The Detroit Institute of Arts is presenting a special exhibition that reunites, for the first time in more than two centuries, a portrait with the elaborate armor depicted within it.
The exhibit, Armor as Fashion: Guests of Honor, will offer the first-ever opportunity for North American museumgoers to see the representations of Baroque art and identity together.
On view at the DIA from April 25 through April 26, 2026, the Guests of Honor exhibition features the full-length portrait of Jean de Croÿ, 2nd Count of Solre (1626) by Spanish painter Juan van der Hamen y Léon (1596-1631), on loan from a private collection in Spain, and elements of the gilt parade armor worn by the count in the painting, on loan from the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes in France.
The armor, crafted in Brussels around 1624 by an armorer in the circle of a master known only by the monogram MP, has resided in the Musée des Beaux-Arts since 1827.
“This exhibition offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore the intersection of portraiture and armor as complementary expressions of noble identity in early 17th century Europe,” says Salvador Salort-Pons, director of the DIA. “We invite visitors to experience Baroque artistry up close through this unique presentation of these two extraordinary works.”
From the late 14th until the early 17th centuries — considered the golden age of European plate armor — finely crafted steel defenses became powerful status symbols. Beyond its associations with knightly honor and courage, luxury armor signified both wealth and taste.
Similar to today’s fashion, armor could express the personality or background of its owner. Like portraits, armors were objects of display as well as treasured heirlooms, preserved in the collections of their owners’ families.
The portrait and armor were essential to the self-presentation of Jean II de Croÿ (1588-1638), a member of the storied knightly Order of the Golden Fleece, and later a captain of the Guardia de los Archeros, an elite group of nobles with Flemish origins who served as bodyguards to the King of Spain.
The armor on display is particularly significant for its surface decoration, featuring gold leaf applied in an unusual technique that imparts a distinctive painterly quality to the intricate vine patterns covering the robust steel.
The armor and matching shaffron (horse’s head defense) are forged into various forms and feature distinctive star-shaped appliqués. The armor’s gold leaf surface may have been too delicate for combat usage, but made a clear statement of Jean de Croÿ’s status.
In his portrait, Van der Hamen meticulously captures both the count’s commanding presence and the sumptuous details of his gleaming armor.
“We are delighted to reunite these companion works after many years,” says Chassica Kirchhoff, assistant curator of European sculpture and decorative arts at the DIA. “The dialogue between Jean de Croÿ’s extraordinary armor and its depiction in his portrait showcases armor’s role as a meaningful and sophisticated art form that could, and still can, captivate viewers and inspire artists working in other media.”
Armor as Fashion will be presented prominently within the DIA’s Cracchiolo Gallery of Baroque Art, alongside 17th-century treasures from its permanent collection, including works by Gianlorenzo Bernini, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Francisco de Zurbarán.
Armor as Fashion: Guests of Honor is free with museum admission, which is always free for residents of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties.
Museum Hours and Admission
- Tuesday-Thursday – 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Friday – 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Saturday-Sunday – 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
For more information, visit dia.org/.
