Field Armor Probably of Sir John Scudamore (1541 or 1542–1623)

Field Armor Probably of Sir John Scudamore (1541 or 1542–1623)

Jacob Halder

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sir John Scudamore (1541 or 1542–1623) was appointed a Gentleman Pensioner by Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 1558–1603) in 1571 or 1572 and knighted in 1592. This armor probably was commissioned by him in preparation for the threatened Spanish invasion of England in 1588. It was made in the royal workshops at Greenwich during the tenure of Jacob Halder (documented in England 1558–1608) as master armorer. The remains of this and the later Scudamore armor for his son James (Metropolitan Museum of Art,accession number 11.128.2) were found, badly damaged and incomplete, in 1909, in Holme Lacy, the ancestral home of the Scudamores. The armors were restored and completed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1915, by the armorer Daniel Tachaux. The parts made by Tachaux include the helmet, left pauldron (shoulder defense), gauntlets, and right sabaton (foot defense).

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Field Armor Probably of Sir John Scudamore (1541 or 1542–1623)Field Armor Probably of Sir John Scudamore (1541 or 1542–1623)Field Armor Probably of Sir John Scudamore (1541 or 1542–1623)Field Armor Probably of Sir John Scudamore (1541 or 1542–1623)Field Armor Probably of Sir John Scudamore (1541 or 1542–1623)

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.