The King, His Armor, and His Armorer—Conserving Britain’s Royal Collection
@ Art Institute of Chicago
111 S Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60603
Opening Saturday, September 26th, from 2PM - 3PM
Lecture: The King, His Armor, and His Armorer—Conserving Britain’s Royal Collection
Sat, Sep 26 | 2:00–3:00
For centuries of British royals, armor embodied cutting-edge science, art, fashion, diplomacy, and danger, sometimes all at once. Royal arms and armor not only reflect the technology of protection but also reveal the visual iconography of complex personal and political relationships.
Join Simon Metcalf, formerly the King’s Armourer at the Royal Collection in Britain, to learn about the craft and conservation of centuries-old arms and armor and discover how a few rare pieces made their way into the Art Institute’s collection.
Support for this program is made possible by the Mickie Silverstein Endowed Fund.
Simon Metcalf is an armorer, conservator, and historian with over 35 years of national museum experience working with historic arms and armor and associated media.
He has previously worked in the Conservation departments of the Wallace Collection, the Royal Armouries, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
For the past 22 years he was the Queen’s and then the King’s Armourer, responsible for the Royal Collection of Arms & Armour.
A specialist in arms and armor, historical metalworking techniques, and heritage crafts, he runs his own practice providing research, conservation, and display services for historic arms and armor.
If you have any questions about programming, please reach out to museum-programs@artic.edu.
Closed captioning will be available for this program. For questions related to accessibility accommodations, please email access@artic.edu.
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https://sales.artic.edu/Events/Event/32817?date=9/26/2026
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Tags: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Simon Metcalf, The King His Armor and His Armorer—Conserving Britain’s Royal Collection
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