Landsknecht armour

Armour is fashion in steel. Like coeval clothes, it reflects and follows changing aesthetic trends. In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, armour functioned not only as protection on the battlefield but also – or even primarily – as a demonstration of elite status and wealth. No other work does this more convincingly than this spectacular Landsknecht armour commissioned for Wilhelm of Rogendorf in 1523.

This highlight of German Renaissance art was produced by Kolman Helmschmid, a celebrated armourer from Augsburg. The etched decoration is probably by Daniel Hopfer, a printmaker and etcher of armour also active in Augsburg (see cat. 31). The artist created the illusion that all parts of this armour are slashed and that the patterned chemise is visible though the countless ‘cuts’. The sleeves fall in thick, heavy folds as if the armour was made of soft wool or silk rather than tempered steel.

The armour was originally part of a garniture, a full set that included exchangeable pieces so it could be reconfigured for different uses. Parts of a second flat (not puffed) pair of pauldrons and vambraces as well as parts of plain leg pieces have survived and are now on display in London and Vienna respectively. This means the wearer was equipped for fighting on foot or on horse. The splendid puffed armpieces, however, were only worn for display – for a parade, a procession, or an exhibition bout.

Wilhelm of Rogendorf entered imperial service at a young age, serving a total of five Habsburg rulers, from Emperor Fredrick III to Emperor Ferdinand I. As an envoy he travelled to England and France, and as a general he fought in Italy, Spain, Hungary, and elsewhere. In 1524, Emperor Charles V made him a knight of the Order of Calatrava. Rogendorf died in 1541 after the siege of Buda, where he had been badly wounded by an enemy cannonball while sitting in an armchair in his camp.