberg for Prince Nikolaus "the Black" Radziwill (acc. nos. 21.42, 14.25.854). In addition to the princely armory, which contained armor and weapons intended for use by the Radziwills and their retainers, the family's collection is also thought to have included many pieces from the armory of the Teutonic knights at their stronghold of Königsberg, where Prince Boguslav Radziwill was governor from 1657 until his death in 1669. This peytral is comparatively plain in appearance. The presence of angular turns along the edges rather than roped ones suggests a date in the first quarter of the sixteenth century. The lack of decoration, apart from the wide, recessed band bordering the main edges, and the fact that it belongs to a large group of similar horse armor lend some credibility to the assumption that it may originally have come from Königsberg. All the rivets as well as the screws connecting the three plates are modern replacements.
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.