On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
ema
But only if you are so inclined, of course. Here are the rest of the Arms and Armor pictures from the grand hall. I hope you enjoy the exhibits as much as I did.
(No short clips. The full video is only 6:43 min. Anywhere you click, there will be something to delight you.)
(time-traveling) Me: Hi medieval person, what do you do for a living?
Medieval Person: I’m an armor horse tail threader, of course. Why’d you ask?
Who looked at these tools of destruction and thought ”Hmm, you know what, they’re not pretty enough. I need to beautify them a bit.”? Sure, they look very nice, but all you need to maim and murder is a sharp, pointy thing with a working handle.
Check out the fancy footwear.
Speaking of fancy footwear, some of the armor suits completed the look with the most fashionable suede boots and velvet pantaloons.
Different styles of armor.
Because nothing says “I shall vanquish my enemies in an efficient manner” like restricted breathing! (I will check the card on my next visit, but this looks like a woman’s armor.)
More armor styles.
This looks like children’s armor. (I know, I know, I should read the display cards, but between trying to figure out how to avoid the glass and light reflections, finding a good angle, and glaring at the poor visitors who have the misfortune of walking in my shot, I forget.)
Matching armor, the latest must-have in the medieval gentleman’s spring wardrobe.
Off to battle we go!
War for Ukraine Day 1,103: Trump Gives Putin a Lifeline
TBone
Oh I am such a sucker for this stuff! Thank you! More later … Must cats.
Gloria DryGarden
Terrific narration! Love your amusing commentary w the pix!
so glad I don’t have to wear that stuff!
Gloria DryGarden
Also, the weight and balance, the heft of a sharp instrument, has its own beauty.
I’m thinking of my kitchen knife here, of course, and the slicing of onions and leeks.
eclare
Interesting! I can’t imagine wearing armor, shoes are enough of a hassle.
TBone
@eclare: I’m with you on that! Even Sketchers slip-ons. I end wearing slippers a lot. The nice kind, thick knitted clogs type with thick rubber soles and faux fur.
eclare
@TBone:
If I’m at home I’m either barefoot or wearing a pair of flip flops. When I have to go out I have some comfy running shoes, but I refuse to wear socks unless I’m exercising.
Baud
New fetish unlocked.
TBone
@eclare: you must live in a warmer climate than I do? My foot care game had to be upped in a big way recently, and I found a ‘Flawless’ brand pedi dremmel-type battery-operated foot sander (pumice stone that does all the work). Good socks are a necessity in these hinterlands in winter. Otherwise, I too am barefoot contessa!
TBone
@Baud: heh.
TBone
If I were a knight, I’d have shining armour too! And many medieval weapons for style accessories.
eclare
@TBone:
I’m in Memphis, it gets cold, but not as cold as PA. I just put up with cold feet as I keep my house around 60 in the winter. My house is about 100 years old and very expensive to heat, and unfortunately I don’t have any southern exposure to catch that winter sunlight.
MagdaInBlack
@TBone: And now I have “Emotional Rescue” running thru my head….
p.s. my MIL (that horrible woman) called me the Barefoot Contessa for my lack of footwear habit.
eclare
@MagdaInBlack:
Wear that label with pride! Ina Garten is awesome.
TBone
@eclare: and so is Ava Gardner! femme fatale
TBone
@MagdaInBlack: The Stones are almost always appropriate. Keith Richards LIVES.
🎶
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_K6wUa7yjuo
I like to think about Lady Jane because my IRL middle name is Gray. Ancestry name. I used to spell it with an “e” in kindergarten and first grade until I was “corrected.”
mark
@eclare: Wow! 60 degrees, my home hasn’t been that low in the past 25 years except for the 1 time the power went out. The little woman wouldn’t stand for such a thing.
TBone
@TBone: history is so cool
House of Grey
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray%27s_Inn
From
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Grey
mark
The past few months I have gone wild buying warm things. I’ve bought several wool shirts and wool blankets from Pendelton Woolen Mills. Another wool OD Green Army blanket on Ebay. It was still in the plastic wrapper and dated 4/75. I’ve also bought some hand made Amish quilts.
PST
@eclare:
Indeed she is. She really knows how to find the sweet spot for recipes that make a meal seem special but fit easily within my limited skill set and attention span. When I first heard of her, however, I thought calling herself the Barefoot Contessa was a ridiculous affectation. I was relieved to learn that it was the pre-existing name of a deli she once purchased and operated, and then used in the title of her first cookbook.
TBone
@PST: moniker comes from classic film starring Ava Gardner. Garten means garden in German.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Barefoot_Contessa
PST
This reminds me very much of the arms and armor exhibit at the Art Institute in Chicago, which is great fun and a good alternative should it be more convenient than the Met. It is always nice to be reminded to get over there more often. BTW, I fully agree with the sentiment that barefoot is best, and shoes OR socks are better than shoes AND socks.
Betty
Oof! Can’t imagine even putting on all that heavy armor, let alone climbing on a horse and trying to fight in it.
Albatrossity
Crikey! One would not want to got to work every day wearing that stuff!
Off-topic, but there are some great bird pics (even a chunky one for WaterGirl) at the Cornell Lab this morning, for their photo contest. If you need a bird photo fix, and want to vote for your favorite, here’s the link.
eclare
@mark:
I’ve always tended to be hot natured. I really should live someplace like Minneapolis, but I hate snow.
eclare
@PST:
My main complaint about Ina, and it’s not her fault, is that the Hamptons seem to have tons of organic vegetable farms and (of course) lots of seafood. It’s not as easy to source those in Memphis. But I still happily watch with food envy and of course kitchen envy.
WaterGirl
@Albatrossity: Those are really beautiful!
Not sure that whoever is in the roadrunner’s mouth would agree to have the word “Great” in the title!
mark
@eclare: I too hate snow. I have a Mercedes Benz though, and that thing is a champ in the snow. I trust my Benz to always come through for me.
Gloria DryGarden
@Albatrossity: the quail, the roadrunner, and the two hummingbirds. Are they 2 males? I once saw 2 hummingbirds do an intricate flying dance, show lasted many minutes, out on the sandstone in canyon lands. Lots of down up arcs, diving…
pieceofpeace
These photos are very interesting. There’s small extensions here and there, for which I wonder the reason. I’d love to see this in person, and learned about strong efforts as they protected themselves with having their horses thoroughly suited up as well (which makes sense, i.e., assume the soldier wouldn’t have agility to arise with any speed).
Thanks, more are welcome.
ema
Thank you all!
Ramalama
My cousin is a knight in Medieval Times where he’s paid to get thrown from a horse in front of a crowd. I don’t think he wears armor. But I am almost-deathly allergic to horses and so have only been able to view him at work via photos.
jonas
It’s incredible that those suits of armor were preserved so well and for so long. I suppose it’s because they were special-occasion wear for royalty and high nobility at tournaments or ceremonies and not what some average kahhhh-nigit would have worn into battle.
WaterGirl
@ema: Thank you, ema! These are always so fun and interesting.
gVOR10
You also need a hook like feature to pull the guy with all that weight of armor off his horse, so he crashes to the ground, unable to rise.
scav
Don’t underestimate what one can do in armor. Get the well-fitted stuff so the bendy bits match and practice a while. This example has a lot in Old French (which is describing what they could do then) but otherwise gets to the point quickly.
SkyBluePink
Wow! What intricacy and beauty of design!
Thanks, Ema!
George Kennan Was Right
I’ve been there! It defies description – you have to see it to feel the sense of, holy crap, we used to do this? Steel plate on us, and the horse, too? (Until Agincourt, anyway.) All that money during the Middle Ages, held entirely by rich landowners and nobility, going to state-of-the-art weapons and armor. Hmm. Well, we’ve come a long way. Wait.