Curb Bit

Unknown

ca. 1530–40 · Iron alloy · Arms and Armor

Contemporary equestrian manuals describe this type of bit as severe, designed for lifting up the head of a horse with a hard or bad mouth. The elegant S-shaped shanks, with their diamond terminals, are typical of the bits made around the 1530s in Western Europe.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1530–40

Medium

Iron alloy

Culture

French or German

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913