Pair of Rowel Spurs

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

These spurs reused the branches and the lower part of the neck of a 17th-century pair. In the late 18th or in the 19th century, they placed buttons in two of the terminals’ holes, bent the neck upward and added the long shaft and the enormous rowel. In this configuration these spurs are highly impractical and unbalanced. They were either made for the stage or to fool a 19th-century collector.

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