The Wilton Armour New York
The Met Armoury
Geoffrey from New York
In the USA, home to more than 90,000,000 obese people (obesity = BMI ≥ 30), in which Joe’s Hoodies sells 5XL hoodies in more than 40 colours, and in New York City, where more than half of adult New Yorkers are overweight (34%) or obese (22%) one would not be surprised to find an XXXL suit of ‘game worn’ armour, now mint in box, formerly worn by King Henry VIII. Its zip code is Gallery 371, Met Fifth Avenue.
Dating from the 1540s, it weighs more than 50 pounds (bupkes to a 300 pounder with a 58” waist) and is Italian (Milan, it is thought---where else?), made of steel and gold. Worth a ‘go see’.
Nearby, in darkened side galleries, hang 14th Century Japanese men-yoroi or men-gu, facial armour of darkened iron, beautiful enough for a stage. I've carved Hallowe'en jack-o'-lanterns after these.
Museums in the countries from which these artifacts come may have collections with greater depth, but these impress with their excellent condition and artful staging. And size.
Further, the armour galleries are not crowded and may be in fact be peaceful rooms, somewhat antithetical to the purpose of their contents. This is good to know, because The Met receives around 6,000,000 visits each year. Crowds can become insufferable.
In the Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Arms and Armor Court at the Met Museum Fifth Avenue.
New York Spotter Geoffrey
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