ARMS & ARMOR AT KUNST HISTORICHES MUSEUM - VIENNA
Habsburg Armor Collection of the Neue Burg
Medieval plate armor developed from basic protection in battle to a high decorative art form over the several centuries of its use and still serves a function in ceremonial adornment today. From simple breastplates and helmets of the Roman period and Dark Ages to the full body encasements of the Middle-Ages and gold filigreed decorated court armor of the Renaissance, the shaping of metal to the human form holds a fascination, and the armor collection found in the Art History Museum of Vienna is one of the best of its kind in the world, though much of it is from the later period of ceremony and social status than of raw steel on steel battle armor of the medieval.
The Habsburg dynasty in its centuries long expansion through marriages and conquests to the last great empire, brought the royal family a stunning variety of court arms and armor through capture in military campaigns, presentations in homage and court ceremonies, made for coronations, engagement and marriages. No ruling dynasty was connected to so many countries in Europe as the Habsburgs and nearly all the European royal houses starting from the 15th Century onward are represented in the collection with armor and weapons, some of the most ornate, created for pure show.
Examples of armor design from France, Burgundy, Alsace and Lorraine, Italy, Spain, Bohemia and Hungary came to Vienna through inheritance as the family encompassed regal houses from those territories, while military conflicts and diplomatic relationships brought a variety of objects from the Middle East and Orient, from the enemy Turks who very nearly broke the empire, Persia, and the Egyptians, who allied themselves with the Austro-Hungarians on occasion. Many of the suits of armor in the Kunst Museum’s displays are custom creations made by the most notable armorers. Some of the most famous examples are the Cuirassier Armor designed for Emperor Maximillian I by Lorenz Helmschmid, the Armor for a Horseman by the Lombardy Italian artisan Tommaso Missaglia, and the boy-sized Folded Skirt Armor suit created by Konrad Seusenhofer for the future Habsburg Emperor Charles V.
Some of the more curious armor suits, with metallic visor shapes in the form of fantastical faces, perhaps a reflection of those inside the armor, or creatures of pure fantasy were created for festival days and probably never saw a moment of combat. The HBO series “Game of Thrones” features a woman knight character of martial prowess. While there are relatively few women documented as doning armor, in the Vienna collection is a curious suit of armor designed for a woman with a full metal skirt and a rather amble chest allowance, one of the more unique examples to be found anywhere.
The arms collection of Neue Burg is essentially three collections joined in two main connected halls. The Chamber of Imperial Personal Armor (Leibrüstkammer) since 1436 contains the weapons and armor of the ruling house and associated families. During the age of gunpowder, military armor began to lose it importance on the battlefield and was relegated to display halls commemorating the royal family history. In the early Baroque age, armor became the province of the decorative artist, created for hunting or for sport. The Court Weapon and Hunting Chamber (Hofgewehr & Hofjagdkammer) was founded by the Emperor Ferdinand II, and features the highest design works up to the end of the empire in 1918.
The armor collection of the Kunst Historiches Museum is located in the Neue Burg building of the Hofburg Palace complex. Built in 1881, the Neue Burg was an expansion of the palace, with an architectural design initially intended as a celebration of the glory of the Austrian Empire, but the work dragged on until the beginning of the First World War which saw the end of the empire and the building was never really finished. Since 1908, it has been used to house collections gathered by the heir to the throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who traveled around the world collecting art until his fateful visit to Sarajevo in 1914. The Neue Burg also houses the Musical Instrument Museum as well as the Armor Collection.
Visiting the Kunst Historisches Arms & Armor Museum
Open hours of the Arms & Armor Collection are 10am to 6pm Wednesday through Sunday. Admission tickets for the Historical Art Museum of Vienna includes the collections in the Neue Burg as well as the main art museum of the KHM. Admission prices are €14 for adults, €11 Concessions, Children and Teens are free. A combined ticket including the Treasures of the Habsburgs (the Schatzkammer see Imperial Treasury Vienna) located in another building, is €20 for adults. The Audio Guide is an additional charge of €4 and Guided Tours in groups are €3. Vienna Card Holders get a price reduction. © Bargain Travel Europe
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