World Treasures – Equestrian Ceremonial Armour (15th-17th Century)

On the eve of the Year of the Horse, we start a new series highlighting treasures from museums around the world. Starting with horse armoury from Versailles.

During the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Château de Versailles was transformed into a sports venue: the palace hosted the equestrian, para-equestrian and modern pentathlon events. To mark the occasion, and to honour the very special world of horses, the Château organised a major horse exhibition, “Cheval en majesté, au cœur d’une civilisation”, from 2 Jul to 3 Nov 2024.

Equestrian Ceremonial Armours (15th-17th century)

From right to left:

• Anton Peffenhauser (1520? – 1603), Augsburg, 1586-1590, Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Rüstkammer
• Louis XIII, France, circa 1620, Paris, Musée de l’Armée 
• Wilhem von Boxberg of Nuremberg, Kolman Helmschmid (Augsburg 1471–1532), Turin, Musei Reali

The Hercules Room plays host to a spectacular group of full sets of ceremonial equestrian armour from major European collections: the Dresden Rüstkammer, the Armeria Reale in Turin, and the Musée de l’Armée in Paris. Some pieces were designed to protect the horse on the battlefield, while the more luxurious pieces had a ceremonial purpose.

In the 16th century, the development of portable firearms and the rise of heavy cavalry meant that equestrian armour for military purposes became less common and was replaced by luxurious ceremonial armour for use in tournaments and ceremonies. Off the battlefield, it made a statement about wealth and power. The examples presented here reveal the magnificence of the courts of France, Saxony and Savoy in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Royal and princely armouries, which were predecessors of our museums, flourished in the 17th century as a visual reminder of the golden age of chivalry and as an extension of the real presence of the the prince on horseback in time and space.

These sets of armour, which were a wearable form of equestrian sculpture, clothed horses with a heroic second skin of leather adorned with gold and painted in bright colours, featuring precious textiles, heraldic ornaments, and metal with repoussee, engraved, chased, damascened and gilded motifs. Some incredibly lavish examples inspired wonder in their day, such as armour belonging to Emperor Maximilian I, and to Alessandro Farnese, for which the design is displayed.

One of the most common items here, called a shaffron, shows the excellence of the master armourers, between the 15th and 17th centuries. This protective armour for a horse’s head, which covered the most fragile part of the animal, could take mind-blowing forms, like this dragon-shaped mask shaffron you can see in this room.

The horse armour or barding includes the chanfrein (or shaffron in English) with forehead spike, escutcheon and ear cups, a criniere to protect the neck made of segmented steel plates, the peytral, with a rounded breastplate at the front and bosses on the side, the flanchards and the adjustable crupper. The plates were made from uncoated steel sheet, on the inside the old padding made of straw sewn into linen is still intact. The saddle and stirrups were added later.

Horses have been an important part of our society for many, many centuries as a means of locomotion, a symbol of power, speed and strength, a sporting beast, a hunting companion, an animal used on farms, in towns, in the army… etc.

Horses are also the animals of the nobility par excellence. From the Ancien Régime, by their presence alone in depictions, they could indicate rank, define social hierarchies, and consolidate power. As political animals, horses enhanced the majesty of sovereigns. They contributed to the process of glorifying the horseman-king as a hero of legend by conjuring up saints and knights.

About Versailles

Château de Versailles, commonly referred to as Versailles – the city it is located, is a former royal palace and UNESCO World Heritage site near Paris, France, famous for its opulent architecture, stunning gardens, and as the centre of French absolute monarchy under Louis XIV, aka the Sun King (r. 1643-1715), serving as the seat of power from 1682 until the French Revolution. The estate includes the grand palace (with the Hall of Mirrors), vast gardens, the Grand & Petit Trianon, and the Queen’s Hamlet, offering a glimpse into French royal history and art, making it a major tourist destination.

Photos taken at Versailles Oct 2024, unless otherwise indicated.