Breastplate (<i>Kastenbrust</i>)

Unknown

ca. 1450 · Steel · Arms and Armor

Although it was in wide use across Europe by the early fifteenth century, very little plate armor survives from that period. This breastplate is one of the earliest German examples in existence. It is almost identical to the breastplate on a statue of Emperor Friedrich III (1415–1493), dated 1453, and represents the latest innovation in German armor design and technology of the time. Unfortunately, it is not known where Dean acquired this piece.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1450

Medium

Steel

Culture

German

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Bequest of Bashford Dean, 1928