Acolytes of Athena: The Renaissance Art of Armour

Fascinating online lecture from the Wallace Collection discussing Renaissance armour.

Toby Capwell argued that armour was another art form of the courts of the time and that armourers were considered to be artists, sharing ideas with artists in other mediums. He proposed that in some senses armour is body sculpture and in quoted Vasari saying of one armourer he was “the greatest sculptor in iron”.

He took us through the main styles using examples from the Wallace Collection. I was fascinated to hear the names of the armourers and to realise how much we know about them. It is also interesting to consider the art of the time in the various courts and how it is reflected in the armour or how it shows that armour. It have me a lot to think about in future viewing.

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