The ''Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I'' is a suit of

plate armor Plate armour is a historical type of personal body armour made from bronze, iron, or steel plates, culminating in the iconic suit of armour entirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, e ...

created by the

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

armorer Historically, an armourer is a person who makes personal armour, especially plate armour. Historically armourers were often men, but women could also undertake the occupation: for example Alice la Haubergere worked as an armourer in Cheapside i ...

Kunz Lochner in 1549 for the future

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I (10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of rulers of Croatia, Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek ...

. One of several suits of armor made for the Emperor Ferdinand during the wars of

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

and conflict with the Ottomans, the etched but functional armor is thought by scholars to symbolize and document the role of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

monarchs as warriors on Europe's literal and ideological battlefields.

Symbolism

The armor is dominated by etched symbolism of the

Madonna and Child In Christian art, a Madonna () is a religious depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a singular form or sometimes accompanied by the Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word ...

as Woman of the Apocalypse atop a

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

moon on the

breastplate A breastplate or chestplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. European In medieval weaponry, the breastplate is the front portion of plate armour covering th ...

, echoing the design on an armor of his brother

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

at the Royal Armoury of Madrid. On the backplate, a fire-steel (radiating sparks), a Burgundian emblem originated by

Philip the Good Philip III the Good (; ; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) ruled as Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, ...

, sits at a

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

of crossed

branch A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins. History and etymology In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...

es under Saints

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

in architectural settings. In function, it is a working piece of field armor (''feldküriß'' or ''feldharnisch'') intended for military use, rather than parade armor, and the etching technique allowed elaboration and complexity in its design, without diminishing the defensive capabilities of the piece. Ferdinand's then-status as

King of the Romans King of the Romans (; ) was the title used by the king of East Francia following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German king between his election and coronatio ...

(the heir apparent to his brother

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

) is symbolized by a crowned doubled-headed eagle on the toe caps of the

sabaton A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armour, body armor that covers the foot. History Sabatons from the 14th and 15th centuries typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following poulaines, f ...

s covering his feet. The armor is clearly stamped with the "N" mark for

and the city's half-eagle

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

, and also has the date "1549" included three times in the etched decoration. These and the fantastical figures, arranged in triple bands imitative of a Spanish doublet, the

scrollwork The scroll in art is an element of ornament (art), ornament and graphic design featuring spirals and rolling incomplete circle motifs, some of which resemble the edge-on view of a book or document in scroll form, though many types are plant- ...

filled with tritons and other creatures, suggest Lochner as the armorer. File:Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) MET DP-12881-009.jpg, Breastplate File:Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) MET DP-12881-012.jpg, Backplate File:Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) MET DP-12881-015.jpg, Sabaton

Provenance

The armor was acquired by the German collector Franz, Count of Erbach-Erbach in the 19th century (a non-original

burgonet The burgonet helmet (sometimes called a burgundian sallet) was a Renaissance-era and early modern combat helmet. It was the successor of the sallet. Characteristics The burgonet helmet is characterised by a skull with a large fixed or hinged p ...

helmet was added about this time) and was then thought to be that of

Albert V, Duke of Bavaria Albert V (German: ''Albrecht V.'') (29 February 1528 – 24 October 1579) was Duke of Bavaria from 1550 until his death. He was born in Munich to William IV and Maria Jacobäa of Baden. Early life Albert was educated at Ingolstadt by Catholic ...

(the son-in-law of Ferdinand), kept by Franz and his heirs at Erbach Castle, and is currently in the collection of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

. The identification with Ferdinand I was first made by the director of the armory at the

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien ( "Vienna Museum of art history, Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, i ...

, on the basis of the wearer's slight build and relatively short height (no more than 5'7" or 170 cm), straight back, slim waist and long arms, the similarity to his other documented armors, and importantly the eagle on the

s. When the identification was initially made with Albert V, it had been assumed it was made for him as a young man, as he gained weight in later life. Albert was also a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and the imperial insignia could be seen as representing his marriage to Ferdinand's daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor 16th-century House of Habsburg Western plate armour Military history of Nuremberg 1549 works Metalwork in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Individual suits of armour Arms and armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Clothing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

Symbolism

Provenance

See also

References