What is the MOST recent portrait of a king/noble in armor? -- myArmoury.com

Adam D. Kent-Isaac

If you look at portraits of monarchs and nobles of European nations, you will see armor commonly worn all the way up the the mid 17th century. There are many pictures of Cromwell and other figures in the English Civil War in full plate armor, and there are many paintings of figures from the Thirty Years War and Eighty Years War wearing full plate harnesses (usually in the cuirassier style, with long tassets) and with close-helms or burgonets at the side. Particularly the House of Orange, and the various German states, which held onto these ceremonial armors for a long time.

During the late 1600s it started to taper off. I am trying to figure out the most recent painting of a nobleman or a monarch in armor. I think I found a likely candidate: William V, Prince of Orange, born in 1748, and depicted in plate armor in his portrait:

Can anyone come up with a portrait, engraving or any other image of any European monarch or nobleman wearing armor that is later than this? (A cuirass alone doesn't count - it has to be at least a half-armor for the upper torso and a helmet at the side.)

Sean Flynt · Posted: Tue 28 Jul, 2009 11:26 am Post subject:

Hubert Lanzinger, 1938. It doesn't meet all of your criteria, but it serves the identical purpose.

Witek Chmielewski · Posted: Tue 28 Jul, 2009 3:34 pm Post subject:

Sean, that's an interesting find. Atavistic values were important to the Nazis but I never knew their visual aesthetic went that far.

Bartek Strojek · Posted: Tue 28 Jul, 2009 4:08 pm Post subject:

There is a portrait of Tadeusz Kościuszko in armour, by Grassi, from 1792

This is the clearest picture I could find.

David E. Farrell · Posted: Tue 28 Jul, 2009 4:42 pm Post subject:

Aside from the Hitler example, were these later paintings typically 'insert head here' type things where the artist would paint the armour and background as he wished (or the patron wished...) or is there record of these fellows owning such suits?

Bill Love · Posted: Tue 28 Jul, 2009 4:47 pm Post subject: Most Recent Portrait in Armor

How about King Charles III of Spain? His rule lasted from 1759-88, during which time this portrait was presumably painted. There is also a statue of him done in 1981 that depicts him in similar but not identical armor, so apparently there was at least one other portrait to copy (unless his armor still exists and the sculptor had access to it).

Craig Peters · Posted: Tue 28 Jul, 2009 7:35 pm Post subject:

Adam D. Kent-Isaac · Posted: Tue 28 Jul, 2009 8:13 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the replies. It looks like Carlos III of Spain is the current winner for most recent.

There is a lovely painting of William Herbert, the current and 18th Earl of Pembroke, seated at a desk with his auto-racing helmet at his side; I thought this was a really clever and unique way of putting a modern spin on the old tradition of depicting a man in armor with a helmet resting on a table nearby.

Roger Hooper · Posted: Tue 28 Jul, 2009 11:39 pm Post subject:

That portrait of Charles III of Spain - the wig and smallsword just don't go well with that armour.

Here is one of Charles II of Great Britain - not the last in armour, but I felt like putting it in.

Maybe the last British monarch in armor was William III just before 1700. Note his good looking sword.

Stephen Renico · Posted: Wed 29 Jul, 2009 2:23 am Post subject:

This is just an aside, but I'm not sure if the son of an illegitimately born Austrian customs clerk qualifies as nobility. Just saying. Wink

edit: I see that Sean saw the same points as he posted the Schicklgruber. Cheers.

Adam D. Kent-Isaac · Posted: Wed 29 Jul, 2009 3:00 am Post subject:

I love that William III has a Savoyard burgonet! That is my favorite helmet of the mid 17th century and you do NOT see it often in portraiture! (Imagine being an infantryman and seeing fifty fully-armored cuirassiers with death-head helmets bearing down on you!)

Bill Love · Posted: Wed 29 Jul, 2009 7:15 am Post subject: Most Recent Portrait in Armor

Roger,

The armor does look mismatched with the wig and sword, but anachronism seems to be an elite tradition. Before World War I, rulers like Kaiser Wilhelm II regularly used to squeeze themselves into automobiles wearing spurred riding boots, ornate cavalry sabers and spike-topped Pickelhaub(e)s. Such goings on weren't limited to the leaders of Europe, either-out here in the colonies, part of the U.S. Army flight instructions for the Curtiss Jenny still stipulated as of 1918 that spurs shall not be worn while flying!

Mark Millman · **On Tuesday 28 July 2009, you wrote:**

Dear Adam,

Mikael Ranelius · Posted: Wed 29 Jul, 2009 12:43 pm Post subject:

Gustav III of Sweden, 1746-1792

Bruno Giordan · Posted: Wed 29 Jul, 2009 2:06 pm Post subject:

Adam D. Kent-Isaac · **On Tuesday 28 July 2009, you wrote:**

Tim Harris · Industry Professional

Somewhere I have an old (pre move to Leeds) Royal Armouries guidebook that reproduces a portrait of a knight of the Eglington Tournament of 1839. I'll try to track it down, scan and post - if nobody beats me to it.
The participants in the ill-fated event were members of the Victorian aristocracy.

Adam D. Kent-Isaac

Henry Beresford, 3rd Marquess of Waterford. 1811-1859.

Douglas G. · Posted: Wed 29 Jul, 2009 9:25 pm Post subject:

Adam,
Do you know if Henry Beresford sat for the painter in armor or had it added by him? Given his dates he might
have been one of the Eglinton attendees who commisioned a suit of armor for that Victorian return to Camelot.

Doug g.

Adam D. Kent-Isaac · Posted: Wed 29 Jul, 2009 11:57 pm Post subject:

I am not sure if he really wore that armor or if it was an embellishment added by the painter, but he was indeed one of the participants in the Eglinton tournament - the Wikipedia article on that was how I found his picture (I clicked on all of the names out of curiosity.) The article contains many paintings of the tournament. Apparently it was a real logistical disaster.