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Department of Arms and Armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Met's Arms and Armor collection is one of the most comprehensive and encyclopedic of its kind, comprising over 14,000 objects, focusing on works that show outstanding design and decoration, rather than those of purely military or technical interest.

09/02/2026

Cord Ornament (Kanemono). Japanese, 19th century. Gold, L. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm); Wt. 0.3 oz. (8.5 g). Gift of Herman A. E. and Paul C. Jaehne, 1943 (43.120.685).

08/27/2026

Siege Helmet. Italian, ca. 1625. Steel, leather, H. 12 in. (30.5 cm); W. 9 7/8 in. (25.1 cm); D. 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm); Wt. 17 lb. 9 oz. (7966 g). Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various donors, 1929 (29.158.23).

08/21/2026

Daggers with curled “pistol-grip” pommels became popular in the court of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707) around 1660 and regularly appeared in the portraits of Mughal and Deccani officials thereafter. The jade grip of this dagger is inlaid with silver foliate motifs set flush with the surface, a technique that recalls contemporary Bidri ware (from Bidar, in the Deccan), cast zinc vessels that are similarly inlaid with silver and gold.

Dagger. Indian, Deccan, possibly Hyderabad, 17th–18th century. Steel, nephrite, silver, gold, H. 13 13/16 in. (35.1 cm); H. of blade 9 in. (22.9 cm); W. 2 13/16 in. (7.1 cm); Wt. 13.1 oz. (371.4 g). Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935 (36.25.667).

08/16/2026

Workshop of Nicolas Noël Boutet (French, Versailles and Paris, 1761–1833). Designs for the Decoration of Fi****ms, ca. 1797–1805). Pencil, ink, gray wash on paper, 6 1/8 x 8 5/8 in. (15.6 x 21.9 cm). Purchase, Clay P. Bedford Gift, 2004 (2004.101.20).

08/12/2026

This is a rare example of a medieval yoroi. The yoroi is characterized by a cuirass that wraps around the body and is closed by a separate panel (waidate) on the right side and by a deep four-sided skirt. In use from around the tenth to the fourteenth century, yoroi were generally worn by warriors on horseback.

Originally, this armor was laced in white silk and had diagonal bands of multicolored lacings at the edges of the skirt and the sode (shoulder guards, missing here). The colored lacings symbolized the rainbow, which represented both good fortune and fleeting beauty. The breastplate is covered with stenciled leather bearing the image of the powerful Buddhist deity Fudō Myō-ō, whose fierce mien and attributes of calmness and inner strength were highly prized by the samurai. The helmet, long associated with this armor, dates from the middle of the fourteenth century.

Traditionally, it is believed that this yoroi was donated to the Shinomura Hachimangū , a shrine near Kyoto, by Ashikaga Takauji (1305–1358), founder of the Ashikaga shogunate.

Armor (Yoroi) of Ashikaga Takauji (1305–1358). Japanese, early–mid-14th century. Iron, leather, lacquer, silk, copper, gold, pigments, H. as mounted 42 3/4 in. (108.59 cm); W. 24 1/4 in. (61.6 cm); Wt. 38 lb. 3 oz. (17.3 kg). Gift of Bashford Dean, 1914 (14.100.121a–e).

08/06/2026

This armor has an elegant sculptural quality that is characteristic of the finest Augsburg armors. It is identical in appearance to a series of tournament armors ordered by the duke of Bavaria in 1579–80 from Anton Peffenhauser, the leading armorer in Augsburg during the second half of the sixteenth century. In the joust, or tilt, in the German fashion, two contestants armed with blunt lances rode at one another, left side to left side, separated by a barrier (called a tilt), the object being to break lances or unseat the opponent. Because the left side of the rider was thus particularly vulnerable, it was given additional protection in the form of large, smooth reinforcing plates that would deflect the blow of the lance. Characteristic of these armors are the helm screwed to the breastplate and backplate, the tilt targe (the cape-like defense for the left shoulder) screwed directly to the breastplate, a passguard (the reinforcing plate over the left elbow), and the manifer (oversized left gauntlet).

Attributed to Anton Peffenhauser (German, Augsburg, 1525–1603). Armor for the Tilt, ca. 1580. Steel, brass, leather, H. 68 3/4 in. (174.6 cm); W. at shoulders 18 in. (45.72 cm); Wt. 81 lb. (36.8 kg). Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Gift of Helen Fahnestock Hubbard, in memory of her father, Harris C. Fahnestock, 1929 (29.154.1a–u).

07/29/2026

Double Sword with Scabbard. Chinese, 18th–19th century. Steel, bronze, sharkskin, horn, wood, L. with scabbard 28 in. (71.1 cm); L. of each without scabbard 25 3/8 in. (64.5 cm); W. 3 in. (7.6 cm); Wt. of each 1 lb. 1.1 oz. (484.8 g); Wt. of scabbard 12.1 oz. (343 g). Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935 (36.25.1480a–c).

07/20/2026

This powder horn is decorated with a dragon, among other animals and birds. It is inscribed: Ensign JOHN LITCH / TIONDEROGA Novembr ye 7th 1759 / A DRAGON.

Powder Horn. Colonial American, Ticonderoga, New York, dated 1759. Horn (cow), wood, L. 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm); Diam. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm); Wt. 10.1 oz. (286.3 g). The Collection of J. H. Grenville Gilbert, of Ware, Massachusetts, Gift of Mrs. Gilbert, 1937 (37.131.11).

07/10/2026

This complete set of saddle steels is part of an unusually large armor garniture (acc. no. 27.159.1) from the armory of the Dos Aguas family in Valencia, Spain. The saddle tree and its embroidered velvet cover were made in the early 20th century, based on 16th century examples. The garniture contains pieces for use in battle and for the tilt in both the Italian and German fashions. The tilt was a tournament fought on horseback between two opponents armed with lances and separated by a lengthwise barrier. The decoration consisting of etched bands containing trophies of arms and musical instruments was a popular design found in many variations in Italy throughout the second half of the sixteenth century.

Set of Saddle Steels. Italian, ca. 1550–75. Steel. Gift of George D. Pratt, 1927 (27.159.14a–e).

07/04/2026

This is one of twelve gold-mounted swords awarded by the State of New York to heroes of the War of 1812.

Commissioned from New York City silversmith and die-cutter John Targee, each sword cost about $450— a significant amount at the time. Inspired by Neoclassical design, the hilt features an eagle-head pommel, referring to the national emblem, and a depiction of Hercules and the Nemean Lion on the counterguard.

This sword was presented to Samuel Chester Reid (1773–1861), captain of the private brig General Armstrong, for his courageous defense against the British fleet at Fayal, in the Azores, on September 26–27, 1814.

John Targee (American, ca. 1774–1850). Sword and Scabbard Presented to Captain Samuel Chester Reid (1783–1861), 1815. Gold, brass, steel, L. 36 13/16 in. (93.6 cm); L. of blade 30 in. (76.2 cm); W. 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm); D. 1 5/16 in. (3.3 cm); L. of scabbard 32 in. (81.3 cm); Wt. 2 lb. 3.6 oz. (1009 g), Gift of Ida Chester Reid Blair, granddaughter of Samuel Chester Reid, 1923 (23.100a, b).

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