Steel beauty

Higgins and WAM join forces

by Leon Nigrosh

THE ARMORER AND THE PRINTMAKER At the Higgins Armory Museum, 100 Barber Avenue, through September 6.

Using original works in steel and paper, The Amorer and the Printmaker tells the story of 16th- and 17th-century fine artists and metalsmiths collaborating to produce inked prints and suits of armor. The show has been assembled through cooperation between two venerable Worcester institutions, the Higgins and the Worcester Art Museum.

In 1994, while WAM curator of prints and drawings David Acton was preparing for the Master Drawings: 700 Years of Inspiration exhibition, he called upon the Higgins's curator of arms and armor Walter Karcheski to help verify a 15th-century German drawing of St. George (which is on display at WAM through June 21). Based on their continued discussions regarding the benefit of joint research, the two curators have spread out before us a fascinating assemblage of prints borrowed from the vaults at WAM and armor from the vast Higgins collection.

The centerpieces of this exhibit are Valentin Siebenbürger's 16th-century steel, brass, and leather Stechzeug and Albrecht Dürer's engraving, Coat of Arms with Skull. While each of these items is an important work by itself, together they epitomize the interplay between art and armor during that time period. The massive 60-pound steel helm was used in jousting tournaments (see the gouges on the neck?) that Dürer may have actually witnessed. Even with its fantastic winged crest, note just how similar the helm in his print is to the actual metal piece, right down to the ribbing and rivets.

Set up chronologically from the left of the gallery, the next important piece is a print after Dürer's Knight, Death and the Devil. Rendered in great detail, we see a Gothic German light horseman steadfastly moving past all sorts of evil temptations. Next to this print is an actual 15th-century German sallet helmet. Compare the slim, angular look of this helmet with the one in the print. The only real difference is that the rider has his visor up.

As you walk around the rooms, changes in armor become obvious. Fashion dictates, as well as the increasing presence of gunpowder weapons, forced armorers to alter the style and use of their materials. To make their work more individual and saleable, they brought in artists to design borders and decorations to be etched into the steel plates. In early times, heavy armor was used as protection in war, later it became lighter and more ceremonial. Finally, steel armor was used primarily for equestrian sport.

The curators have thoughtfully related the 15 prints and 11 examples of arms and armor with interesting connections and a fair amount of anecdotal assumption. Give yourself plenty of time to examine each work closely and be sure to read the accompanying wall panels, otherwise you might miss the connection between the Hopfer family engraving, Ornament With Genii, and the Helmschmid steel pasguard, both made in the early 1500s. After viewing Christoph II Weiditz's (1517-1572) coat-of-arms woodcut for a book about noblemen by Paul Hector Mair, take a moment to read about Mair's ignoble end.

In the second half of the 17th century, armor became less a machine of war and more an iconographic symbol of bravery and chivalry. In Robert Nanteuil's 1657 Portrait of Godefroy-Maurice de la Tour, Duc de Bouillion, the young boy is dressed in ceremonial armor, highlighted with embosssed borders and rosettes -- much like the actual three-quarter cuirassier's armor standing next to the engraving. The steel plates on the French suit are articulated, much like a lobster's exoskeleton, and can be separated to adjust the leg protection. Although the breastplate is designed with a high waist, in the fashion of the day, the suit was ready for combat -- with a bullet-proof helmet.

The last piece in the show, and the Higgins's most recent acquisition, is the most fascinating, not only for its intended uses, but for its craftsmanship. In the late 1700s, French small-swords like this one replaced the rapier as a gentleman's personal defense. They also served as fashion accessories, with different colors for different occasions. This particular example has a finely chiseled pattern on the slim, triangular cross-section blade with gilt inlay and a silver wire-wrapped handle. And the entire sword weighs a mere 12 ounces!

From 60-pound helms to 12-ounce swords and just about everything in between -- including pictures of outrageous festival pagents, portraits of grumpy men, fencing instructions, and Prince Philip III of Austria's alleged shin guard -- this is the perfect summer show to see.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 853-6015.