The period of time covered by the exhibition marks the waning of the Middle Ages and the dawn of the modem era, when new tactics and improved weaponry revolutionized warfare and changed dramatically the look of helmets and body armor. The armorer was continually challenged to devise new defenses to compensate for the increasing use and accuracy of firearms, which became commonplace on the battlefield by the early 16th century. The armorerīs expertise was equally in demand in times of peace, when martial sports tournaments - required specialized helmets to ensure the participants' safety. At the same time national and regional styles were becoming more clearly discernible, and Turkish influences in Eastern Europe inspired the adoption of oriental features. Armor decoration also changed dramatically from the late medieval practice of covering plates with textile and metal appliqu6s to the creation of integral decoration, worked directly into the steel surfaces, in the form of etching, embossing, and damascening.