Following on the heels of the Royal Tastes exhibit and entering the new year with continued dedication to the exhibition of art from the Asian continent, The Ringling Museum this Friday unveils Samurai: The Way of the Warrior. Featuring more than 80 historical artifacts from the Museo Stibbert in Florence, Italy and presented in collaboration with Museo Stibbert curator Francesco Civita, Samurai affords visitors an up-close look at a multitude of arms and armor that came to define this warrior class, as well as a glimpse into the lavish domestic life of the wealthy, all the while presenting perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing crash-course in samurai history during a martial and political dominance lasting from 1185 to 1868.

Everything works in tandem, and upon entering the exhibit, a brief history and a timeline at the front provide immediate written context, while a 17th century triptych screen of gold and silk offers to the careful eye a preview of all to come, with samurai at battle on earth and at sea, fully-armored and wielding weapons of war. This is the rise of the samurai.

Ample room is supplied to the showcasing of the famous katana, a sword legendary in its own time and now enshrined in popular culture, as much a work of art as a martial tool. Presented whole and deconstructed, each part of the sword is on display, emphasizing the craftsmanship required for every piece, from the all-important blade to the scabbard, the hilt and even the tsuba, which protected the gripping hand.

Through it all, the fusion of function and beauty looms large. “Most of these instruments were designed for killing, for warfare,” said Ringling curator Christopher Jones, “but also designed to reflect status, culture and refinement.” And nowhere is that clearer than in the full suits of armor on display in the Searing Wing.

Ornate, built from an intricate intersection of steel, silk, bone, leather and wood, the exhibit features nine complete suits, ultimately works of art in themselves, ranging from different time periods and styles, with a noticeable shift upon the arrival of the relative peace of the Tokugawa Shogunate, when the samurai as warrior became less elevant. “That suit of grey metal head-to-toe doesn’t do anything for me,” said Ringling Asian art curator Benita Stambler, comparing the collection to medieval European plate mail. “But this is beautiful.” Four stand as menacing mannequins, helms resting on the same sculpted heads commissioned by the collector Frederick Stibbert more than 100 years ago.

The exhibition continues on to showcase the kawari kabuto, or “spectacular helmet,” with 12 on display, ranging from fearsome demonic displays to the more whimsical rabbit and turnip battle-wear, culminating in a brief peek into more domestic artifacts such as saddles, lacquered boxes and ornamented furniture.

Samurai: The Way of the Warrior opens Friday and will be on display at The Ringling Museum until April 17. Free docent-led tours are available twice a day, Tuesday through Sunday, beginning at 1pm and 2pm.