Codpiece

1550/70

German

Though a strange fashion to us today, the codpiece was commonly used to garb the male groin throughout Europe in the 16th century. In clothing they might be stuffed or used as a pouch or pocket in which items were kept. In steel, they were worn only for use on foot, as they would have caused discomfort when riding, and therefore were designed to be detachable. The spring-loaded pin at the top passed through a hole at the crotch of the breastplate from which it suspended.

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

Title: Codpiece
Place: 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.: Made 1550–1570
Medium: Steel
Dimensions: 14 × 10.2 × 7.6 cm (5 1/2 × 4 × 3 in.)
Credit Line: George F. Harding Collection
Reference Number: 1982.2690
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/116636/manifest.json

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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.

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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.

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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.