Metropolitan Museum of Art: Weapons Collection

One of the largest art museums in the world is located in New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was established in April 1870 and is based on three private collections consisting of 174 works by European artists. Despite the gradual growth of the collection, the museum became widely known in the XX century. And although the institution is famous primarily for the picturesque masterpieces of the classics, the exhibition includes hundreds of other items.

In the halls of the museum you can see an impressive collection of weapons from different countries and eras. In total, there are 14 thousand copies, and only a small part of them can be seen during a visit to the museum. 5 thousand items belong to European culture, 2 thousand were brought from the Middle East, another 4 thousand-from the Far East. There is also a collection of American weapons: Smith & Wesson, Colt revolvers, as well as decorative swords of the XVIII–XIX centuries. The specimens are richly decorated, covered with patterns by famous jewelers. The collection of Japanese swords and armor is recognized as one of the best and largest outside of Japan. The collection features one of the five earliest swords made in Japan, presented as a gift to the people of the United States by the Emperor of Japan. The collection of battle and ceremonial armor serves as a prototype for the costumes of most films about medieval Japan.