a quick post about one of the most beautiful armours ever made during the XVI century - the suit of armor for the rider and horse created for the mad king of Sweden Erik XIV ( held presently at the Dresden Rustkammer, Saxony - Germany; nota bene I visited it first time when a kid).
This Labors of Heracles-themed suit of armor was made by armorer and goldsmith from Antwerp Eliseus Libaerts (fantastic shield attributed to this master craftsman, also a book in German - I have not seen it yet ) for the king between 1560-65, and he also made this suit of armor kept in Sweden. I have this book Arms and armor annual, which is a collection of articles written by researchers in history of arms and armor, and on page 104-113, French Royal Armour as Reflected in the Designs of Etienne Delaune, author Bruno Thomas wrote about French artist Etienne Delaune, whose designs our master Eliseus copied and/or used extensively to create his Heracles-themed suits.
more fine images on this Wiki Commons page
enjoy
