DISCOVERART

Spanish or northern Italian

Breastplate

1500/20
Steel

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● On view now — Gallery 239

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The Italian style of plate armor with smooth surfaces dominated the tastes of most Western European courts, particular in Flanders, France, and Spain. By about 1500, breastplates were commonly produced from a single plate rather than two overlapping ones. Here the arm-and-neck opening is raised with a heavy boxed edge to divert the point of weapons. The central ridge is another feature that emerged at this time to help glance away blows.

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