‘Age of Armor’ exhibition opens Feb. 18 at the Saint Louis Art Museum

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 15, 2023—The Saint Louis Art Museum will present “Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum,” a major survey of defensive armor from Europe and around the world, from its origins in the 1300s to today. The exhibition opens Saturday (Feb. 18) and runs through May 14.

Free tickets to “Age of Armor” are available in person at the museum for a public preview starting at 4 pm on Friday, Feb. 17. The evening will feature cocktails available for purchase and early music performed by harp player Eileen Gannon, violinist Brien Seyle and multi-instrumentalist Matt Pace.

The exhibition begins with an ancient Greek helmet and bronze sword to demonstrate armor’s long history in Europe and includes superb helmets from Japan, India and Sudan to show the universality of armor. The heart of the exhibition is in the elaborately decorated armors—including seven full suits—produced by Renaissance craftsmen in the 1500s that imitate the fashion trends of civilian clothing.

“Arms and armor bring together essential crafts like metalworking with the pure artistry needed for many of the designs and decorations, ultimately creating works that can be both beautiful and functional,” said Min Jung Kim, the Barbara B. Taylor Director of the Saint Louis Art Museum. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to present these highlights from the Worcester Art Museum, and know that seeing so many rare, stunning works of armor in St. Louis will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our visitors.”

For the St. Louis presentation of this exhibition, SLAM will add examples of 21st-century defensive gear developed by the U.S. Army as well as representations of armor from Hollywood films. The exhibition also will include depictions of armor in artworks from SLAM’s collection, including paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Rubens studio, prints by Albrecht Dürer and rarely exhibited Flemish tapestries.

“These custom-made fashions in steel were polished, fluted, etched, gilded and embossed to parallel the styling of the clothing fashions of that time,” said David Conradsen, SLAM’s Grace L. Brumbaugh and Richard E. Brumbaugh Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, who is curating the St. Louis presentation of the exhibition. “We are excited to present armor in dialogue with related works in a variety of media, as well as modern creations inspired by centuries-old defensive gear.”

Tickets to “Age of Armor” are $12 for adults; $10 for seniors and students; $6 for children ages 6-12; and free for those younger than 5. The exhibition is free on Fridays. Museum members can see the show for free anytime.

This exhibition is organized by the Worcester Art Museum. It is presented with generous support from the Betsy & Thomas Patterson Foundation. Major support provided by the E. Desmond Lee Family Endowment for Exhibitions.

Exhibition gallery details

This exhibition explores armor’s global relevance and connection to fashion from the European Middle Ages (about 500-1500) through the Renaissance (about 1500-1600) and into the present day. The gallery spaces are organized thematically, showcasing the evolution of plate armor, its decorative appeal and function on the battlefield.

By the late Middle Ages, plate armor emerged in Europe in response to changes in weaponry and battlefield tactics, eventually replacing shirts of mail, which were created from tens of thousands of interlocking rings. Plate armor was more customizable and provided more protection from crushing weapons like maces and the steel-tipped bolts of a crossbow, examples of which are seen at the start of the exhibition.

Moving through the galleries, “Age of Armor” next explores armor as fashion. The suit of armor became increasingly elaborate during the 1500s to imitate civilian clothing. As an example, the fluted “’Maximilian’ Field Armor” from the Worcester Art Museum, while having some protective qualities, was mostly meant to mimic the pleated fabric of a man’s civilian clothing, and the smooth armor on the lower leg imitated his silk stockings.

Another gallery looks at the various uses of armor. Made of thick steel, battlefield armor could weigh up to 60 pounds, for example. Armor worn by knights during jousting competitions was often substantially reinforced on the left side, which was threatened by the opponent’s lance, while tournaments on foot would include a reinforced helmet.

By the late 1500s, it became apparent armor couldn’t compete with battlefield changes, like gunpowder weapons, so foot soldiers began to focus only on thicker head and torso protection. However, armor retained its ceremonial and symbolic functions.

Toward the end of the exhibition, visitors will learn about armor’s form and function in more modern days.

While it fell out of widespread military use more than 300 years ago, armor was revived during World War I in the form of the steel helmet. It also can be seen in pop-culture characters, like the fictional armor on display from Hollywood films, like “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Black Panther.”

Exhibition audio tour 

An audio tour with 17 stops accompanies “Age of Armor.” The free tour is accessible by scanning a QR code with your smartphone; participants are asked to bring their own headphones to the museum. The tour also can be found at slam.org/audio.

SLAM’s Conradsen and Jeffrey L. Forgeng, the curator of arms and armor and medieval art at the Worcester Art Museum, highlight some of the exhibition’s standout pieces, like “Field Armor from a Garniture,” which greets visitors museumgoers at the entrance to the show. As Forgeng explains on the audio tour, this suit is one of the most visually striking in the exhibition. Pompeo della Cessa, the maker of this armor, was the foremost Milanese armorer, specializing in a style that imitated fashionable civilian clothing with an ancient Roman twist that included etched and gilt patterns of wings, thunderbolts and symbols of Roman gods and goddesses.

Also on the audio tour, New York City-based metalworker and sculptor Jeff Wasson details the work involved in making some of the armor, like the “’Mitten’ Gauntlet,” a German piece from the mid-16th century. This gauntlet, which is part of SLAM’s permanent collection, was forged hot and hammered to fit the hand but had to be comfortable enough to allow the wearer to hold a sword or the reins if on horseback. The “mitten” features a series of rivets that help hold a leather glove in place.

Tapestries, prints and paintings from the Saint Louis Art Museum’s permanent collection are also on display in the exhibition and featured in the audio tour. Tapestries, like the rarely shown “Scene from the Story of David and Bathsheba” from the 1500s, form the backdrop to several displays in the “Age of Armor” galleries. Genny Cortinovis, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation assistant curator of decorate arts and design at SLAM, discusses the historical significance of such “cloths of gold.”

Upcoming “Age of Armor” events

· Friday, Feb. 17: As part of the “Age of Armor” public preview, Jeffrey L. Forgeng, curator of arms and armor and medieval art at the Worcester Art Museum, will share highlights of the exhibition and the centuries of human stories forged into the steel of these objects. Tickets to Forgeng’s 6 pm lecture, Fantasies in Steel: The Age of Armor, are $5 and can be reserved in person at the museum or via MetroTix. (Forgeng’s lecture is sold out.)

· Sunday, Feb. 19: Learn about the evolution of swords and armor during live performances from Swords and Roses in Sculpture Hall at 1:30 and 3 pm as part of Fierce and Fancy: The Art of Protection Family Sunday. The afternoon event, which runs from 1 pm to 4 pm, will also feature the chance to play on an oversized chess board and make your own wearable helmet.

· Friday, Feb. 24: Enjoy historical and mythical journeys, battles, and stories from popular culture in connection with the exhibition during SLAM Underground: Quest. The event runs from 7 pm to 10 pm with music, art making, performances, and a signature cocktail available for purchase. No tickets are necessary for this free public event.

· Sunday, Feb. 26: Create your own miniature suit of armor in a hands-on art activity as part of the Fierce and Fancy: A Knight’s Tale Family Sunday, which runs from 1 pm to 4 pm. This week’s event will also feature a family tour.

· Wednesday, April 5: Swords and Roses, a group of trained performers, will lead an interactive performance at 11 am in SLAM’s Farrell Auditorium. The Armored Treasures performance will feature historical martial arts with performers dressed in period garments. The free event is geared toward middle school students; no tickets required.

· Sundays, April 16, 23 and 30: Experience armor in pop culture through a series of films on three consecutive Sundays in April. The movies start at 1:30 pm each week starting April 16 with “A Knight’s Tale” (2001). April 23 is “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), and April 30 is “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022). Tickets are $5.

CONTACT: Molly Morris, 314.655.5250, molly.morris@slam.org