Arms and Armour at Glasgow Museums

The collection of arms and armour in the care of Glasgow Museums is one of the top three such collections in the country. It is also one of the most significant in the world.

It contains many rare or unique pieces, which range in date from the ancient world to the present day. Now you can see some of the collection online.

The most significant pieces date from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. The most important pieces include:

• the world-famous 'Avant' armour, made in Milan, circa 1440
• the gilded armour of William Herbert, first Earl of Pembroke, circa 1550-57, and
• the etched armour of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, circa 1535-50.

Other key strengths of the collection include:

• medieval and Renaissance swords
• early European firearms, and
• seventeenth- and eighteenth- century Scottish weapons.

Glasgow Museums' arms and armour can be seen at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and at the Burrell Collection. Some items are held in store at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.

View images
Follow the slideshow link on the right hand side of this page to see a selection of the items in our collection. Images are approximately 20kb to 65kb in size. Images are best viewed at a screen resolution of 1024 by 786 pixels. You can find out how to change your screen resolution by following visiting our Accessibility page.

If you would like to enquire about buying copies of the images, please contact our Photo Library by following the email link on the right hand side of the page, by phoning 0141 287 2595, or visit the website.