Portions of an Armor Garniture for Field and Tournament Made for Duke Nikolaus "The Black" Radziwill (1515–1565), Duke of Nesvizh and Olyka, Prince of the Empire, Grand Chancellor and Marshal of Lithuania

Portions of an Armor Garniture for Field and Tournament Made for Duke Nikolaus "The Black" Radziwill (1515–1565), Duke of Nesvizh and Olyka, Prince of the Empire, Grand Chancellor and Marshal of Lithuania

Kunz Lochner

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This crinet plate, along with the matching shaffron also in the Metropolitan Museum's collection (21.42), form part of an important garniture of armor for field and tournament use made for Nikolaus "the Black" Radziwill (1515–1565), duke of Nesvizh and Olyka, prince of the empire, and grand chancellor and marshall of Lithuania––one of the wealthiest and most important nobles in Poland and Lithuania. Several elements of the garniture survive, six of which (including this one) are preserved in the Metropolitan Museum's collection. Made by the distinguished Nuremberg armorer Kunz (Konrad) Lochner, the Radziwill armor, with its overall etched design of interlaced strapwork and brilliant polychromy, is one of the most distinctive and colorful examples of the sixteenth century.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Portions of an Armor Garniture for Field and Tournament Made for Duke Nikolaus "The Black" Radziwill (1515–1565), Duke of Nesvizh and Olyka, Prince of the Empire, Grand Chancellor and Marshal of LithuaniaPortions of an Armor Garniture for Field and Tournament Made for Duke Nikolaus "The Black" Radziwill (1515–1565), Duke of Nesvizh and Olyka, Prince of the Empire, Grand Chancellor and Marshal of LithuaniaPortions of an Armor Garniture for Field and Tournament Made for Duke Nikolaus "The Black" Radziwill (1515–1565), Duke of Nesvizh and Olyka, Prince of the Empire, Grand Chancellor and Marshal of LithuaniaPortions of an Armor Garniture for Field and Tournament Made for Duke Nikolaus "The Black" Radziwill (1515–1565), Duke of Nesvizh and Olyka, Prince of the Empire, Grand Chancellor and Marshal of LithuaniaPortions of an Armor Garniture for Field and Tournament Made for Duke Nikolaus "The Black" Radziwill (1515–1565), Duke of Nesvizh and Olyka, Prince of the Empire, Grand Chancellor and Marshal of Lithuania

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.