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Source Description
Mail armor was the predominant form of metal body defense for European knights until about 1350. The term derives from the Old French word <em>maille</em> (mesh), implying a protective textile. Each mail garment was constructed of small linked metal rings and "woven" for a specific part of the body. Mail for the torso is a hauberk and typically reached mid-thigh.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
104796
label
Hauberk
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
104796
contentType
object
title
Hauberk
description
Mail armor was the predominant form of metal body defense for European knights until about 1350. The term derives from the Old French word <em>maille</em> (mesh), implying a protective textile. Each mail garment was constructed of small linked metal rings and "woven" for a specific part of the body. Mail for the torso is a hauberk and typically reached mid-thigh.
date
c. 1400–1450
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60779267
genreSpecific
Arms and Armor
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 76.2 cm (30 in.); Sleeves: 43.2 cm (17 in.)
cul
Germany (?)
accession
1923.112
Source extras
tec
steel and brass rings, riveted with modern buckles and straps
tombstone
Hauberk, c. 1400–1450. Germany (?). Steel and brass rings, riveted with modern buckles and straps; overall: 76.2 cm (30 in.); sleeves: 43.2 cm (17 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of John L. Severance, 1923.1120
collection
MED - Arms & Armor
relatedWorks
id
104709
description
Barbute (from the Venetian Garrison at Chalcis), c. 1350–1420. North Italy, 14th-15th century. Iron; overall: 29 x 21 x 25 cm (11 7/16 x 8 1/4 x 9 13/16 in.); sleeves: 43.2 cm (17 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance, 1923.1065
formerAccessionNumbers
1923.1065, a
didYouKnow
Mail was expensive to make and generally only available to warriors of noble birth unless it could be obtained as war booty.
citations
citation
American Art Association.<em> Illustrated Catalogue of Ancient Arms and Armor, Stained Glass, Coffrets and Furniture, Authentic Specimens, in Nearly All Instances European. </em>New York: American Art Association, 1923.
page_number
lot 246
citation
Gibson, Katharine. <em>The Goldsmith of Florence; A Book of Great Craftsmen.</em> New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929.
page_number
p. 53
citation
Gilchrist, Helen Ives. <em>Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor.</em> Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1948.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 21
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>A Missal for a King</em>. [Cleveland]: [The Museum], 1963.
page_number
no. 107
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. </em>[Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.
page_number
pp. 35-41, 71-75, 166, no. 92
citation
Louis, William Noel, and Daniel H. Weiss. <em>The Book of Kings: Art, War and the Morgan Library's Medieval Picture Bible</em>. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2002.
page_number
pp. 83-97
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
p. 186, cat. no. 83
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. <em>Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
p. 284-5, cat. 107
citation
Eikelmann, Renate, Holger A. Klein, Stephen N. Fliegel, and Virginia Brilliant. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art: Meisterwerke von 300 bis 1550</em>. München: Hirmer, 2007.
creditline
Gift of John L. Severance
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:39:25.974000
sourceId
104796
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Arms & Armor
med
steel and brass rings, riveted with modern buckles and straps
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
d6988f1ff7af61fa