Cesa, Pompeo della

One of the most skilled armourers of Milan in the second half of the 16th century, he created numerous armours and "fornitures", i.e. a homogeneous set of interchangeable parts which could, by replacing or adding supplementary parts, become a "standing", "mounted" or "jousting armour".

He ran a profitable business, creating veritable masterpieces of armour for the numerous Italian and European courts of the time, including the House of Farnese of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza and Savoy, thereby achieving considerable fame and fortune.

His decorative style is divided into two stages: the first is characterised by engraved bands, generally burnished and gilded, and fully decorated with floral or grotesque elements and allegorical symbols; the second stage, which belongs to his later period (i.e. towards the end of the 16th century), is marked by the preponderance of decorative stitching, evoking the fabrics in vogue between the late 16th and early 17th century.

Numerous works by him remain, of which the most noteworthy is the rich collection of armour components and harness kept in the Royal Armoury in Turin, including a chest and parts of a harness that belonged to Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy. A helmet which belonged to the Duke Vincenzo I Gonzaga is on display in the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan.