Oct 27, 2015
Nov 12, 2009
Nov 12, 2009
Oct 27, 2015
Nov 12, 2009
Oct 27, 2015
Nov 12, 2009
Oct 27, 2015
Nov 12, 2009
Nov 12, 2009

Cuirassier's Armor

Cuirassier's Armor

c. 1600–20

Part of a set. See all set records

Steel (originally blued, now black); leather straps

Overall: 171.4 cm (67 1/2 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2012.37

Did you know?

This suit of armor is just over 5 1/2 feet tall.

Description

The cuirassier was the heavy cavalryman of the late 1500s and early 1600s. Carrying pistols and a sword, he was clad in full armor, like this suit, 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. Similar armors survive in the Armory of Graz, Austria.

See also

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