Renaissance Cavalry Armour in Vienna

More Armour, I'm afraid.

Whilst in the Neue Hofburg, I wanted to take time studying the cavalry armour in the period of the Great Italian Wars.  In particular, I was keen to see the horse armour.

The horse armour was made in 1477 but is almost identical to that used by Emperor Maximilian in 1514, especially the face and neck defences.
The knight's armour was assemble c.151.  It may not be clear on the photograph, but there are signs of thrusting and slashing on the armour.

I was intrigued to see the metal covering on the reins.  A lot of miniatures are painted with coloured reins.

 - see notes on photo above -

I liked seeing the gold on the face armour.  Something I may do more of.

 - see note on photo above -
I was quite taken by the ear protectors for the horse.  The ornamentation and embossing on the rear is intricate.

The armour for this horse and knight, used in both tournaments and in battle, was made c.1526.

Seeing gold on the front boss and the metal straps on the rear flank are also features often ignored or painted on miniatures in various colours.  Perhaps some combinations done in metal is a consideration.

 - see notes in last photo -

Finally, this painting - whilst religious/fantastic in nature - gives a nice contemporary observation of mounted knights.  In this case, the horse covering highlights the damask designs popular at the time. Noting, also, the cover for the reins and the presence of big plumes on knight and horse.

St George and the Dragon.  Painted by Leonhard Beck, around 1515.  This was one of a number paintings commissioned by Emperor Maximilian I between 1512 and 1518.  

In short, more gold and a mix of the metal trimmed and cloth trimmed horse straps and reins.

If this makes no impact on my painting, at least it was interesting to have the opportunity to see some primary sources.

An Aside
When visiting the Kaiser Crypt, where almost all the Habsburg are laid to rest, it struck me that only two areas were obviously remembered by the public.  The trio of tombs with Emperor Franz Josef, his famous, controversial and much adored Empress Elisabeth (better known as Sisi), and their son Rupert.  Rupert brought tragedy to the family by killing himself, after having murdered his lover in what was a suicide pact.

The second part was the tomb of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.  I was quite surprised.

Thanks again for your patience.