Description

Hammond Museum will present an interactive demonstration on the history
of Medieval Arms and Armor on Wednesday, July 17 from 10 to 11:30 am.
with John Pettibone, former Curator and  Executive Director of Hammond
Museum. 

John Pettibone has spent many years studying the ancient arts of medieval combat and warfare and examples of armor will be shown that morning with guests having the opportunity to try on various pieces of the armor    Mr. Pettibone will show a Norman helmet, a tournament helmet used in sports, a helmet from the era of Joan of Arc as well as examples worn by the Samurai  in Japan.

Other pieces of armor to be presented and discussed include a quilted arming cap, war hammer, mail and plate gauntlets, Maile coif, arm defense, breastplate, heraldic shield, face mask (mempo) from Japan, pole arms, horse armor, and swords including European and Japanese.  He will answer questions about the weight of armor, its durability, and why medieval knights had at least three different types of armor.  Re: for battle, for the tournament and for festivals and parades. There will also be a discussion covering over ten pieces of weaponry, and guests will have the opportunity to try on or touch replicas of medieval armor from Europe and Asia.

Mr. Pettibone will also discuss how once you are suited up in an armor suit how you know your friend from your foe just by what a knight or samurai is wearing, and how your family history determined what you did in fact arm yourself with.
At the conclusion of the program there will be a question and answer session, a try on armor opportunity and a guided tour of the medieval aspects of Hammond Museum.

John Pettibone was the founder of The Arms and Armor outreach program
while on staff at the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, MA  and has
performed for thousands of people at the San Antonio Museum of Art in
Texas, at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and at the Hammond Museum, during his thirty five years curating there.