Helmet and Breastplate for the Gioco del Ponte

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This armor was made for the gioco del ponte, a mock combat held sporadically from the Middle Ages until 1807 in the center of Pisa on a bridge over the Arno River. The armor was assembled and decorated in about 1800 from obsolete parts. Its form and type are typical for gioco armors, of which many examples survive. The painted decoration, however, is extremely rare; the only other fully painted examples are a helmet and cuirass in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, acquired in Pisa in 1807. Paint analysis on the Metropolitan’s helmet revealed that it was entirely repainted sometime in the early twentieth century, probably when the gioco was revived in the 1930s.

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