Italian Renaissance Armor

Pyhrr, Stuart W., and José-A. Godoy. Heroic Armor of the Italian Renaissance: Filippo Negroli and His Contemporaries. NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Distributed by Harry Abrams. 1998.

In the second quarter of the 16th century, a new fashion emerged for armor designed after classical art forms, richly embossed, gilt, and damascened. These lavish parade armors, worn by Renaissance kings and captains, projected power and virtue. Filippo Negroli, the most celebrated of the Milanese armorers, transformed traditional military armor into sculptural works in steel. His family, including his brother Francesco and cousin Giovan Paolo, also contributed to the art of armor-making, serving clients like Emperor Charles V and the French court.

The book thoroughly examines Filippo's signed works and attributes additional pieces to him. It also covers the technical abilities and imaginative designs of the Milanese armorers, drawing from classical motifs such as Medusa heads and fantastic creatures. The book is generously illustrated and serves as a catalogue for a Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition. 368 pages; 298 illustrations, 174 in color.

I have no idea how, but I seem to have three copies of this book. Probably because it is such an amazing book that I bought it every time I saw it (I wasn't good at managing my book inventory back then). There are quite a few copies available on Amazon and other sites, but most seem to be in used condition. I have one fine copy with mylar-wrapped dust jacket, and two copies that are still in their original shrink wrapping! ISBN: 9780810965294.

I'm asking $150 for the like new, but opened copy, and $250 for each of the shrink-wrapped copies. 

For folks who want all the words from the dust jacket:

The 2nd quarter of the 17th century witnessed the emergence of a new fashion of armor design based on the forms and ornament found in classical art. Embossed in high relief, righly gilt, and damascened in gold and silver, these lavish parade armors all'antica were worn by Renaissance kings and captains who wished to project an aura of power and virtue by arraying themselves like the heroes of ancient Roman history and mythology. The re-creation of classically inspired armor is invariably associated with Filippo Negroli, the most innovative and celebrated of the renowned armorers of Milan.

Within the Negroli family or armorers, Filippo was the best known of his extremely successful generation, which included his brother Francesco, a skilled damascener in the service of Emperor Charles V, and his cousin Giovan Paolo, a talented master who provided armor to the French court. From large numbers of recently uncovered documents in the state, civic, and ecclesiastical archives of Milan, details have been gleaned of Negroli family members, their workshops and employees, marriages and deaths, property and testamentary arrangements, and business dealings with clients and fellow armorers. A digest of the documents is included, and a brief, cogent discussion of the manufacture and commerce of arms in 16th century Milan provides a context for the work of these talented artists.

The core of the book is a thorough reexamination of all armors signed by Filippo Negroli. Additional works are attributed to him, and lost works are identified. The authors confirm the attribution of two magnificently damascened armors to Francesco Negroli, and they present Giovan Paolo Negroli's single signed work along with pieces they consider to be his. Each armor is described, illustrated, and placed in context of the maker's oeuvre; its history of ownership is discussed; and its treatment in the critical literature is assessed.

Around these superlative examples of Renaissance armor all'antica are grouped works that demonstrate the strong influence of the Negroli on contemporary Italian armorers as well as the variety and originality of armor design during the years 1535-55. The authors also touch on the sources of Renaissance armor through Greek and Roman prototypes, 14th and 15th-century versions of classical-style armor; and 16th-century album of designs.

In the hands of a master like Filippo Negroli, whose virtuoso skill at modeling in high relief is unrivaled in the history of metalworking, traditional military costume was transformed into sculpture in steel. The extraordinary technical abilities of the Milanese armorers, combined with their imaginative adaptation of decorative motifs from the antique, such as lion and Medusa heads, fantastic creatures, and abundant foliate ornament, gave rise to an original art form that evokes the pomp and pageantry of the Renaissance courts. These treasured objects, many of which are still part of the royal collections they have been in since the 16th century, are generously illustrated in this book, which serves as the catalogue of an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.