Book Reviews

King Erik’s Armour,
by Lena Rangström. Livrustkammaren, Stockholm, 2004. ISBN 91 81594 196. 56 pp.; 5 3/4” x 7 1/4”; color and b&w photographs throughout; paperbound. Price not known.

This is a fine monographic study of one of the treasures of the Swedish Royal Armory’s collections, the ceremonial armor of King Erik XIV. Ms. Rangström’s qualifications and experience with arms and armor and historical costume are well-known, and her study of this armor is thorough, informative and entertaining. This slim, small booklet is packed with historical information on the context of ceremonial armor in Northern Europe during the mid-16th century, and the history and research of the suit itself.

Those interested in art aspects will enjoy the sections discussing and identifying the iconography found on the set, and the scholar of arms will appreciate the discussion of its manufacture and history, and all readers will appreciate the numerous, high-quality detail photos that fill the work. The illustrations would have benefited greatly were the work to have been published in a larger format. This minor criticism aside, King Erik’s Armour is a welcome addition to the long line of excellent studies published by one of the finer, yet less-known, international arms and armor museums.