The collection of arms and armour at the Wallace Collection is widely recognised as being one of the largest and most important in the UK, representing both European and Oriental arms and armour. The European part of the collection was acquired primarily by Sir Richard Wallace, mainly in 1871, from the collections of Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick, founding father of the serious study of arms and armour in Britain, and that of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke, Director of the Louvre under the Emperor Napoleon III.

It is thereby an important surviving example of the 19th century passion for collecting arms and armour, with the earliest pieces of armour dating from the 14th century, the earliest sword from the 10th century, while the very fine historic firearms collection spans the 16h to the 19th centuries.

In Masterpieces of European Arms and Armour in the Wallace Collection, curator Tobias Capwell along with David Edge, Head of Conservation, introduce this significant collection in an historical context, highlighting 70 of the collection's most interesting objects, spanning from before 1400 to after 1800.

Additionally, the Complete Digital Catalogue presents some 7000 new photographs of the collection on a USB drive. The text is based on Sir James Mann's 1962 catalogue of the European arms and armour studies in general, as well as A.V.B. Norman's 1986 Supplement and other key catalogues.