Saturday, February 22, 2025

The Last Samurai

The Spokane Museum of Art and Culture opened an exhibit on 01 FEB displaying an assortment of arms and armor from the Museo Stibbert in Florence, Italy.  The exhibition features about 100 pieces created between the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600) and the Meiji period (1868-1912).

Studying the artifacts up close offered a chance to see how these suits of armor were made and used.  Following is a pictorial of the armor on display and the artifacts that caught my eye.  When I visited Florence, this museum was on my list of places to visit.  Unfortunately, it was bit out of the city and the entrance fee was about 150 Euro.  Next time, The Stibbert is definitely on my list.






















16 comments:

  1. Some excellent pictures Jon and fascinating look at some of the Samurai artifacts...I am particularly impressed by the horses head armour, although I doubt the horses would share my enthusiasm!
    150 euros entrance fee...wow, I don't think I would ever consider paying anything like that for any museum!

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    1. Wouldn't it be fun seeing a horse wearing that armor?
      To be fair on pricing, I think the 150 Euro was for a guided tour. When we were in Florence, only a guided tour was on offer.

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  2. Those artifacts are fantastic, though a price of 150 Euros for a visit is rather steep

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    1. The armor is fantastic, indeed! The price of admission is steep but it is a private collection.

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  3. I too was surprised at the price of 150 Euros, even for a guided tour. I'd expect lunch included for that. A lovely exhibit with some interesting pieces.

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  4. Awesome looking artefacts, though I did think the horse head stuff looked a bit cartoonish tbh. 150 euros…mmm…that might be the (special) price for wealthy Americans I reckon.

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    1. I agree re the horse armour...it's almost like a Fantasy miniature horse a la Warhammer etc...maybe it is supposed to make the horse look like a dragon?!

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    2. The horse head armor does look cartoonish. The helmet in one of the other photos looks cartoonish as well. Special price for Americans who are not fluent in Italian perhaps!

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  5. Great that you got to see this stuff close up. I’d expect a taxi ride there and back, as well as the tour, for €150!
    Chris

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    1. Always good to see the items up close for study. You can really see how the parts are pieced together.

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  6. A wonderful collection of armour Jon and nice they are touring it around 👍

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    1. Seeing even a portion of the collection is a treat. Very good that it is on tour.

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  7. Brilliant images - very lucky to have this tour near you. I do want to go to the Stibbert - although I had seen it is reference to Italian Wars / Renaissance displays and wasn't aware it went wider.

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    1. Oh, I would be very interested in seeing Italian Wars artifacts if those are included at the Stibbert.

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  8. Great that you got to see a part of the collection Jonathan. I really like it that museums send their collections around the world, giving all of us a chance to see them.
    I was intrigued by the cost so checked the museum website and the 150 euros is for the guided tour and is the total for the entire party, not for each individual. So not so bad. 😂

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