Hello, I’m David Brown, curator of Italian and Spanish paintings at the National Gallery of Art. The treasures in our exhibition, The Art of Power, Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain, come from the royal armory in Madrid. They range from the 15th to the 17th century and include some of the finest examples of Renaissance armor in the world.
Fabricated by master craftsmen and artists, the shields, helmets and armour where made for holy Roman emperors, kings and flowers of Spanish royalty. This is parade armor, made for show not combat. In form it looks back to a world tournaments, jousts and noble gesture. And among the images worked into the steel is something quite different, a subtle advertising campaign for the Imperial ambitions of the Spanish monarchy and the Hapsburg dynasty. Those who wore it took the words Holy, Roman and Empire very seriously.
The curator of the National Gallery of Art provides a brief introduction about the armor in their exhibition.
The exhibition includes some finest examples of Renaissance armor, which were fabricated by master craftsmen and artists over 15th -17th century.
Parade armor were made for show not combat.
Those armor represents the imperial ambition of the Spanish monarchy.
