Pair of Rowel Spurs

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This very ornamental pair of spurs is chiseled and pierced with geometrical motifs, and each object features three flower-shaped pierced rowels. Some types of spurs with several rowels were sometimes used in the 17th century with particularly difficult horses. However, on this pair it seems to be more an ornamental luxurious feature, for a pair worn like a piece of jewelry, than a truly equestrian improvement. For example, the outer rowel of each spur is without function since it would never touch the horse's flank. Such spurs are known in Germany since the mid-16th century. This type of chiseled and pierced decoration was used by the spur makers in eastern Germany in the 16th and 17th centuries. Despite their name, spur makers not only made spurs, but also all the small equestrian hardware like bits, stirrups, muzzles, cavessons or curry-combs, sometimes adorned with the same intricate decoration.

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