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Infantry Garniture of a Target (Shield) and Pointed Morion

A work made of steel, brass, gilding, silk velvet, horse hair, silk, and silver-gilt fringe.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of steel, brass, gilding, silk velvet, horse hair, silk, and silver-gilt fringe.

Date:

1570/80

Artist:

North Italian; Milan

About this artwork

Matched round shields with open-faced helmets formed essential equipment for noble field commanders; in addition to providing protection, these served as a sign of rank. This heavy shield (target) and helmet (morion) were intended to defend against gunfire and blows from swords and pikes. Remarkably, they retain their original silk linings and fringe, decorative features that also muffled clanging blows. Training in the use of the target was fundamental to those learning the art of self-defense in the period.

Status

On View, Gallery 239

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Artist

Pompeo della Cesa

Title

Infantry Garniture of a Target (Shield) and Pointed Morion

Place

Milan (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 1570–1585

Medium

Steel, brass, gilding, silk velvet, horse hair, silk, and silver-gilt fringe

Dimensions

Rondache: Diam.: 55.9 cm (22 in.); ;

Credit Line

George F. Harding Collection

Reference Number

1982.2229a-b

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/106361/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

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.

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