Breastplate with applied stop-rib

Unknown

ca. 1420–40 · Steel · Arms and Armor

This early example of a one-piece breastplate comes from a large horde of armor found in the fortress of the Order of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean island of Rhodes, which fell to the Ottomans in 1522. The V-shaped stop rib would deflect the points of weapons away from the neck.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1420–40

Medium

Steel

Culture

Italian

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Bequest of Bashford Dean, 1928