Pikeman Armor for an Officer

1625/30

English, Greenwich

Half armor was worn by both foot soldiers and light cavalrymen. English Pikemen were infantrymen (foot soldiers) so named for their principal weapon, the pike, a staff that measured 16 to 20 feet in length. Abundantly studded with steel brass-capped rivets within embossed V-shaped motifs, a pikeman’s armor included a helmet (pott), cuirass (breastplate and backplate), gorget (collar), and tassets (riveted steel skirt plates attached to the breastplate). For protection, the down-turned, wide-brimmed pott was originally designed to deflect arrows away from the neck, while the tassets shielded the waist and upper thighs. The patterned breastplate with bulbous tassets reflects the style of a doublet, with a wide full skirt over bulky trousers, which was fashionable at this time. The shoulder strap reinforcement and tasset hinges suggest that this harness belonged to an officer of the English Pikemen or even a member of the English royal bodyguard—the Yeomen of the Guard.

Status: On View, Gallery 239
Department: Applied Arts of Europe

Title: Pikeman Armor for an Officer
Place: Greenwich (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1625–1630
Medium: Steel, brass, and leather
Dimensions: H.: 94 cm (37 in.)
Credit Line: George F. Harding Collection
Reference Number: 1982.2177a-f
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/106286/manifest.json

Walter Karchieski, “Arms and Armor in the Art Institute of Chicago” (Art Institute of Chicago/Little, Brown, and Company, 1995), p. 36 (ill.)

Included in Special Exhibition at Art Institute of Chicago, 1971.

S.J. Whawell Collection, before 1926. Sold

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Suggested Terms

See all hours

On View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Title

Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

Extended information about this artwork

Publication History

Exhibition History

Provenance

Share

Explore Further

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.