So you missed the Art of Power : Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain when it was on view at the National Gallery of Art through November 1, 2009. If you find yourself in Spain then plan on visiting the exhibit at Museo Nacional del Prado until May 16, 2010. The exhibition appeals to all ages.
Walk through the Art of Power exhibit hall and you will see shields, helmets and armors worn by holy roman emperors, kings and the children of Spanish royalty. The exhibit consists of 75 pieces of decorative armor fabricated by master craftsmen dating back to the 15th to 17th century.
The pieces included in Art of Power were all intended as parade armor. They were designed and made for show, not war. The armor was more likely worn for tournaments, jousting and other peace time noble gestures than on a battlefield. Crafted of gold on steel, the shields, helmets and armors all contain a not so subtle advertising campaign for the imperial ambitions of the Spanish monarchy and Hapsburg dynasty. No wonder that decades later the armors still fulfills its clear intention to both dazzle and intimidate.
Watching the crowd observe the dazzling art is a treat. Young boys clearly dragged to the art museum by their parents against their will quickly quiet their objections and begin animated discussions about ancient stories of knights and kings. While the comparison to Power Rangers may be a little off putting to some, the excitement is spectacular. Young girls equal victims of their parents efforts to educate also found intrigue at the detailed stories carefully carved, etched and hammered into the armor and then highlighted in gold.
A favorite in the hall is the decorative armor intended to be worn by a horse. Gold images overlaid on steel show the of Sampson and Delilah on one side. On the other side are the stories of Hercules as a child fighting serpents and as an adult killing the multi- headed hydra. Other armor tells the tales of past wars, the procession of roman gods, the passing of imperial power form Egypt to Rome, the meeting of ancient roman generals and the long story of the 300 year rule of the Hapsburg imperial family and Spanish monarchy.
The amazing Art of Power exhibition pieces are all borrowed from the Royal Armory in Madrid. David Brown, curator of Italian and Spanish Paintings at the gallery, said that the selected works are some of "the finest examples of renaissance armor in the world."
The National Gallery of Art prepared both audio and video podcasts for the Art of Power.
If you can not get to the exhibit in Spain or loved the exhibit and want to see even more armor, remember that the National of Art has an impressive collection of armor in its permanent collection. The museum staff prepared a self guided tour of 25 works of art in its permanent armor collection. For a map of the tour click here. The National Gallery of Art, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1.
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