The Detroit Institute of Arts presents a special exhibition that reunites, for the first time in over two centuries, a spectacular portrait with the sumptuous armor depicted within it. Armor as Fashion: Guests of Honor features the full-length Portrait of Jean de Croÿ, 2nd Count of Solre (1626) by Spanish painter Juan van der Hamen y Léon (1596-1631), on loan from a distinguished private collection in Spain, and elements of the exquisite gilt parade armor worn by the count in the painting, on loan from the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes in France. The armor, crafted in Brussels around 1624 by an armorer in the circle of a master known only by the monogram MP, has resided in the Musée des Beaux-Arts since 1827.

From the late fourteenth until the early seventeenth centuries – considered the golden age of European plate armor – finely crafted steel defenses became powerful status symbols. Beyond its associations with knightly honor and courage, luxury armor signified both wealth and taste. Similar to today’s fashion, armor could express the personality or background of its owner. Like portraits, armors were objects of display as well as treasured heirlooms, preserved in the collections of their owners’ families for years to come.

The portrait and armor were essential to the self-presentation of Jean II de Croÿ (1588-1638), a member of the storied knightly Order of the Golden Fleece, and later a captain of the Guardia de los Archeros, an elite group of nobles with Flemish origins who served as bodyguards to the King of Spain. The portrait is celebrated for its clear evocation of his commanding presence.

The armor on display is particularly significant for its surface decoration, featuring gold leaf applied in an unusual technique that imparts a distinctive painterly quality to the intricate vine patterns covering the robust steel. The armor and matching shaffron (horse’s head defense) are forged into flamboyant forms and feature distinctive star-shaped appliqués. The armor’s gold leaf surface may have been too delicate for combat usage but made a clear statement of Jean de Croÿ’s status. In his portrait, Van der Hamen meticulously captures both the count’s commanding presence and the sumptuous details of his gleaming armor.

Armor as Fashion will be presented prominently within the DIA’s Cracchiolo Gallery of Baroque Art, alongside seventeenth-century treasures from its permanent collection.