Image: Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is presenting ‘Guests of Honor: Armor as Fashion,’ a focused installation that reunites a 17th-century portrait with three pieces of the gilded armor depicted in it. The presentation is on view at the Detroit museum through April 25, 2027.
At the center is ‘Portrait of Jean de Croÿ, 2nd Count of Solre,’ by Juan van der Hamen y León (1596–1631). The DIA’s announcement describes the work as “spectacular” and identifies Croÿ as the sitter. Displayed alongside the painting are three pieces of the gilded armor worn by Croÿ in the portrait.
The pairing brings together painted representation and surviving material objects within the museum’s collection presentation. Rather than showing the armor only as historical or decorative material, the installation places it directly in relation to the image in which it appears. The supplied announcement does not provide further details about the individual armor pieces, their dates, makers, materials or provenance.
Juan van der Hamen y León is identified by the museum as the portrait’s artist and is dated 1596–1631. The available information does not specify the date of the painting, the circumstances of its commission, or the history of Jean de Croÿ beyond his identification as the second Count of Solre. It also does not state whether the portrait and armor are part of the DIA’s permanent collection or have been borrowed for the presentation.
‘Guests of Honor: Armor as Fashion’ is one of several displays listed by the Detroit Institute of Arts in its current exhibition information. The museum also identifies an ongoing American folk-art gallery and ‘Reimagine African American Art,’ as well as other ‘Guests of Honor’ presentations devoted to Frederic Church’s ‘Cotopaxi’ and Jewish ceremonial objects from the Jewish Museum in New York. Those listings are separate from the armor presentation.
The DIA is located at 5200 Woodward Avenue in Detroit. General admission is free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, while the museum lists admission at $20 for adults, $10 for seniors or college students, and $8 for visitors ages 6–17; children five and under are admitted free. The museum’s posted hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ‘Guests of Honor: Armor as Fashion’ remains on view through April 25, 2027.
