Heroic Armor of the Italian Renaissance

Around 1525 a new fashion emerged in armour design, inspired by the forms and ornament of classical art. Embossed in high relief, richly gilt, and inlaid with gold and silver, these lavish parade armours are invariably associated with Filippo Negroli, the most innovative and celebrated of the renowned armourers of Milan. He and his family numbered among their patrons the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and members of the French court. Featuring photographs of shields, helmets, breastplates and other items, this volume displays Filippo's virtuoso skill at modelling in high relief. Individual commentaries draw on recent research to explain the Negroli armourers' extraordinary technical abilities which, combined with their imaginative adaptation of antique motifs, resulted in an original art form that evokes the pomp and pageantry of the Renaissance courts.