Cheekpieces of a Curb Bit

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Probably used for dressage or leisure riding, this bit, of which the mouthpiece is missing, is entirely adorned with chiseled and pierced vegetal and geometrical motifs, typical of the decoration used by the spur makers in the south east of Germany in the 16th and 17th centuries. Despite their name, spur makers were not only made spurs, but also small equestrian hardware like bits, stirrups, muzzles, cavessons or curry-combs, sometimes adorned with the same intricate decoration. The object is stamped on both sides with the control mark of Munich: a monk with upraised arms, the city’s heraldic device. Cities’ control marks are rare on iron equestrian equipment, and Munich seems to be the only one in the 17th century to require this practice, which is also documented on contemporary stirrups (see for example 13.104). The banquets, the parts of the cheekpieces where the mouthpiece is attached, could have been opened to switch out the mouthpiece, a feature particularly appreciated on dressage bits in Germany.

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