SHOWCASE 23. CEREMONIAL ARMOUR FOR HORSEMAN OF THE 16TH CENTURY

EXPOSITION
HALL 1. RUSSIAN GOLD- AND SILVERWARE OF THE 12TH - EARLY 17TH CENTURY
HALL 2. RUSSIAN GOLD- AND SILVERWARE OF THE 17TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURY
HALL 3. EUROPEAN AND ORIENTAL CEREMONIAL ARMS AND ARMOUR OF THE 15TH - 19TH CENTURIES
HALL 4. RUSSIAN ARMS AND ARMOUR OF THE 12TH - EARLY 19TH CENTURY
HALL 5. WEST EUROPEAN SILVER OF THE 13TH - 19TH CENTURIES
HALL 6. ECCLESIASTICAL ATTIRE, PICTORIAL AND ORNAMENTAL EMBROIDERY OF THE 14TH - 18TH CENTURIES. RUSSIAN ROYAL GARMENT IN THE 16TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURY
HALL 7. ANCIENT STATE REGALIA AND CEREMONIAL ITEMS OF THE 13TH - 18TH CENTURIES
HALL 8. CEREMONIAL HORSE HARNESS OF THE 16TH - 18TH CENTURIES
HALL 9. ROYAL CARRIAGES OF THE 16TH - 18TH CENTURIES

Jousting competitions and tournaments resembling theatrical performances were very popular in Europe. During the festivals, heavy armours served as ceremonial suits and were decorated with gilding or blueing, embossed and engraved images. Safety of a participant depended on the stamina and protection of his horse, therefore full sets of tournament armour for rider and horse were developed.

The Armoury collection preserves a work by the famous Nuremberg metalworker Kunz Lochner. His full suit of ceremonial armour for rider and horse was presented by King Stephan Bathory of Poland to Tsar Fyodor, the son of Ivan the Terrible, in 1584. It is adorned with raised medallions with chased mythological figures and a gilt ornament. Apart from the Armoury, Kunz Lochner's artworks can be found in museums of Stockholm, Dresden, Madrid, Paris and Berlin.