Fit for a King

This magnificent book is an unprecedented survey of Greenwich Tudor armor at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s all-gilt battle and tournament armor of King Henry VIII of England, with its exquisite overall etched decoration, is among the most spectacular ever produced. Made in the royal armor workshop at Greenwich, London, which was founded by Henry VIII in 1515, this armor forms the centerpiece of the museum’s renowned collection of Greenwich armors, the most important outside Britain and one of the museum’s most popular destinations. Focusing on The Met’s six complete armors and two single elements of armor made for the king and distinguished nobles in the Tudor and Stuart courts, this book is an authoritative study of the armor produced at Greenwich and features many of the workshop’s finest extant examples. Leading scholars provide the definitive history of the workshop, including the development, manufacture, and embellishment of Greenwich armor from 1515 to 1642.