Extant 15th century Milanese armour -- myArmoury.com

Blaz Berlec

A quick overview of extant Milanese more or less complete armours (and some cuirasses) in various museums and collections around the world. Before I started to collect these pictures together I had no idea there were so many of them. Most of the pictures are bad black and white scans, so I apologize for the quality.

Literature:

Lionello Boccia - Le armature di S. Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone di Mantova e l'armatura lombarda del '400 (1982)
Trapp, Oswald, Graff & Scalini, Mario & Wackernagel, Rudolph H. & Eaves Ian - The Armoury of the Castle of Churburg (1996)
Alan Williams - The Knight and the Blast Furnace (2003)
etc.

The list:

1410 - 1415 Churburg (Italy) CH 18
1440 - 1445 Glasgow (UK) AGM 39-65e, AVANT, ex Churburg CH 20, composite
1445 - 1450 Firenze (Italy) Bargello R20
1445 - 1450 Churburg (Italy) CH 19, armour of Ulrich IX von Matsch, Graf von Kirchberg
1450 - 1460 Mantova (Italy) Museo Diocesano B1, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone
1450 - Churburg (Italy) CH 21 - armour of count Galeazzo d'Arco
1450 - Berlin (Germany) Klingbeil collection
1451 - Vienna (Austria) - WS A 2, French style, armour of Frederick I , Count Palatine of the Rhine (Frederich der Siegreiche)
1455 - Bern (Switzerland) BHM SBZ102 - Historisches Museum, partially lost
1460 - 1465 Le Landeron (Switzerland), HV 837-840
1460 - 1480 Mantova (Italy) Museo Diocesano B2, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, composite
1460 - New York (USA) Metropolitan Museum, De Dino Collection Armor, composite, restored, removed from exhibit
1465 - 1470 Lucerne (Switzerland) HM 11
1465 - 1470 Schwabisch-Gmund (Germany), SM I. 47-76, from Heiligekreuzkirche
1470 - Berlin (Germany) Klingbeil collection
1470 - 1490 Mantova (Italy) Museo Diocesano B3, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, coposite
1480 - 1485 Vienna (Austria) WS A3, armour of Roberto di Sanseverino, count of Caiazzo
1480 - 1490 Paris (France) - Musée de l’Armée G4, Garniture d’Armure
1480 - 1490 Mantova (Italy) Museo Diocesano B4, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, composite
1485 - 1490 Udine (Italy) "Devil’s Armour" (armatura da uomo d'arme del Diavolo), Basilica Beata Vergine delle Grazie
1490 -1495 Vienna WS A111, armour of Gianfrancesco Gonzaga I., count of Rodigo and Sabbioneta
1490 - 1500 Vienna (Austria) KHM, armour of Ferdinand II of Aragon
1490 - 1500 Mantova (Italy) Museo Diocesano B5, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, composite
1495 - Vienna (Austria) WS B33, armour of Claude de Vaudrey
1500 - Zurich (Switzerland) LM 4955 - remains
1505 - 1510 Vienna (Austria) WS11, armour of Giano II di Campofregoso, duke of Genova
1510 Mantova (Italy) Museo Diocesano B6, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, composite
1510 Torino, AR B19, Armeria Reale, remains

Part I.

1410 - 1415 Churburg (Italy) CH 18, composite, master O and master T
Helmet - Milano, Bazarino di Trezzo?, 1425 - 1430, Churburg CH 18

1440 - 1445 Glasgow (UK) AGM 39-65e, AVANT, ex Churburg CH 20, composite
Mialno, Giovanni Corio, Ambrogio Corio, Bellino Corio, Dionisio Corio, Giovanni da Garavalle
Helmet by Provasio di Milano, ex CH T57, c. 1470

1445 - 1450 Firenze (Italy) Bargello R20
Milano, Antonio Foppa?

1445 - 1450 Churburg (Italy) CH 19, armour of Ulrich IX von Matsch, Graf von Kirchberg
Milano, Pier Innocenzo da Faerno, Antonio Missaglia, Giovanni Negroli

1450 - 1460 Mantova (Italy) Museo Diocesano B1, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone
Milano, Giacomo Cantoni?, maestro Biagio per Giovanni Spanzotti?, Giovanni Maffioli?

1450 - Churburg (Italy) CH 21, armour of count Galeazzo d'Arco
Milano, Tommaso Negroni (Missaglia)

1450 - Berlin (Germany) Klingbeil collection

1451 - Vienna (Austria) WS A 2, French style - armour of Frederick I , Count Palatine of the Rhine (Frederich der Siegreiche)
Milano, Tommaso Negroni (Missaglia), Pier Innocenzo da Faerno, Antonio Missaglia

Blaz Berlec · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 7:34 am Post subject:

Part II.

1455 - Bern (Switzerland) BHM SBZ102 - Historisches Museum, partially lost
Milano, Antonio Missaglia and other

1460 - 1465 Le Landeron (Switzerland), HV 837-840
Milano, maestro Biagio per Giovanni Spanzotti?

1460 - 1480 Mantova (Italy), Museo Diocesano B2, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, composite
Brescia, Pietro da Castello; Milano, Bernardino Cantoni?, Giovanni da Castello?, Cristoforo Capelli?

1460 - New York (USA) Metropolitan Museum, De Dino Collection Armor, composite, restored, removed from exhibit

1465 - 1470 Lucerne (Switzerland) HM 11
Milano, Bernardino di Carnago

1465 - 1470 Schwabisch-Gmund (Germany), SM I. 47-76, from Heiligekreuzkirche
Milano, Antonio Seroni, Marcolo da Lemidi?, Christoforo Odoni, Antonio Armaroli?

1470 - Berlin (Germany) Klingbeil collection

Blaz Berlec · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 7:35 am Post subject:

Part III.

1470 - 1490 Mantova (Italy), Museo Diocesano B3, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, composite
Milano, Antonio Missaglia, Giovanni Antonio delle Fibbie; Brescia, Ambrogio de Osma?

1480 - 1485 Vienna (Austria) WS A3, armour of Roberto di Sanseverino, count of Caiazzo
Milano, Giovan Pietro Carnago, Bernardino Carnago, Giovanni Salimbeni, Antonio Missaglia; Brescia, Zannetto Ferrari; Venezia?, Albertino Vimercate?

1480 - 1490 Paris (France), Musée de l’Armée G4, Garniture d’Armure

1480 - 1490 Mantova (Italy), Museo Diocesano B4, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, composite
Brescia, Pietro da Castello; Milano, Cristoforo Capelli

1485 - 1490 Udine (Italy), "Devil’s Armour" (armatura da uomo d'arme del Diavolo), Basilica Beata Vergine delle Grazie
Milano, Bernardino Cantoni?, Giovanni Pampuri?, Giovanni Antonio d'Albairate?

1490 -1495 Vienna (Austria), WS A111, armour of Gianfrancesco Gonzaga I., count of Rodigo and Sabbioneta, or Rodolfo Gonzaga, marquis of Castiglione delle Stiviere
Lombardy

1490 - 1500 Vienna (Austria), KHM, armour of Ferdinand II of Aragon

Blaz Berlec · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 7:35 am Post subject:

Part IV.

1490 - 1500 Mantova – Museo Diocesano B5, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, composite
Brescia, Pietro Giacomo da Castello; Milano?

1495 - Wien WS B33, armour of Claude de Vaudrey
Milano, Giov. Marco Meraviglia, Damiano Missaglia

1500 - Zurich (Switzerland) LM 4955 - remains
Arbois, Francesco da Merate

1505 - 1510 Wien WS11, armour of Giano II di Campofregoso, duke of Genova
Milano

1510 Mantova – Museo Diocesano B6, from S.Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone, composite
Lombardy, Milano?

1510 Torino, AR B19, Armeria Reale, remains
Milano, Michele da Figino?

James Anderson III · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 8:11 am Post subject:

Wonderful post! As a milanese style fanatic, thank you.

Blaz Berlec · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 8:17 am Post subject:

Now I'm waiting for somebody to make the same thing for German Gothic armour. No, really! Confused

I have to confess I copied most of the list from Alberto Riccadonna's post on Arms and Armour Forum, and I looked for the rest in "Le armature di S. Maria delle Grazie " by Lionello Boccia, it has a nice overview of extant Milanese armours. I have no idea where to start with German Gothic armours though...

Michael Curl · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 9:49 am Post subject:

Lorenz helmschmied in the Kunsthistoriches. Also look up Kolman Helmscmied, Desiderius Helmschmied, and others which I can recommend later. I'm an Augsburg fan.

Michal Plezia · Industry Professional

Nice work Blaz! Thanks for the pics.

Michael B. · Industry Professional

Thank you for the pictures! I've really been looking into getting a milanese harness made, and these pictures are a wonderful collection! Thank you for taking the time collecting them.

Quinn W. · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 12:12 pm Post subject:

An invaluable resource! Thanks so much for assembling all of this information. I'm sure it will help a lot of people, myself included. I've got a soft sport for Milanese styles.

Michal Plezia · Industry Professional

By the way- does anyone have a close up pics of the armet from this armour?

Stephen Curtin · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 1:02 pm Post subject:

Hey Blaz thank for these great pics. IMHO gothic style armour gets too much attention, while milanese stuff doesn't get enough. Hopefuly this thread will aid in changing that.

James Arlen Gillaspie · Industry Professional

Better forget the de Dino harness. It was removed from display maybe 20 years ago or so, as its components had been so heavily altered or were just flat-out 'restored' (antique dealer's jargon for new stuff replacing missing old stuff) that it was not considered fit to present as a genuine example. Since the Met is an art museum, I think they should have just labeled it 19th century with much old reworked material. Wink

I kind of like it, and that would be better than not seeing it at all!

Mark T · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 3:51 pm Post subject:

Blaz, what a great resource - thanks!

Adam D. Kent-Isaac · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 5:55 pm Post subject:

Is this Milanese? It was made for Claude de Vaudrey between 1495 and 1500. It is at the Kunsthistorisches museum in Vienna.

Sam Gordon Campbell · Posted: Sat 16 Oct, 2010 11:26 pm Post subject:

Looks like it to me Adam.
A foot combat armour perhaps?

Also, does anyone else think it reminds them of a 'Big Daddy' or is that just me? Laughing Out Loud

Blaz Berlec · Posted: Sun 17 Oct, 2010 12:58 am Post subject:

Thanks! I know this armour, I've watched (and photographed it) last summer. Added.

Yeah, I think they usually don't list it under Milanese armours since it is of very distinctive shape - Fußkampf armour, French style. Happy

There's also B 71 suit by it from 1508, but that is even more "non 15th century looking" and made in Burgundy, so won't add it for now.

Michal, sorry, I have absolutely no other info on Klingenberg or Klingbeil private collection. But this is the photo of it, some bloke has all of this for himself:

Blaz Berlec · Posted: Sun 17 Oct, 2010 6:57 am Post subject:

Edited for added literature, info about armourers and general editing of info about armours.

Scott Hrouda · Posted: Sun 17 Oct, 2010 7:53 am Post subject:

Blaz, thank you for taking the time to put together a very nice exhibition!

Chad Arnow · myArmoury Team

I believe the owner of the Klingbeil Collection, which included the sword of Edward III, may have passed away in the last few years or might have been selling off his collection. I remember seeing that his collection could come up for sale. It's absolutely incredible.