The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2023

Pauldron for Right Shoulder

1600s

Italy, 17th century

Blued steel with gilt borders

Overall: 27.4 x 24.3 cm (10 13/16 x 9 9/16 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1524

Location

210A Armor Court

Fun Fact

Bluing required heating to at least 590 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which oxidation occurs and turns the metal a deep shade of blue.

Description

This element for the shoulder once belonged to a suit decorated by the bluing technique, a process of superheating armor plates to achieve a deep blue color. Gilding the borders created additional contrast for a refined appearance.

Provenance
?-1916
Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1916-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Catalogue of Arms and Armour. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], 1900. cat. no. 502 archive.org
Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: pp. 70-71, C30 archive.org
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
Exhibition history

Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1524