Long after armor lost its effectiveness on the battlefield, it continued to be a symbol of virtue and strength, history and nostalgia, and violence and imperialism. Contemporary artists—from photographers and sculptors to architects and illustrators—as well as movies and TV shows continue to examine and incorporate images of armor and knights into their works. Some invoke centuries-old ideals of chivalry and heroism. Others seek to challenge these associations by placing armor in new contexts, asking critical questions, and creating contemporary narratives.
Armor for a Carabinier
Alsace, France
1863–65
Steel with brass, leather, and horsehair
Weight 20 lb. 6 oz.
The John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection, 2014.90
Image © 2021 Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved
Armor had lost its military importance by the late 1600s, but it never entirely vanished. In the 1800s, armor like this was still used in battle by heavy cavalry. As late as World War I, horsemen rode to the front wearing similar armor. It was quickly abandoned in the face of machine guns and trench warfare. Today, armor like this is reserved for a few elite military units in Europe, who wear it for ceremonial occasions.
Worcester Pressed Steel Company
Worcester, Massachusetts, 1905–1975
Prototype Experimental Helmet Model 2
1917
Steel
Weight 2 lb.
The John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection, 2014.2
Image © 2021 Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved
Produced for the US Department of War during World War I, this experimental helmet—designed by Bashford Dean, curator of armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art—resembles medieval models. Dean turned to Worcester steel industrialist John Woodman Higgins to create and assess the prototype. The collaboration between these two men set Higgins on the path to building America’s second-largest collection of armor, now at the Worcester Art Museum.
Ben Jackel
American, born 1977
Pay Attention
2021
Pine wood and graphite
Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2015.656A-F
Fascinated with the tools of war, Ben Jackel hand-fashions detailed replicas of weapons in clay or wood and covers them with monochromatic graphite. These range historically from medieval weapons and helmets to modern warships and military drones. Through its depiction of a larger-than-life halberd, Pay Attention exaggerates the notion of weapons as emblems of power and prompts us to consider the role of arms, warfare, and violence in the modern world.
Virgil Ortiz
Cochiti, born 1969
Castilian
2012
Clay, slip, and paint
Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2016.109A-B
Virgil Ortiz, a Cochiti ceramicist and fashion designer, examines the history and customary arts of his pueblo. These two works reference the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 when Pueblo people united to drive the colonial Spanish from what is today New Mexico. Ortiz transformed classic images of a Spanish conqueror wearing his morion helmet and that of St. Michael with his sword and shield to retell the story of the revolt as a sci-fi saga.
Virgil Ortiz
Cochiti, born 1969
St. Michael
2013
Clay, slip, and paint
Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2016.111A-D
Ruth Thorne-Thomsen
American, born 1943
Leda, Colorado, from Views from the Shoreline Series
1986
Gelatin silver contact print
Denver Art Museum: Gift of Paul and Teresa Harbaugh, 2010.508
In this surreal image, a nautilus shell superimposed on the profile of a woman’s head evokes the complex helmets worn with armor in centuries past (such as the Japanese conch-shell helmet earlier in this exhibition). The series title may refer to themes from classical Greek epics and myths like The Iliad and The Odyssey, while the figure evokes Renaissance portraiture from the time of knights in armor. Thorne-Thomsen used a pinhole camera and layered various visual elements to create this dream-like image that sparks our imaginations.
Coy Howard
American, born 1943
2
1974
Offset lithograph
Printed by Continental Graphics, Los Angeles
Denver Art Museum: Gift of Coy Howard, 2016.344.13
Architect Coy Howard designed this poster to promote the architecture program at the University of California, Los Angeles. The visual collage combines a 1970s photograph of the Los Angeles skyline with borrowed graphic elements and typography. A romanticized illustration of a knight rescuing a damsel appears in the lower right corner. Her gesture toward the city and the knight’s gallant act may suggest that architecture students could rescue the urban landscape in a similar way.
Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Collection at the Worcester Art Museum is organized by the Worcester Art Museum. Support is provided by the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS4.
