The drama of armour at the Fitzwilliam Museum

A family-friendly event at the Fitzwilliam Museum tomorrow (29 May) will highlight one of the country’s finest collections of arms and armour, made across Europe and Southern India from the 15th through 19th centuries for use in wars, parades, jousts and hunts. Treasures include an Italian ‘death head’ siege helmet, a German executioner’s sword, beautifully decorated yet lethal fighting axes and tiger claws from India, horse armour, and even a prosthetic metal arm.

The day-long Armoury Extravaganza will feature a knight on horseback equipped with replica Milanese 16th-century armour. Dominic Sewell (Historic Equitation Ltd) and his mighty black stallion Hawthorn will parade in front of the Fitzwilliam and reveal how armour was designed so that horse and rider could move with remarkable freedom despite the weight of the metal that protected them. Local blacksmith Magnus will be working at his portable forge to show visitors how an armourer in bygone times would have made key pieces of arms and armour. Handling sessions will allow visitors to feel replica swords and try on replica armour and be photographed as knights. Children will make their own weapons out of paper and paint and carry them in the parade behind Knight Dominic and Hawthorn.

Generations of children have marvelled at the Fitzwilliam Museum’s collection of arms and armour which boasts nearly 800 items, only some of which are familiar to visitors. The Extravaganza will allow visitors to see how the new displays in the Armoury are coming along ahead of the grand re-opening this summer: some weapons included in the new displays have not been on display for over a generation; others have never been seen by the public before.

“In our current refurbishment of the Armoury, we are determined to bring more objects out of store and into the public eye and, just as importantly, show them in a way that is both lively and informative. We will be supporting the new displays with a specially-commissioned Kids’ Trail, as well as video clips showing arms and armour being made in the historical way, the arming of a knight to show the correct order in which armour was put on, and a historically accurate joust,” said Dr Victoria Avery, Keeper of Applied Arts at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

The somewhat oppressive blood red of the gallery walls is currently being replaced with a more neutral backdrop which gives the predominantly iron, steel and bronze objects the chance to shine. The exhibits are being re-mounted and lit so that fabulous decorative details can be seen to full advantage. Other items from the Museum’s permanent collections will be included to add another dimension to the displays, including an eye-catching life-size full-length portrait of Philip II in Armour as soon as its conservation by the Hamilton Kerr Institute has been completed.

At the core of the Fitzwilliam’s armoury collection are two major bequests: in 1879 Robert Taylor, an official in the East India Company, gave the Museum his collection of over 200 Indian arms, notably from Ganjam on the east coast. Many are very rare indeed, such as the khanda which is one the world’s finest swords to survive from 16th-century India; and most are beautifully engraved, etched or chiselled, and inlaid with gold or silver. In 1933 James Stewart Henderson, a reclusive millionaire, left the museum his extensive collection of European arms and armour. Among these objects are the spectacular breastplate with a scene of Hercules wrestling Antaeus, made  around 1550 for the court of the Dukes of Brunswick, and the curious-looking Polish Szyszak helmet of around 1680. 

The result is a collection that spans over four centuries and several continents. “We’re now creating groupings which will show the ways in which items such as breast-plates and helmets evolved with time as modes of warfare changed and fashions shifted. We are re-mounting objects to enable visitors to see their insides where these are of interest, as well as to appreciate better their decorative exteriors. And we are commissioning bespoke new articulated armatures for all our armours so that we can hang them securely and correctly, and also pose the knights in more active, realistic poses” said Dr Avery.

The thinking behind the refurbishment of the collection draws on the most frequently asked questions by visitors. “It emerges that people really want to know how the items were made, how and when they were worn, and how heavy they are. They want to get close to the human experiences that the objects are connected to and put them in context” said Dr Avery.

“This understanding encouraged us to bring our displays alive by showing the items in positions that reflect their usage and groupings that allow visual comparisons. For example, although crossbows are often shown mounted vertically on walls, we hope to be able to devise a way to hang them horizontally to reflect the position in which they are held when being used. Likewise, although swords are normally shown with hilt at the top and blade below, we have hung our fascinating  executioner’s sword and calendar sword the other way up so that the writing on the blades can be read.”

One of the many treasures of the collection is a model made by E Granger of Paris of a knight on horseback, wearing armour replicating that of around 1570, which was made as a prize for jousting at the Eglinton Tournament in Scotland in August 1839. On loan to the Royal Armouries in Leeds since 1986, it has been recalled for the new displays. Another ‘must see’ is the spectacular steel parade helmet with lion visor likely to have been made by the Negroli family in Milan for Emperor Charles V. A fabulous example of mid-16th century workmanship, it entered the Museum’s collection in 1938, having come to light at an auction of ‘theatrical junk’ a few years earlier.

For full details of the Armoury Extravaganza event at the Fitzwilliam Museum on Wednesday, 29 May go to http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/whatson/events/article.html?3874

For more information about this story contact Alex Buxton, Communications Officer, University of Cambridge amb206@admin.cam.ac.uk 01223 761673