Looking at this beautiful 15th-century set of armour

February 2021

Visitors to the Wallace Collection in London have something new to behold - a rare full set of armour for a knight and horse, which dates back to the fifteenth century.

The museum has now placed this equestrian armour in its central courtyard, where a glass-roof provides natural sunlight. Originally belonging to the Freyberg family at Schloss Hohenaschau in Bavaria, it was sold a couple of times during the nineteenth century and found its way into the collection of Sir Richard Wallace.

Equestrian armour, South German, c.1480 © The Trustees of the Wallace Collection

"This armour is a world-famous image of the medieval European knight," explains Tobias Capwell, Curator of Arms and Armour at the Wallace Collection. "Over the last 150 years, it has inspired artists, served as a standard illustration in encyclopaedias and history books, and thrilled generations of visitors to Hertford House. Only three full equestrian armours made before the sixteenth century survive in the world today, and this is the only one preserved complete, as originally made. It was meant to be seen in the open, in natural light, and for the first time in living memory, our visitors will be able to see it that way too.”

The learn more about the armour and the Wallace Collection, please visit the museum's website.