Chest armor with flap

The chest is comprised of multiple components: the smooth breastplate, the axillary rounds highlighted by two grooves, the central part known as the paunch plate, which is tricuspid and ends with a lily in the center crossed by a central rib and two lateral grooves. Additionally, at the bottom, there is a flap divided into three articulated blades, each featuring a raised central rib and secured with six rivets on the upper side. The lowest blade is a modern addition and not originally part of the breastplate (Carpegna 1969, p. 21, n. 106).
The object is well-preserved, with some noticeable signs of impact on the original blades of the flap.
Chest armor of this type, constructed solely from metal, became common in Europe towards the end of the fourteenth century, replacing chain mail protections covered with cuir bouilli or small metal plates.
These new armors were more resistant to blows from bladed weapons, although they were heavier and more rigid. They could be smooth, or covered with dense decorations engraved on the metal, or embossed to create reliefs on the surface depicting both sacred and profane images. A lining was fixed under the chest with rivets to improve the fit (Gelli 1900, pp. 242 and 248; Oakeshott 2012, pp. 75–95; La Rocca 2017, pp. 51–55).
The breastplate does not bear the mark of the weapons maker, nor does its twin, which is also kept at Palazzo Venezia (inv. 11980, formerly Odescalchi, no. 690; Scalini 2018, p. 124, no. IV. 1). Its production could be traced back to the Italian context but in the German style (Boccia, Coelho 1968, p. 145), or to a workshop operating in Germany (Terjanian 2005), specifically in central-southern Germany around the city of Darmstadt (Scalini 2018, p. 76, n. II.5). The lily-shaped finial can be associated with Italian, German, and Swiss towns (Scalini 2018, p. 76, n. II.5). An identical breastplate with a lily can be seen in the wooden sculpture in the Stibbert Museum depicting a soldier in armor, which can be attributed to an artist close to the Tyrolean Hans Klocher (active 1478–1498) (Scalini 2018, p. 80, n. II.9).
For comparison, there is a breastplate from an almost complete suit of armor at the Wallace Collection in London, attributed to a German workshop (inv. A20, Capwell 2011, p. 51).
This breastplate is part of the collection of Prince Ladislao Odescalchi (1846–1922), purchased by the Italian State in 1959 and placed in the Palazzo Venezia in 1969. This extensive collection was not a family armory but was formed through targeted purchases from national markets, such as Florence and Rome, and international markets, such as Paris and London, beginning in the late nineteenth century, reflecting Odescalchi’s personal taste (Barberini 2007).

Giulia Zaccariotto

Good.

Ladislao Odescalchi Collection (Odescalchi, no. 763);
acquired by the Italian State, 1959;
Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, 1969.

Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, Antiche armi dal sec. IX al XVIII. Già Collezione Odescalchi, May–July 1969,
Narni, former church of San Domenico, Le compagnie di ventura. Mostra di arti figurative e di armi per il VI centenario della nascita di Erasmo di Narni, detto Gattamelata, May–September 1970;
Rome, Castel Sant’Angelo; Rome, Palazzo Venezia, Armi e potere nell’Europa del Rinascimento, July 26–November 11, 2018.

Gelli Jacopo, Guida del raccoglitore e dell’amatore di armi antiche, Milano 1900;
di Carpegna Nolfo (a cura di), Antiche armi dal sec. IX al XVIII. Già Collezione Odescalchi, catalogo della mostra (Roma, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, 1969), con schede a firma del curatore, Roma 1969, p. 21, n. 106;
Pace Valentino (a cura di), Le compagnie di ventura. Mostra di arti figurative e di armi per il VI centenario della nascita di Erasmo di Narni, detto Gattamelata, catalogo della mostra (Narni, ex chiesa di San Domenico, maggio-settembre 1970), Narni 1970, p. 33, n. 53;
di Carpegna Nolfo, Le armi Odescalchi, Roma 1976;
Boccia Lionello Giorgio, Coelho Eduardo Teixeira, L’arte dell’armatura in Italia, Milano 1968;
Boccia Lionello Giorgio, Le armature di S. Maria delle Grazie di Curtatone di Mantova e l’armatura lombarda del 400, Busto Arsizio 1982.
Mickenberg David, Songs of Glory. Medieval Art from 900-1500: An Exhibition, catalogo della mostra (Oklahoma City, Museum of Art, 22 gennaio-29 aprile 1985), Oklahoma City 1985;
Terjanian Pierre, The Armourers of Cologne: Organization and Export Markets of a Foremost European Armour-making Center (1391-1660), in «Journal of the Armour Research Society», I, 2005, pp. 23-48;
Barberini Maria Giulia, La collezione Odescalchi di armi antiche: storia della raccolta del principe Ladislao, in «Bollettino d’arte», s. VI, XCI, 2006 (2007), 137/138, pp. 101-114;
Fossà Bianca, Studio conservativo delle armi e armature Odescalchi. Nuove metodologie per la schedatura di una collezione, in «Bollettino d’arte», s. VI, XCI, 2006 (2007), 137/138, pp. 115-142;
Capwell Tobias, Masterpieces of European Arms and Armour in the Wallace Collection, London 2011;
Oakeshott Ewart, European Weapons and Armour. From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution, Woodbridge 2012;
La Rocca Donald J., How to Read European Armor, New York 2017;
Scalini Mario (a cura di), Armi e potere nell’Europa del Rinascimento, catalogo della mostra (Roma, Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo; Roma, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, 26 luglio-11 novembre 2018), con schede a firma del curatore, Cinisello Balsamo 2018,  p. 76, n. II.5.