Pair of Rowel Spurs

Stephen Pilcherd|Anthony Hatch

ca. 1650–75 · Brass, enamel · Arms and Armor

These spurs are rare examples of a distinctive group of English enameled brassware made in London in the workshops of Stephen Pilcherd and Anthony Hatch during the second half of the seventeenth century. Formed of sturdy cast brass and decorated with elaborate foliate and figural ornament picked out in several colors of fired enamel, the majority of these wares were made for domestic use, like candlesticks and firedogs, though the rugged materials were equally well suited for equestrian equipment, like stirrups, spurs, and bits. An important group of these enameled brasses are in The Met’s Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, whereas the holdings of the Department of Arms and Armor include, in addition to these spurs, a pair of stirrups (2018.66a, b). The spurs are the only recorded matched pair of their kind.

Artist

Stephen Pilcherd|Anthony Hatch

Date

ca. 1650–75

Medium

Brass, enamel

Culture

British, London

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Purchase, The Elardo Family Foundation Gift, 2018