Cuirassier's Armor: Helmet (c. 1600–20): Art, History and Details

Cuirassier's Armor: Helmet (c. 1600–20) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The cuirassier was the heavy cavalryman of the late 1500s and early 1600s. Carrying pistols and a sword, he was clad in full armor, with the exception of his lower legs, which were protected by heavy riding boots. Shortly after 1650, such heavy cavalry armor disappeared from use. By then, European cavalries had abandoned full armor as impractical against the increased sophistication of firearms.

Object facts

• Title: Cuirassier's Armor: Helmet
• Date: c. 1600–20
• Culture: Austria, Graz(?), early 17th century
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: steel (originally blued, now black); leather straps
• Dimensions: Overall: 171.4 cm (67 1/2 in.)
• Collection: MED - Arms & Armor
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 2012.37.a

A detail from the museum

When assembled, this suit of armor is just over 5-1/2 feet tall.

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.