Kinderharnisch, Kinderrüstung

This boy’s armour was presumably commissioned by Claudia de’ Medici, wife of Leopold V, Archduke of Austria, for her eldest son, Archduke Ferdinand Charles, who would eventually succeed his father as ruler of the Tyrol. Considering that it was commissioned in or around the 1630s, the armour is old-fashioned. Among the details suggesting it was produced this late are the smooth flange of the individual pieces, the round shape of the helmet, the foldable sunshade (brim), and the shape of the gorget (front and back are each worked from a single piece). The armour’s pickadils (the fabric tabs projecting from the armour’s main edges such as the shoulders) and the straps made of now faded red silk are original.

The armourer Hans Frick had worked as a journeyman in the workshop of Hans Jakob Topf (see cat. 83), court armourer in Innsbruck, at least since 1616. From 1627 onwards, Frick was listed as court armourer, though presumably he had been promoted to this position some time earlier. We have no information about him after 1630.

Boy’s armours, especially small ones like this, bear witness to the many functions of bespoke armour besides providing protection on the battlefield. Armour was not only informed by its military use but also by its role as a signifier of elite status, authority, and wealth. Armour for boys, especially younger ones, was obviously not meant to be worn in the field (except perhaps for simple martial games, depending on the wearer’s age) but functioned primarily as a status symbol. Unlike an adult, a growing boy could only wear his armour for a short period of time, which, together with its not inconsiderable cost, made a boy’s armour the epitome of courtly luxury and extravagance.