Curb Bit

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

According to contemporary equestrian manuals, the mouthpiece of this bit was designed for a horse with good mouth, a thick tongue, with a ‘mediocre support’ on the bit. If its general shape, with its leaf-shape scrolling combs, corresponds to most of the curb bits produced at that time in Western Europe, the pierced decoration is typical of the production of South-East Germany and Saxony in the 16th and 17th centuries. The relative lower quality of this pierced decoration, however, as well as the style of the almost abstract scrolling vines, indicate that this object belongs the late, declining period of this tradition.

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