Germany, Augsburg / c. 1571
Pommel Plates from the Garniture of Rudolf II
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Pommel Plates from the Garniture of Rudolf II as arms and armor (Germany, Augsburg · c. 1571).
Once part of a saddle, these plates protected the rider's thighs.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as blued, etched, and gilded steel and credits Anton Peffenhauser (German, 1525–1603).
The museum's collection notes: These plates, once part of a saddle, are from a tournament armor for man and horse made for the sons of Emperor Maximilian II, archdukes Rudolf and Ernst. Most of the remaining elements of this armor are still in the collections of the Imperial Armouries in Vienna. The decorative pattern (in the imperial colors of black and gold) forms elegant knots, with distinctive foliage and hop sprigs filling the loops.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPommel Plates from the Garniture of Rudolf IIOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.