The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of January 27, 2023

Buffe (etched with bands of trophies)

c. 1550–1600

This object has related works. See Burgonet; Breastplate with Etched Bands of Trophies and Medallions

North Italy, 16th century

Etched steel

Overall: 25.5 x 17.5 x 13.8 cm (10 1/16 x 6 7/8 x 5 7/16 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1930

Location

210A Armor Court

Fun Fact

Etching is a technique where either the design or its ground is bitten into the metal surface with acid, the rest being protected by a protective wax or varnish.

Description

Shown here together is a burgonet, buffe, and breastplate all decorated with a technique known as etching. A burgonet is a light open helmet characterized by a peak, a fall over the eyes, and hinged earpieces. The face is protected by the addition of a buffe, a sperate detachable element worn with the open helmet that extends to the throat. It connects to the breastplate which protects the abdomen and is worn with a backplate.

Provenance
?-1916
Frank Gair Macomber, Boston, MA (1849-1941), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1916-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Catalogue of Arms and Armour. Vol. 3, 16th century. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915]. Mentioned: No. (150) 153; Reproduced with: No: (157) 160 archive.org
"Front Matter." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 5, no. 5 (1918). Reproduced: Front Matter www.jstor.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. 57, B44 archive.org
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. pp.79, 164; cat. no. 37
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 9, p. 183
Exhibition history

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

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1930