Print

Object Type
This is a type of print called a lithograph. The picture is made by printing from a flat surface (traditionally stone, now often a metal plate), on which the artist draws or paints the original design with a greasy substance. The surface is next prepared, moistened and inked; the greasy printing ink adheres to the design, which is then printed on to a sheet of paper. The suit of armour shown in the print was acquired after the suit was sold at the sale of the contents of Horace Walpole's house at Strawberry Hill. The dealer may have had this print made as a way of advertising that he now had the armour for sale.

Place
Horace Walpole bought the suit of armour shown in this print in 1772. He placed it in a niche on the stairs at his house at Strawberry Hill. From 1753 onwards, Walpole had set about creating what he called his Armoury, a display of his collection of arms and armour on the half-landing on the stairs. This Armoury helped him create the ambience he desired. Since noble families with collections going back over centuries often displayed arms and armour in the great halls of their houses, Walpole's arrangement added an air of ancient ancestral tradition to his newly decorated home.

People
Walpole like other collectors of this period was especially interested in objects associated with famous historical figures. He bought this suit of armour believing it to have been made for King Francis I of France by the famous Italian Renaissance goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini.