Composite Armor

Kaspar Riederer|Jörg Wagner|Hans Prunner

comprehensively ca. 1485–95 · Steel · Arms and Armor

The elements constituting this armor bear the marks of different armorers, all of whom were active in Innsbruck in the 1480s and 1490s. The sallet is by Jörg Wagner (recorded 1485–92), the breastplate and backplate are by Hans Prunner (recorded 1482–99), and the rondel by Kaspar Riederer (active 1455–99). The elbow bears an effaced Innsbruck-style mark, while the left gauntlet is unmarked but of an Innsbruck type. The armorers of Innsbruck, capital of the Austrian Tyrol, thrived under the patronage of the Habsburg court and produced armor that was internationally renowned for the strength of its steel and the beauty of its form. Located near the border between Austria and Italy, this center created armor that reflected the influence of north and south, combining the elongated and spiky German Gothic style with the rounded and more robust forms preferred in Renaissance Italy.

Artist

Kaspar Riederer|Jörg Wagner|Hans Prunner

Date

comprehensively ca. 1485–95

Medium

Steel

Culture

Austrian, Innsbruck and Mühlau

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Rondel (14.25.1661b): Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913; sallet, backplate, breastplate (29.150.5a, .70, .80): Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Bequest of Bashford Dean, 1928; couter (29.156.66k): Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1929; gauntlet (29.158.255b): Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various donors, 1929