King Richard the Lionheart! King Arthur! Shogun Toranaga! Genghis Khan! Sunjata Keita from Mali! Joan of Arc! All fighting battles, conquering tribes, marching to Crusades! They all wore armor to protect themselves from death or mutilation.
The exciting new galleries at the Worcester Art Museum display many examples of armor made from 2000 BCE until the widespread use of guns and cannon. But it is the armor of the western Middle Ages (approximately 500 to 1500,) a period now romanticized in novels, theatre, films, comics, videos and Dungeons and Dragons, that brings this period to modern life.
The galleries are filled with armor and battle equipment, head to toe, everything from helmets to foot gear. Weapons include swords, lances, hand cannons, katana, poleaxes and more. Three suits of armor from different cultures, Western European, Islamic and Mughal India greet the visitor holding their swords ready to do battle.
The galleries themselves are works of art using the latest technology to create a stunning visual space that was designed by the Somerville, Massachusetts-based architectural firm TSKP x ikd. Jeffrey L. Forgeng, Higgins Curator of Arms and Armor, and his staff, have worked for years to develop the concept behind the new galleries.