Elements from a Garniture Made for Christian I of Saxony (1560–1591)

Anton Peffenhauser

1582 · Steel, gold, leather, brass · Arms and Armor

Peffenhauser was among the most celebrated and long-lived armorers of Augsburg, a city famous for its armor-makers. The pieces displayed here are thought to be part of a garniture commissioned by Elector August of Saxony (1526–1586) in 1582. Because of its slender proportions, the armor is assumed to have been ordered as a present for the elector’s son, Christian (1560–1591), who later succeeded his father as archduke and elector of Saxony. These elements were intended for light cavalry or infantry use. The original garniture also included a complete armor for heavy cavalry with exchange pieces for the tournament, parts of which are still preserved in the Saxon Electoral Armory in Dresden.

Artist

Anton Peffenhauser

Date

1582

Medium

Steel, gold, leather, brass

Culture

German, Augsburg

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1938