Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense) with arms of the Freyberg family

Unknown

ca. 1540 · Steel, pewter, leather, textile, gold · Arms and Armor

This shaffron is fitted with an escutcheon plate bearing the arms of the barons of Freyberg. It comes from the armory at Hohenaschau Castle in Bavaria, the seat of that noble family, and probably belonged to Pancraz von Freyberg (1508–1565), a courtier in the service of the dukes of Bavaria in nearby Munich. Although unmarked, the shaffron is comparable in form to documented examples made in Landshut, a famous Bavarian armor-making center.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1540

Medium

Steel, pewter, leather, textile, gold

Culture

German, probably Landshut

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913