● On view now — Gallery 239
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026
FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG
By the sixteenth century, armorers devised this steel reinforcement as replacement for wooden shields or targes used in the joust. The section covering the shoulder, known as a grandguard, was bolted down firmly over the left side together with a reinforcing (second) breastplate. The grandguard served as a target and was often fitted with a trellis pattern to grapple the lance head after impact. The helmet was bolted to the upper section (bevor) for added thickness and protection, replacing the heavy jousting helm of the past.
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Northern Italian, Milan — Breastplate with Lance Rest and Fa
Italian (?), possibly German — Breastplate with Associated F
German — Reinforcing Breastplate
South German, Nuremberg — Breastplate
German, Brunswick — Breastplate
North German; Brunswick — Grandguard and Bevor for the Tourn
Northern German — Breastplate with Associated Fauld
Spanish — Breastplate
Northern Italian — Breastplate with Associated Skirt for Hal
Southern German, Nuremberg(?) — Backplate with Fauld
Italian
Marked GP [Gioco del Ponte, Pisa] — Backplate
Spanish or northern Italian — Breastplate