Triumphal finery: Mannerism in the art of Italian armour

Apollo, Feb, 2004 by Ian Eaves

In these circumstances, particular importance was attached by the organisers of the exhibition to a saddle-plate from the collections at Cracow (no. 84), bearing the engraved signature 'LUCIO/IER', identified for the first time as that of Lucio Piccinino and his associate Gerolamo Assi. Also recognised as a key piece was a shield of about 1560-66 from the collections at St Petersburg (no. 28), bearing the mark 'MP', tentatively identified as that of Matteo Piatti of Milan.

Especially welcome was the identification of Andrea Casalini of Parma as the artist responsible for designing the decoration of the 'Piccinino' armour of Alessandro Farnese (no. 76). The temporary reunion of Casalini's now scattered drawings for that decoration with the armour itself can be counted among the most pleasing accomplishments of the exhibition.

The sheer quality of the decoration of the pieces selected for display by the Musee Rath must in many cases have come as a surprise even to those having a previous acquaintance with fine armour, and was doubtless a greater revelation still to those who came to the subject afresh. Few visitors on leaving the exhibition are likely to have dissented from the view that the objects that they saw deserved to be counted among the costliest and most remarkable works of art of their age, which is most certainly how they would have been viewed at the time of their manufacture.

The long-term legacy of the exhibition must inevitably be the sumptuous and very substantial catalogue that accompanied it. Comprising five hundred and sixty seven pages with four hundred coloured and half-tone illustrations, it provides, in addition to a detailed record of the contents of the exhibition itself, reproductions of large numbers of the graphic sources relating to their decoration, valuable introductory discussions and a sixty-nine page appendix with new biographical information and family trees relating to the leading Italian armourers of the relevant period, making it an essential starting-point for all future studies in this field.

The exhibition 'Triumphal finery: Mannerism in the Art of Italian Armour" was at the Musee Rath, Geneva, from 20 May until 20 July 2003. The catalogue, in French and Italian, by Jose-A. Godoy and Silvio Leydi, is published by the Musee d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva, and 5 Continents Editions SLR, Milan, 2003, ISBN 88-7439-032-7, 65 [euro] (French version); ISBN 88 7439 031 9, 80 [euro] (Italian version)

(1) See David Ekserdjian,' "Heroic Armor of the Italian Renaissance": Filippo Negroli and his contemporaries', exh. rev., APOLLO, vol. CXLVIII, no. 442 (December 1988), pp. 12-16.

Ian Eaves was Keeper of Armour at the Royal Armouries, HM Tower of London, for eighteen years and since 1995 he has served as President of the Arms and Armour Society. He is at present a freelance arms and armour consultant, undertaking cataloguing and research work for various museums and institutions in Britain and the US.