The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 3, 2023

Gothic Bevor

c. 1480

Spain (Hispano-Flemish), 15th century

Steel

Overall: 27.4 x 16.3 cm (10 13/16 x 6 7/16 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1920

Location

210A Armor Court

Fun Fact

A mark showing a square with a dot at the center is on the inside of this helmet; so far it is unidentified.

Description

A bevor is a piece of plate armor that is intended to protect the chin and upper throat. It normally supplemented an open helmet like the sallet. Gothic plate armor achieves its beauty not by surface decoration by the simple elegance of its line, seemingly inspired by contemporary gothic architecture, from which it gets its name.

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. Vol. 1, 14th & 15th centuries. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915]. Mentioned and Reproduced: No. 24 [22] 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: p. 67, C19 archive.org
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. cat. no. 8, p. 182
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 36, p. 164
Exhibition history

35th Anniversary Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 20-September 30, 1951).

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

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1920