February, 1909 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 59 
The Dino Collection of Historic Armor 
By Isabel R. Wallach 
zx Duc de Dino, Marquis of Talleyrand-Peri- 
Za( gord, and now the property of the Metro- 
politan Museum of Art in New York, is a 
revelation of the degree of beauty to which 
metal work may be carried, and also of the 
wonderful effects achieved by the medieval 
armorers. ‘Truth of line, integrity of purpose, and strength 
of construction distinguish each piece, and bear testimony to 
the fidelity and skill of the craftsman. Inlay and overlay, 
chasing and pierced work, damascene and etching, enamel, 
embossing, and repoussé, crowd every available inch of sur- 
face, yet never to the detriment of the grim business of 
defense. 
One of our illustrations is a side view of the plate armor 
neck piece and chamfron that protected the war horse of 
Henri Il. A front view of the same specimen is presented 
in the illustration showing a collection of head pieces. “The 
equine neck and head piece illustrated is remarkable for the 
accurate modeling displayed. 
The collection is particularly rich in elaborately etched 
and gilded head pieces. The helmet-roofs served for rein- 
forcing guards when the marvelous temper of a swiftly de- 
scending blade cleft the very iron, or the force of the crash- 
ing battle-ax tore its way through the stoutest steel. Many 
S 
of these pieces bear the emblems of royalty; others were the 
property of mighty rulers, among them the Medici and the 
Saxon electorate princes. 
Si 
Plate armor of florid workmanship (1490) 
typifies the best work of the Gothic 
por in the anatomical modeling of 
stee 
Striped armor, black and silver etched, of 
German workmanship. The shoe and 
gauntlet are made of separate plates to 
secure flexibility and suppleness 
The armor in the collection is particularly striking, the 
various specimens showing clearly the influence of the dif- 
ferent periods. One of the accompanying illustrations is a 
complete suit of armor of Italian make to which the date 
1450 may be assigned. ‘This austere garment of steel shows 
the stamp of tests which have proved its protecting qualities. 
The suit is one of the few (about four) extant dating from 
the fifteenth century. It ranks among the most valuable ob- 
jects of the entire collection. Mounted on the same stand 
with this suit is an Italian war-ax, likewise dating from the 
middle of the fifteenth century. 
The pierced trefoils and the curved lines in the Gothic 
suit bearing the date 1490, also pictured in one of the ac- 
companying illustrations, show the influence of the Italian 
school. ‘The corrugations add strength, a very important 
factor in a suit that weighs but forty pounds. At the time 
when this suit was fashioned, the armorer’s skill was at its 
highest. “The specimen shows anatomic modeling of unusual 
quality. Particularly is this noticeable in the armor of the 
hands, knees and ankles. The flexibility, the graduated 
thickness of all the plates, and the remarkable temper are 
qualities that have aroused the admiration of those who may 
be considered authorities on medieval steel working. After 
this period, the weight of the armor rapidly increased; its 
flexibility became impaired, and its decoration belonged 
rather to the goldsmith’s and sculptor’s than to the armorer’s 
art. The mailed fist of the figure shown clutches a two- 
handed sword, Spanish in its origin and wrought some time 
A Turkish (Saracen) coat of chain mail (XVI 
Century). The shield is of contemporaneous 
German workmanship, and probably de- 
signed for a Spanish knight 
