Cuirass from an Armor of Tsar Dmitry I, 1605, Art Institute of Chicago: Arms, Armor, Medieval, and Renaissance
The coat of arms of Moscow with a double-headed eagle on the breastplate identifies the owner as Dmitry I, the ill-fated tsar of Russia who falsely claimed to be Ivan the Terrible’s lost youngest son.
After only 11 months of rule, members of the Russian nobility (boyars) assassinated him and shot the ashes of his body out of a cannon.
Dmitry rose to power with Polish support and was heavily influenced by Western taste and politics. This Italian-made armor represents the height of Western fashion and might have been a diplomatic gift. Originally the bands alternated in gold, of which there are only traces now.George F. Harding Collection
Size: H. 41.3 cm (16 ¼ in.)
Wt. 8.25 lb
Medium: Steel