A 16th-century German armor set by Wolfgang Grosschedel holds deep personal significance for conservator Sean, who admired it as a child visiting the Met and later had the professional opportunity to treat and restore the same pieces as an adult.
Wolfgang Grosschedel was the most famous Landshut armorer of his generation, with patrons including the Holy Roman Emperor and Philip II of Spain. Grosschedel fulfilled many commissions for both the German and Spanish branches of the Hapsburg family and was active ca. 1517–62.
The armor discussed in the video is officially catalogued as "Armor for Man and Horse Presumably Made for Baron Pankraz von Freyberg (1508–1565)" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The man's armor, dating from about 1535–40, is stamped with Grosschedel's personal mark and that of Landshut. The etched decoration includes human figures and ornaments copied from engravings by the German printmaker Barthel Beham (1502–1540). Barthel Beham was a German engraver, miniaturist, and painter who was particularly active as an engraver during the 1520s, creating tiny works of magnificent detail, positioning him in the German printmaking school known as the "Little Masters".
The horse armor, dated 1554, is complete and homogeneous and, though unmarked, can be attributed to Grosschedel on stylistic grounds. The escutcheon on the shaffron (defense for the horse's head) bears the arms of a member of the Bavarian family Freyberg von Aschau, possibly Pankraz von Freyberg (1508–1565). The armors for both man and horse were preserved together in the armory of Hohenaschau Castle, the historical seat of the Freybergs, until the mid-nineteenth century.
The armor is part of a garniture that originally included exchange elements for use in battle and in the tourney. An armor garniture consisted of many matching, interchangeable pieces that could be added or removed from basic field armor to make it suitable for different occasions. The man's armor weighs approximately 55 lb. 11 oz. (25.25 kg), while the horse armor with saddle weighs 65 lb. 7 oz. (29.69 kg).
The conservator in the video is Sean Belair, Associate Conservator in the Met's Arms and Armor Department. Sean Belair was a graduate intern and a fellow in the department before becoming a staff member in 2016. His primary duty is the care and treatment of the department's collection of firearms, armor, and edged weapons. The University of Lincoln focuses on the conservation of historic objects and takes hands-on training very seriously, with students starting to treat objects their first week. The conservation work described involved removing old straps, reriveting gauntlets, and preparing the armor for new horse mannequins being fabricated for the upcoming gallery renovation.
The Met's Arms and Armor collection comprises approximately 14,000 objects and is the only specialized curatorial department of its kind in an American museum. The galleries were last renovated in 1991 and are undergoing another major reinstallation.
A conservator's childhood fascination with a 16th-century German armor set by master armorer Wolfgang Grosschedel came full circle when he professionally restored the same pieces at the Met decades later.