Arte dell'Armi di Achille Marozzo Bolognese (The Art of Arms, by Achille Marozzo of Bologna)

Achille Marozzo

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published after Marozzo's death, the text, with some modifications to reflect changes in fighting styles, remains basically that of the Opera Nova of 1536. The original woodcuts have been replaced with engravings by Giovanni Battista Fontana (1524–1587), and Giulio Fontana (d. 1569). Giulio Fontana added a new preface to the 1568 edition dedicated to Don Giovanni Manriche, Camerieri di S. M. Cesarea, probably referring to Juan Manrique, chamberlain to Elizabeth Valois (1545–1568), queen of Spain. Fontana goes on to mention his illustrations for another fencing book, Camillo Agrippa's Trattato di Scienza d'Arme, published two weeks before Marozzo's Arte dell'Armi, which he had also dedicated to Don Giovanni Manriche.

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