Sunday, Jul. 12, 2015

02:00 PM – 04:00 PM
US/Central

Presented by armorer Dez Armstrong, and two fencers and a fencing coach from Salle Mauro Fencing Academy, Houston, in conjunction with the exhibition "Habsburg Splendor: Masterpieces from Vienna's Imperial Collections"

Habsburg Splendor: Masterpieces from Vienna’s Imperial Collections showcases several notable examples of armor and weaponry. Guests can learn to tell a visor from an armet, a gauntlet from a brigandine, and a spaulder from a pauldron by handling some of the dozens of pieces that make up a suit of armor. Visitors can watch as two fencers demonstrate the sport and art of this aristocratic skill, prized by emperors like Maximilian I of Austria, a founder of the Habsburg Dynasty.

• Armor Display
See, touch, and ask about real armor and some of the tools used in the forming process.
• Fencing Demonstrations
10-minute demonstrations, with commentary: 2:20 pm | 3 pm | 3:40 pm

Image: Armor for Emperor Charles V, made by Desiderius Helmschmid, 1543, iron, brass, leather, and gold, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.