Armor of Henry II, King of France (reigned 1547–59)

Give the surface a moment to come into focus. Plant scrolls wind across the metal, carrying small human figures and fantastic creatures. This French parade armor was made for Henry II around 1555, and much of its original coloring survives. At the center of the breastplate, a Roman warrior receives a tribute of arms. Other scenes on the shoulders tell stories of Apollo, the ancient god associated with music and the sun. Crescent moons appear in several places as one of Henry’s personal badges. The king’s armored body carried a carefully chosen collection of images. The designs began on paper. Twenty original drawings for this armor survive, one by Jean Cousin the Elder and the others associated with Étienne Delaunne or Baptiste Pellerin. The finished suit brings the work of designers and metalworkers together on a form that had to accommodate a moving person. Look at the change from a broad plate to the smaller overlapping pieces near a joint. Then return to the decoration running across them.