Curb Bit

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This hard bit, with its mouthpiece consisting of non-articulated trumpet canons, was used for carriage horses. In the Encyclopédie of Diderot and D'Alembert, in the section on Eperonniers (spur-makers, published in 1752), this type of bit is called a 'cork-screw bit' (mors à tire-bouchon), because its shanks recall the handle of an 18th-century cork-screw.

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