The Parade Armour of Henry II of France, now in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, New York, is believed to date from c 1553–55 and its decoration is attributed to the French

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), pl ...

and engraver

Étienne Delaune Étienne Delaune, Delaulne, or De Laune, (1518 or 1519) was a French goldsmith, medallist, draughtsman and engraver .Marianne Grivel. "Delaune, Etienne." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 13 August 2016 Life He ...

. Designed for use in pageantry, the armour was fashioned of gold, silver and steel and with leather and red velvet trimmings.Burn, 134 It was created for

Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...

as ceremonial wear; the figures embossed on the breastplate and back are intended to reflect his military achievements. There are 20 surviving mid-sixteenth-century drawings, thought to be by Delaune, used for sketching the original design.Montebello, 65Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59)
. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 19 September 2015 Later additions and modifications are attributed to Baptiste Pellerin and

Jean Cousin the Elder Jean Cousin (1500 – before 1593) was a French painter, sculptor, etcher, engraver, and geometrician. He is known as "Jean Cousin the Elder" to distinguish him from his son Jean Cousin the Younger, also an artist. Career Cousin was born at ...

. The Metropolitan acquired the armour in 1939 via the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund.

Description

The adornments consist of dense passages of foliate scrolls which are derived from Arabesque art. The imagery contain both human figures and fantastical creatures. The latter seems influenced by the Italian Grotesque, particularly the work of sculptors

Francesco Primaticcio Francesco Primaticcio (April 30, 1504 – 1570) was an Italian Mannerist painter, architect and sculptor who spent most of his career in France. Biography Born in Bologna, he trained under Giulio Romano in Mantua and became a pupil of I ...

and

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

, both of whom produced works for Henry II.Snyder (1987), 140 The human figures include a Roman warrior representing

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

and Fame. He receives

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...

from two kneeling women. The Roman mythology theme appears elsewhere as well: Apollo chases the nymph Daphne across the breastplate and appears on the back with the slain monster

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (pro ...

. This triumphant symbolism is intended to reflect Henry's military achievements. Henry's badge, a crescent moon, appears in several places. Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59) MET DP208250.jpg Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59) MET DP256976.jpg Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59) MET DP256980.jpg Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59) MET DP256981.jpg

Function

Parade armour 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, es ...

became an elaborate and ornate Renaissance art form intended to both glorify war and flatter the military prowess of the royal subject. Surviving examples include decorated shields, helmets, and full suits of armour.Potter, 303 Delaune was an important contributor to the form, and Henry II commissioned a number of similar works, including a panel for his horse, and some

buckler A buckler (French ''bouclier'' 'shield', from Old French ''bocle, boucle'' 'boss') is a small shield, up to 45 cm (up to 18 in) in diameter, gripped in the fist with a central handle behind the boss. While being used in Europe since an ...

s (shields) now in the Louvre, both by Delaune. In addition surviving works for Henry include a full suit at the Museum of Ethnology, Vienna.Potter, 304 Henry required armour for battle, tournament and state occasions, and kept a court armoury staffed by mostly French,

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

and Italian artisans, of whom Delaune was probably the most skilled and was called upon for the most prestigious commissions. The c 1555 "Shield of Henry II of France" also in the Metropolitan, is thought to have been based on a design by Delaune.Shield of Henry II of France, ca. 1555
. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 19 September 2015 Today there are at least six surviving examples of armour designed for Henry by Delaune, a number of which are shields, including in the

Wallace Collection The Wallace Collection is a museum in London occupying Hertford House in Manchester Square, the former townhouse of the Seymour family, Marquesses of Hertford. It is named after Sir Richard Wallace, who built the extensive collection, along w ...

, Vienna, and

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

. The manufacture of the suit would have been highly specialised and complex, probably involving a number of master goldsmiths, and involve high levels of

gilding Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

damascening Damascening is the art of inlaying different metals into one another—typically, gold or silver into a darkly oxidized steel background—to produce intricate patterns similar to niello. The English term comes from a perceived resemblance to th ...

the layers gold and silver, and

leather stamping Leather crafting or simply leathercraft is the practice of making leather into craft objects or works of art, using shaping techniques, coloring techniques or both. Techniques Dyeing The application of pigments carried by solvents or water in ...

(embossing). It was probably created at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

Atelier of Royal Armorers An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or v ...

, and would not have been intended for wear at battle or jousts – the armour is purely decorative and suitable only for state processions and occasions; its form and design would impede movement and is impractically designed for defense. Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59) MET DP256970.jpg Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59) MET DP256971.jpg Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59) MET DP256972.jpg Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59) MET DP256973.jpg

Notes

Sources

* Belozerskaya, Marina. ''Luxury Arts of the Renaissance''. CA: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2005. * Burn, Barbara. ''Masterpieces of the Metropolitan Museum of Art''. Bulfinch Press, 1997. * Montebello, P (ed). ''The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide''. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994. * Potter, David. ''Renaissance France at War: Armies, Culture and Society, C.1480-1560''. Boydell Press, 2008. * Snyder, James (ed). ''The Renaissance in the North''. New York:

Publications, 1987. OCLO 893699130

External links

{{commonscat, Parade Armour of Henry II of France
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metalwork of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Arms and armor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Henry II of France Clothing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art