Princely Armor in the Age of Durer A Renaissance Masterpiece in the Philadelphia Museum of Art Pierre Terjanian

This striking publication examines two masterful armours for man and horse recently acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Among the earliest complete European examples in existence, these German works demonstrate the superior design and craftsmanship of princely armour in the early 16th century. The celebrated master Wilhelm von Worms the Elder (d. 1538) of Nuremberg made the luxurious, exquisitely decorated steel horse armour for Duke Ulrich of Wurttemberg (1487-1550). The man armour was crafted by Matthes Deutsch (last documented c. 1505) of Landshut, another distinguished armourer patronized by German princes; it is his latest and richest known work.

Princely Armor in the Age of Durer discusses the function, design, decoration, and manufacture of these masterpieces and situates them within German art, culture, and politics, and within the development of European armour in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Pierre Terjanian is the J. J. Medveckis Associate Curator of Arms and Armor at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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