Quick Facts
Biography
Kunz (Konrad) Lochner (1510–1567) was a master armourer from Nuremberg, Germany. He was the son of an armourer with the same name, and his two brothers Heinrich and Hans were also blacksmiths. In 1543 he started working for the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, and the following year he began his service at the future Maximilian II's court. Master Kunz Lochner and his shop have produced some of the most magnificent parade armours that were made during the renaissance. Lochner's shop produced armours for many royal families from all of Europe. Today you can find them in both USA and Europe, at museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Livrustkammaren.
Known works
Parade Armour for man and horse
The armour is made in 1550 for Sigismund II Augustus of Poland. He was the last king of the old Jagiellonian dynasty. In his wills he divided his legacy between his sisters. One of them was Catherine Jagiellon, queen of Sweden, married to John III of Sweden. Since Poland didn't have a given heir to the throne, John III wanted his son Sigismund to be the next successor. In the complicated process of choosing a new king, Catherine's sister Anna sent this armour to calm John III concerning the heritage and to ensure herself of support from Sweden. The armour remains of a full plate armour and a horse armour.