This suit of armor was made for Henry VIII, King of England in the early part of the 16th century, in his older years after he had gained weight and was suffering from various ailments, including gout. It may have been worn by him in the siege of Boulogne in 1544, his last campaign. It was almost certainly constructed for use in both mounted and unmounted combat, as it was originally fitted with a detachable reinforcing breastplate that had a rest for a lance attached to it, and a reinforcement for the left the pauldron.
The armor is described in the inventory taken after Henry's death of his belongings, in 1547, as being of Italian making. Whether it was actually crafted in Italy or supplied by a Milanese merchant who was licensed by Henry to import luxury goods and armor into England is unclear.
After Henry's death, the armor was given to William Herbert, first Earl of Pembroke (c.1507-1570), who was Henry's esquire and also the executor of his will. It is recorded at the seat of the Pembroke family from 1558 until it was sold in early part of the 20th century. Sometime around the end of the 18th century the origins of the armor were mistaken and it was believed to have belonged to Anne de Montmorency, Constable of France. This error was not discovered until recently.
The armor is an early example of the “anime” type, in which the breastplate and backplate are constructed of horizontal overlapping plates connected and made flexible by rivets and internal leather straps. The decoration and ornament is typically Italian. It is made of steel, blackened, etched and gilded, and leather, and weighs just over 50 pounds.
Source: The Metropolitan Museum, http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/23936
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