13de-eeuws harnas uit het leger van Lodewijk IX van Frankrijk, uit de collectie van het Musée d'Artillerie in Parijs before 1882

This photograph captures a 13th-century suit of armor, once part of the army of Louis IX of France, and now part of the Musée d'Artillerie collection in Paris. In the 13th century, the power and image of the monarchy was often expressed through military strength. This armor, though anonymous in its creation, speaks volumes about the social hierarchies of the time. Who bore the weight of crafting and wearing such a suit, and what did it mean to carry the symbolic representation of power in this way? The cultural narratives around knighthood are interwoven with notions of honor and service, but also with the realities of violence and domination. How does an object like this simultaneously embody personal identity and national ideology, and what does it tell us about the relationship between the body, power, and representation?