Chris Dobson

Master Armourer

In 1985, Chris Dobson established a workshop to make and restore armour and edged weapons. Since then he has become one of the foremost craftsmen in his field. His clients include leading public and private collections worldwide. He has also worked on major projects in the world of film and stage, including Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (starring Mel Gibson) and the Royal National Theatre's production of King Lear (starring Sir Ian MacKellern).

However, his approach to his craft has always been an academic one, and in 1995 this was recognized by his appointment as Master Armourer to the Royal Armouries. As the first Master to be appointed since the 17th Century, he was presented to the Queen at the inauguration of his workshop in March 1996, at the new Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. He was commissioned to make copies of late-15th Century tournament armours to be used in the museum.

Left: Chris Dobson in his forge in 1994. Photo: Rod Ebden.

After his term in residence at Leeds, he decided to concentrate his research on the arms industry of the Italian Renaissance, studying the wealth of surviving evidence: not only the armours themselves, but also paintings, sculpture and documentary sources. In 1997, following enquiries from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he was able to successfully reproduce the embossing techniques used by the Negroli family to create their magnificent parade armours. He subsequently demonstrated these techniques live at the Wallace Collection,  where he has been a regular lecturer at arms and armour study days over the years.

Chris is unique in the field of arms and armour study: not only does he work in his role as a skilled artisan, but he also carries out academic and curatorial work for museums and private collections. His experience of Renaissance art and his book on the battle panels painted by Florentine artist Paolo Uccello also led to his appearing on BBC tv, when he acted as consultant on the series "The Secret Life of a Masterpiece: The Battle of San Romano".Chris Dobson is also Director of the International Arms and Armour Conferences.

Right: Chris Dobson examining a black and white armour by Michael Witz the Younger, at the Landeszeughaus in Graz, during the 2005 IAAConference.