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Breastplate

A work made of steel.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of steel.

Date:

c. 1520

Artist:

South German or Austrian (Innsbruck)

About this artwork

Once part of a complete armor, this breastplate features bold fluted or rippled surfaces meant to mimic the fashionable pleats and slashes on contemporary clothing. Enhancing the allusion to textiles, the slashes and borders are acid etched with ornament not unlike embroidery or patterned silk. On the center top is a scene of the Crucifixion, undoubtedly meant to invoke holy protection in battle.

Status

On View, Gallery 239

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Title

Breastplate

Place

Innsbruck (Object Possibly 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 1510–1530

Medium

Steel

Credit Line

George F. Harding Collection

Reference Number

1982.2425a

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/116291/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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