[1][4] On the backplate, a fire-steel (radiating sparks), a Burgundian emblem originated by Philip the Good, sits at a saltire of crossed branches under Saints Peter and Paul in architectural settings.

[5] The armor is clearly stamped with the "N" mark for Nuremberg and the city's half-eagle coat of arms, and also has the date "1549" included three times in the etched decoration.

These and the fantastical figures, arranged in triple bands imitative of a Spanish doublet,[4] the scrollwork filled with tritons and other creatures, suggest Lochner as the armorer.

[2] The identification with Ferdinand I was first made by the director of the armory at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, on the basis of the wearer's slight build and relatively short height (no more than 5'7" or 170 cm),[7] straight back, slim waist[2] and long arms, the similarity to his other documented armors, and importantly the Reichsadler eagle on the sabatons.

Albert was also a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and the imperial insignia could be seen as representing his marriage to Ferdinand's daughter.