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Fashion and Armour
in Renaissance Europe
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Fashion and Armour
in Renaissance Europe
Proud Lookes and Brave Attire
Angus Patterson
V&A Publishing
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Contents
Timeline
6
Introduction
8
Heading to come
12
Wearing
22
Adorning
58
Collecting
82
Endnotes
COPYRIGHT
to come
107
Glossary
110
Further Reading
111
Index
112
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Timeline 1480–1620
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1480–1500
1500–50
1550–70
1570–90
1590–1620
Slender upwards proportion, emphasis on long
legs, high waistline, small skirt tabs on doublet
and breastplate, with decorative trim, piked
(pointed) shoes
Broad ‘horizontal’ proportion, wide shoulders,
vertical pleats, ‘winged’ neckline, pinched waist
with billowing skirt/hose, puffed sleeves, square
shoes, tight stockings below knee
Figure-hugging upper body with bands of
decoration outlining shape, short skirted
doublet, knee-length tassets and hose,
straight shoes
Pronounced pointed breastplate/doublet, high
trunk hose and tassets, highly decorated surfaces,
long, slender emphasis on lower body
Full-bodied, short, square upper body, falling
band on helmet and lace collar, emphasis on
high waistline, bulging thighs, tapering legs,
knee-length boots
Armour for the future Emperor Maximilian I,
made by Lorenz Helmschmid, Augsburg, c.1484
Armour of Ulrich von Württemberg,
made by Wilhelm von Worms, Nuremberg, 1525–30
Armour of Emperor Ferdinand I,
made by Kunz Lochner, Nuremberg, dated 1549
Armour of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, made in
the Royal workshop in Greenwich, England, 1580–85
Cuirassier (horseman’s) armour, Germany
or the Netherlands, 1625–30
(Hofjagd- und Rüstkammer, Vienna, A.62)
(Hofjagd- und Rüstkammer, Vienna, A.237)
(Metropolitan Museum, New York, 33.164a–x)
(Metropolitan Museum, New York Munsey Fund, 1932, 32.130.6)
(Royal Armouries, Leeds, II.140)
to come
Detail of an English prince from a tapestry depicting
the Alsatian story of ‘The Buzzard’, Strasbourg, c.1480
Middle class woman from Basel, Switzerland,
around 1520, by the artist Hans Holbein
Portrait of Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol
by Jakob Seisenegger, 1548
Portrait of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester,
artist unknown, 1575
Portrait of James Hamilton,
2nd Marquess of Hamilton by Daniel Mytens 1624–5
(V&A 4509-1858)
(Kunstmuseum Basel, Kupferstichkabinett, Basel)
(Kunsthistorischesmuseum, Vienna)
(Parham Park)
(English Royal Collection)
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01
Detail
Introduction
OPPOSITE
Detail of plate 1
The young prince gazes haughtily from the canvas (see Plate 1). He stands in front
of rich velvet hangings that catch the light and bathe him in a golden glow. His
face is framed by an intricate linen ruff, his hands by matching cuffs. His costly
black velvet breeches are cut in vertical panes and embroidered in silver threaded
zigzags. But the clothing he most wants us to see is made of steel. His breastplate
protrudes fashionably at the belly and is decorated with etched bands infilled with
gold vines and leaves. The gold contrasts starkly with the deep blue heat-treated
steel that glistens in the light. Tassets covering his hips continue this decorative
scheme, as do the pauldrons on his shoulders and the vambraces on his arms.
Leaning languidly against the table, he looks perfectly at ease in his armour.
From the velvet sling that matches his breeches hangs his sword at his left
hip. A dagger shows from behind his back. Their blades are hidden for it is their
decorated hilts he wants us to see. The prince is not equipped for battle; he is
dressed for fashion. He is a man of great wealth and taste, deeply image-conscious
and aware of his nobility. This is how he wants to be remembered.
Of all the riches of the Renaissance nobleman, none spoke more powerfully
of his honour and standing than his armour and weapons. Pragmatism might
suggest that good armour should be shaped with protection only in mind, that it
should strike a balance between being thick enough to protect against sword
blows, lance strikes and musket-shot, and light enough to allow for fast movement. Armour, however, even for fighting, can be dated according to shape,
proportion and decoration as effectively as clothing; changes in fashion affected the
8
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01
Pl.1, ‘Prince Philip
Emmanuel of Savoy’,
c.1604, Juan Pantoja de
la Cruz, Spain, oil on
canvas, 111.5 x 89.5cm,
Museo de Bellas Artes,
Bilbao, 94/119
of ostrich feathers and draped with colourful silk sashes, created an
aura of luxury and majesty. Their owners, who might only commission one or two such armours in a lifetime, aimed to inspire awe
through their acquisitions.
Noblemen also commissioned weapons both as instruments of
power and as works of art. Forged and ornamented by the most
skilled craftsmen, weapons were status symbols whose first and
sometimes only impact was visual. While most weapons were
certainly not benign, they were, during the sixteenth century, increasingly worn as dress accessories. Swords, daggers, breastplates,
shields, hunting tools, guns and gunpowder flasks were decorated using
the same motifs that were chosen for tapestries, furniture, silver and ceramics. Some pieces were designed to kill, others to protect. Most were
designed to intimidate, and all were created to impress (see Plate 2).
This book takes a fresh look at an often ignored element of
fashion history. Seeing armour as clothing and weapons as
accessories allows us to put an often misconstrued subject
into context. One only has to look at the great riches in
Renaissance collections to see the importance of armour
and weapons to the image of the nobleman. And armouries
were fashion accessories in themselves: those in the
princely palaces in Madrid, Dresden, Prague, Paris and
London served not only as storehouses ready for war, but as showcases designed
to fill visiting dignitaries with wonder. They were the treasure houses of powerful families, visible symbols of their authority and memorials to their heroic pasts.
ways men presented themselves, whether they chose to dress in leather, satin,
velvet or steel. Armour was clothing.
Depictions of great events in paintings, tapestries and sculpture suggest
armour played a central role in visual as well as political culture. Parade armours,
lavishly ornamented with figures from classical mythology, decorated with plumes
10
11
02
Pl.2, Powder Flask,
c.1600, Austria, antler
carved in relief with
Adam and Eve after an
engraving by Albrecht
Dürer and mounted in
silver-gilt, 27 x 11.5cm,
V&A: 234-1854