Zischägge (Helmet) and Cuirass of Emperor Ferdinand II

c. 1620

South German

The design of this armor follows an eastern European fashion for lighter-equipped cavalry. Its considerable thickness and weight (about 25 pounds) were meant to protect the wearer’s vitals from the deadly threat of firearms.

This armor, however, did not belong to any ordinary cavalryman, but to Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II. Ferdinand ruled during the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48), which devastated much of central Europe. Asserting the authority of the Habsburg dynasty, the etched and gilt decoration on the breastplate depicts two of the emperor’s great forebears, Maximilian I on the right and Charles V on the left.

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

Title: Zischägge (Helmet) and Cuirass of Emperor Ferdinand II
Place: Southern Germany (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.: 1610–1630
Medium: steel, gilding, brass, and leather
Dimensions: Helmet H: H.: 41.7 cm (16 3/8 in.); Cuirass H: H.: 43.8 cm (17 1/4 in.)
Credit Line: George F. Harding Collection
Reference Number: 1982.2239a-c
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/106375/manifest.json

Walter Karchieski, “Arms and Armor in the Art Institute of Chicago” (Art Institute of Chicago/Little, Brown, and Company, 1995), p. 54 (ill.)

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