Armor Design for a Horse 1600 - 1650

This anonymous drawing from the 17th century is a design for a horse’s armor. The artist has rendered the head of the horse in a fantastical style, with elaborate ornamentation, including scales and leafy patterns. The detailed nature of the design suggests it was intended to be a proposal for an actual piece of armor. The drawing is currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The design is a good example of the decorative trends in armor design during the Renaissance period.