Armor for field and tilt, of Count Franz von Teuffenbach (1516-1578)
Stefan Rormoser of Innsbruck (Austrian, active 1554-1565 )
1554
steel, brass and lampblack with modern leather
181.6 x 78 cm (71 1/2 x 30 11/16 in.); weight: 57 lb. 5 oz.
The John Woodman Higgins Collection

This fine armor is homogenous, with each piece original and made for the suit, and we actually know who made it, when, and for whom. The letters S and R on the nape of the helmet are for Stefan Rormoser of Innsbruck, who finished the armor in 1554 according to the date on the breastplate center. His client was the distinguished Austrian nobleman, Franz von Teuffenbach of Styria. Von Teuffenbach is represented on the breastplate by the armored man kneeling before a crucifix, but this image is found on many armors of the period, and is not necessarily a portrait of the owner. Under the front of the left shoulder is etched the diamond-shaped image of the Berberorden (“Order of the Berbers”), commemorating Teuffenbach’s service against the Algerian Berbers in 1535. He also campaigned against the French in 1536, the Ottoman Turks in 1543, and was a member of the Styrian War Council.