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Breast- and Backplate (Cuirass)

c. 1580
Artist/maker unknown, German Made for Prince Nikolaus Christoph Radziwill (1548–1616) , or made for his cousin Prince Christoph Nikolaus Radziwill I (1543–1603)
This cuirass was originally part of an armor tailored for a very large nobleman who belonged to the prominent Radziwill family of Lithuania and Poland. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, it remained in its original armory in a castle owned by a branch of the family in Lithuania. The hole visible in the breastplate is probably the result of rust from poor maintenance rather than combat-inflicted damage.

Object Details

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