Abraham de Bruyn: German horseman in black armour (1577)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

An engraving by the Flemish artist Abraham de Bruyn (1538-1587). This piece comes from a set called "Equitum descripcio, quomodo equestres copie, nostra hac aetate, in sua armatura, per cunttas, videlicet Europae, Asiae et Affrice, nationes in re militare sese habent nunc primum", which shows various horsemen from Europe, Asia and Africa. This one shows a armoured mounted horseman from Germany, better known as a cuirassier. The term 'black armour' refers to the black paint on the plate armour which was done for protection against rust. Engraving from 1577.