From Cradle to Grave – Armour in the Life of the Renaissance Nobleman

Armour is often misunderstood as pure war equipment. In reality, full armour was a constant companion of the European aristocracy in the High Renaissance. He was trained in armoured combat from an early age, appeared in armour at tournaments and courtly spectacles in his youth, led troops on the battlefield as an adult and was depicted armed from head to toe on his funerary monument after his death. Armour was so much more than just an accoutrement of war - it was an essential part of a nobleman's character, an expressive aspect of his identity and self-image.