f^^ ^^^
0^)
A RECORD OF
EUROPEAN ARMOUR
AND ARMS
VOL. II
. in ikr rtJLtUon «jtkt .AtUiun-
A RECORD OF
EUROPEAN ARMOUR
AND ARMS
THROUGH SEVEN CENTURIES
BY
SIR GUY FRANCIS LAKING, BART.
C.B., M.V.O., F.S.A.
LATE KEEPER OF THE KING'S ARMOURY
VOL. 11
LONDON
G. BELL AND SONS, LTD.
MCMXX
r Sf =N 3Y
SERVICES
AUG 2 3 1991
DATE.
u
V. '^
LOKDON: PRINTED AT THK CMISWICK PRESS
TCKJKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE
PREFACE
SIR GUY LAKING died on the 22nd of November 1919, a few
days after his publishers had been able to send him the first
volume of his European Armour and Arms. The other four
volumes were in type.
Not long before he died he expressed a wish that I should do what
was necessary to complete the publication of his book. He left a consider-
able number of notes and illustrations which he had intended to introduce
into his text. I have endeavoured to carry out those intentions.
Like Sir Guy I have, when in difficulty, turned to Mr. S. J. Whawell,
who has generously given me the benefit of his great knowledge.
The Baron de Cosson has spared himself neither time nor trouble in
courteously replying to the many inquiries that I have addressed him.
In writing his book Sir Guy Laking did not think it necessary to give
precise references to the authorities from which he quoted; moreover, his
authorities were often opinions of experts expressed to him viva voce. If I
have succeeded in verifying most of the references to books, it has been
mainly due to the help of Mr. Charles Beard, who possesses a wide and
accurate acquaintance with the literature of Arms and Armour.
The author's old friends, Sir Edward Barry, Bart., Sir Henry Farnham
Burke, K.C.V.O., Garter King of Arms, Mr. W. H. Fenton, J. P.,
Mr. J. Seymour Lucas, R.A., Mr. F. A. Harman Gates, F.S.A., and
Mr. H. Plowman, F.S.A. have all helped me, and I thank them most
sincerely.
FRANCIS HENRY CRIPPS-DAY.
38 York Terrace, N.W.i
June 1920.
V
CONTENTS OF VOLUME II
CHAPTER X
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
PACK
The salade, a very marked family of head-pieces — Probably used as a form of helmet late
iti the XlVth century, but most representations of it and extant examples belong to
the XVth — The derivation of the name — The rarity of the true German Schallern —
The Italian Celata — Some famous examples extant, the work of noted armourers —
The continuance in use of the Venetian Celata for purposes of pageantry down to the
early years of the XVI Ith century — The Hispano-Mauresque influence occasionally
noticeable in their decoration — The salade of the French type ; some extant examples
of the first half of the XVth century — Allusion to Joan of Arc— The appearance of the
salade in England — Extant examples to be found in England— The tailed salade —
The German use of the same head-piece in its lighter form — The English made salade —
The Italian salade in the latter years of the XVth century, very closely associated
with those of the German Maximilian order of the same epoch — The German and Italian
salade when under the influence of great armourers — Their appearance in contemporary
painting — The English fighting salade of the time of the Wars of the Roses; examples
in English churches — The enrichment of the salade head-piece— Was the crest ever
worn upon a salade in actual warfare? — The bevor, bavier or baviere, and suggestion as
to the derivation of its name — Pictured as used with the " tailed " salade — The salade
as a tournament helmet — Burgkmaier's many representations of them — Some existing
examples and other contemporary pictorial representations— The latest salade used,
known as " The Saxon jousting helm " — Its affinity with the ordinary close helmet of
the middle of the XVIth century — Extant examples i
CHAPTER XI .
THE HEAD-PIECE CALLED THE CHAPEL-DEFER OR CHAPAWE
The " chapawe " or war hat of the XVth century — Mentioned in documents of the
Xllth century as a head-piece; the close connection it bears to other early head-pieces;
its portrayal in the early years of the XII Ith century — M. Viollet-le-Duc's many recon-
structions of such a head-piece — Extant examples of the XVth century — Some compara-
tively late Spanish types — Certain German war hats — The chapel-de-fer as figuring in
the Pageant of William Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick — The barbate as a recorded
form of helmet from the middle of the XlVth century until a century later— The
uncertainty as to what it was; M. Viollet-le-Duc's explanation — Description of it by
Olivier de la Marche — An extant helmet, that might be a barbate — Allusion to a
barbate as a company of men . . 57
vii
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
CHAPTER XII
THE ARMET HEAD-IMP.CB FROM THE EARI.Y YEARS OF THE XVTH CENTURY
TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE NEXT CENTURY
PAOI
The armet — The first close helmet which was modelled to the outline of the head, and actually
endoacd it— Armour collector! used not to group the annet as a scjwrate family of
XVth centur)> head defences —What may have been the origin of its name— The
armet's CArliest portrayal in contemporary sculpture and the mention of it by XVth
ccntur)' writers — The advantages of such a head-piece — The armct as we describe it to-day,
divided into three distinct classes, tlic Italian, KnglLsh- rcutunic, and the Spanish — The
acccMories of the armet; the bufTe or grandt bavitrt — The armct head-piece possibly in
OK in Italy as early as a.h. 1400— Extant examples of a very little later date — The
oldest complete example known to the present writer — Others of the same type but
less complete — Vcr>' early examples that have an English provenance — Their association
with the war gear of England — Examples of the armct head-piece in use in various
countries to be seen in national and private collections in this country — Armcts in
Ei^lish churches, various tyiics — Certain eccentricities of German form, and head-pieces
made by great artist craftsmen of that country — The crest upon the armct, the strange
and unheraldic fashion of its portrayal in Italian XVth century pictorial and mcdaliic
art— The decadence of funeral cresting, especially in England, as met with upon
helmets of the armet type 71
CHAPTHK XIII
THE HELM OF THE XVTH CENTURY
The use of the helm as a head-piece at the commencement of the XVth century: its
almost complete disuse in the field — Some extant examples: That which might have
been worn by King Henry V: Those of Sir Nicholas Hawberk, who died in 1407, and
Sir Reginald Kraybruok, who died in 1405 — A speculation on others that may exist —
The use of the helm for tournament purposes solely: A connecting link— An English
aeries that belong to the third quarter of the XVth century: the helm of Sir John
Fqgge; the helm in the I'yx Chapel, Abbey Church of Westminster: the helm that is
aaaoctated with the name of King Henry VI, and a helm in the |>ossvssion of Captain
II. I.ind-tay — Germanic-English helms of a little later date: the Krocas helm: the
Me)-rick-Kessman helm— The purely German helm: the example in the Wallace Col-
lection, with its association on its accompanying tournament harness — Similar helms
in the National Germanic Museum of Nuremberg: in the Musee d'Artillcrie of I'aris,
and a splendid example in the collection of Frince Ernest of Windisch-Graetz:
examples in other national museums, to which we have not individually referred: some
helms of the same character in private collections — The reference to a family of
English made helms that belong to the opening years of the XVIth century: those
known to the present writer: the Wallace helm: the Haselcy helm: the Hargello
helm: and the helm In Sl George's Cha|)el, Windsor, associated with the name of
viii
CONTENTS OF VOLUME II
PACK
King Edward IV — A comparison in contour between the English and German made
helm head-piece of the same epoch — The ItaUan make and fashion of the tilting helm
of about this same period: an example: two famous Italian helms at Venice with
their accompanying harness: a somewhat similar example at Vienna — The Spanish
made helm also of about the same time: two examples in the Royal Armoury,
Madrid, one with its harness — The method of the attachment of the cylindrical tilting
helm — The helm as a head-guard for the fighter on foot — Some extant examples of such
defences — The appearance of such a helm at the beginning of the XVIth century:
some examples extant in England — The helm as used in the Chcvnp Clos — Its great
protectiveness — The author's difficulty in differentiating between the " great bascinet "
and the foot fighting helms — Extant helms or " great bascinets " of the early years of
the XVIth century — A particular group of purely tournament helms; some of leather —
The crest upon the helm at this period: original crests that exist 99
CHAPTER XIV
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
The mystery of the construction of chain mail defence in early mediaeval times: the
possibility of many examples existing, but the great difficulty experienced in assigning
a date — Certain chain mail shirts extant that have an established date — Some XlVth
century and later contemporary allusions to chain mail: its probable actual construction
—Certain existing fragments of chain mail referred to by Meyrick, Burges, and others:
other complete hauberks — The dubious authenticity of extant complete defences of
chain mail — Late XVth century chain mail, its many usages— The standard of chain
mail — ^The continued use of chain mail armour in semi-civilized countries until com-
paratively recent times— The use of chain mail in the XVIth century as a subsidiary
defence — The flexible defence other than the true shirt of linked mail — The jazarine:
the possible derivation of the name: a contemporary effigy so armoured — An existing
coat that may come within the category — The brigandine: some early references, extant
examples: recorded specimen in the Tower of London: some late XVIth century
types — The jack: a plebeian defence— A few XlVth and XVth century allusions to,
and illustrations of, it — Jacks of Jate date extant, their construction . . . .167
CHAPTER XV
THE GAUNTLET
The importance of hand protection recognized from the earliest times — The first mediaeval
attempts to effect this by the elongation of the hauberk sleeve: this fashion seen on the
brass of Sir Richard de Septvans,and on the effigy of William Longesp^e, Earl of Salisbury,
who died in 1266— The divisions for the fingers evolved — The first appearance of the
gauntlet, about A.D. 1300, as a separate armament — The rapid advance in the protective
construction of the gauntlet in the first half of the XlVth century— The general form
of the gauntlet of plate of this period: a typical example on the brass of Sir John de
II ix b
European armour and arms
PAl.K
Saint Qumim— The funcnir>' gauntlets of Kdwarcl. Prince of Wales — Two ext.int iron
gauntlets of mki-XIVth century date that show the rentains of an exterior textile
ooMftef — Some famous existing gauntlets of the latter part of the XlVth century: the
extreme rarity of extant examples— Another type of gauntlet evolved late in the
XlVth ccntur>— The forerunner of the true fingered gauntlet of the latter |>art of the
XV'th century— No existing specimen of the type known to the author— The mid-
XVth century gauntlet: those of the simple mitten order of Italian origin: the more
ornate fingered type of but little later date seen on suits of German fashion— A
splendid p«ir of gauntlets of this fashii>n probably the work of Mans Griinewult of
Nuicnberg, and once the property of Philip le I^u — Kxamples of the gauntlet of the
cloaiiig yean of the XVth century most generally met with; its evolution into those of
the Maximilian style— The final form of the gauntlet reached in the early years of
the XVIth cenlur>* from the point of view of a defence — Vagaries of form assumed by
gauntlets generally when made solely for use in the tilt yard; the gtuiHti lii fresa , 303
CHAPTER XVI
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVTII CENTURY
The rectangular shield of the latter part of the XlVth century: the so-called Edward III
shield in the Abbey Church of Westminster: a suggestion as to its actual age — A
comparison with extant shields of the same ty|)e — An evolution from the rectangular
shield, the ty|x which intrcxluces /a bouchf dt la lanct — The shield uf John of Gaunt,
fanaetKy in St Paul's Cathedral: certain extant shields that show the homhf de In lance
formation more or less developed: a fine late XVth century shield of the ty[x;, in the
British Museum— An historical shield of "heater" form, belonging to the first quarter
of the XVth century: the shield hanging above the tomb of King Henry V in the
Abbey Church of Westminster — The rectangular shield as it ap|x:ared in the second
half of the XVth century* — Some characteristic examples extant — The so-called
Hungarian shield — The character of the kite-shaped shield, as develo|K:d in the XVth
century— Its representation in all Renaissance ornamentation, its pojiular form, and
its almost uninterrupted use since the Xlth century — Some fine XVth century examples
existing, with certain variations of form — The rectangular pavis of the archer, its
ok: some notable specimens— The circular target or "bocc": its continuous use through
■11 ages — Its proportions at the end of the Xlllth century, according to the |>erished
ficsccies of the Painted Chamber, Westminster Palace: as it figures on cflligies— Some
extant examples of the XVth and XVIth centuries — A specimen of historical interest:
Hans Burgkmaicr's representation of the " boce" or target, in his famous "Triumph of
Maximilian "--The buckler of the XVIth century; the pistol bucklers in the Tower
Collection — Variously formed shields used solely in the tilt yard 223
CHAPTER XVII
THE SWORD OF THE XVTH CENTURY
The knight's s«rord in the early years of the XVth century, its scarcely perceptible altcrati<m
in construction from those of the second half of the preceding century— The bastard
•word: the single-handed sword: the now more advanced method of gripping it: an
X
CONTENTS OF VOLUME II
PAGE
allusion to the pictorial representation of the first counter guard to the hilt: early
evidence of this — Some extant examples of the early XVth century cruciform hilted
sword of English provenance — Continental specimens of the last seventy-five years of
the XVth century — The Estoc mentioned as early as A.D. 1268— Complete extant late
XVth century Estocs to be noted in foreign collections — Representative examples of
the more ordinary knight's sword of the XVth century — The sword of the XVth
century with curved blade: two notable specimens— The advent of the Renaissance,
first influencing the decoration but not the form of the hilt — Some famous examples
of hilts and blades so influenced — Certain curved swords, the hilts of which come within
the same category — The art of the near East affecting the decoration of the mid-
XVth century sword — A weapon which is perhaps the finest late XVth century sword
extant to be classed under this heading — Late XVth century swords of pure Hispano-
Moorish origin — The most famous existing specimens — The first counter guards found
on hilts — Curious contemporary forged inscriptions upon blades — Some examples —
Further developments of the counter guards — The introduction of the knuckle guard;
late XVth century swords under German influence — The Landsknecht type — A very
distinctive group, but of many nationalities — Some extant specimens — The insular type
of the sword known as the Scottish Claidhmliichean inhora — The false use of the word
" claymore " as applied to a basket-hiited weapon — Nearly all existing Claidheamh-
mor made in the early years of the XVIth century — Their primitive form — Some
famous examples: the parent forms of the Scottish Claidheamh-mor — The latest type
evolved from the same class of weapon — The four-quilloned Claidheamh-mor . . 251
CHAPTER XVIII
SWORDS OF CEREMONY IN ENGLAND
The present writer's obligation to the researches of Sir St. John Hope on Swords of
Ceremony in England — A brief chronological review of such swords of a date from the
end of the XlVth century to the middle of the XVIth century— The " Battle Abbey "
sword; the "Mourning," the "Pearl," and "Lent" swords of Bristol; the Coventry
swords; the Chester swords; the "Edward III" sword in Westminster — Some
foreign swords of ceremony known to the present writer: their sword-hilt decoration —
A few examples of historical importance . . . . . -311
XI
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
FIG.
PAGE
Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Collection: Author Fi-ontispiece
330. Effigy of the Neville family, Brancepeth Church, Durham . . 2
331. Salade of the German Schai.lern type, about 1440. Mus^e d'Artillerie,
Paris ............ 3
332. Painted Piciere, probably Burgundian. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . 3
333. German Schallern, about 1460. Arsenal of Furstenwalde on the Spree 4
334. Salade, North Italian, about 1450-70. Wallace Collection ... 5
335. Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Wallace Collection ... 5
336. Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Wallace Collection ... 5
337. Salade, probably worn by an archer, Italian, about 1470. Wallace
Collection ............ 6
338. Salade, North Italian, about 1470 {a) profile view; (<5) front view.
Collection: Baron de Cosson . . . . .• . . . 7
339. Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Collection: Author ... 8
340. Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Collection : Author ... 8
341. Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Collection: Author ... 8
342. Salade, North Italian, about 1470 {a) front view; {b) profile view.
Private Collection in Munich ........ 9
343. Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Tower of London ... 10
344. Salade, North Italian, about 1480. The Rotunda, Woolwich . . n
345. From the Triumphal Arch of Alphonso of Aragon, Castle Nuovo,
Naples, erected in 1470 12
346. From the Triumphal Arch of Alphonso of Aragon, Castle Nuovo,
Naples, erected in 1470 . . . 13
347. Portrait of a Venetian nobleman, attributed to Martino di Battista
da Udine, known as Pellegrino La San Daniele, painted about
1490. Imperial Picture Gallery, Vienna ...... 14
348. Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Collection: Mr. Godfrey Williams 15
349. Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Collection: Author . . .15
350. Salade, North Italian, about 1470. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell . 15
351. Salade, North Italian, about 1490, with enrichments added in the
XVIth century. Formerly in the Collection Gatterburg Morosini, Venice 16
xiii
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
ntv PAOB
35a. Salade. North Itauan. about 1490, with knriciimknts audkd in the
XVIth CKKTURY. Collection: Prince L. Odcsailchi, Rome . 17
353. Salade. Venetian, late XVtii century. Royal Armoury, Madrid 18
354. Three Salades. North Italian, about 1470 and 148a National
Germanic Museum. Nuremberg . 19
355. Salade. North Italian, aboit 1470, with i^ amng of copper gilt, reprk-
sENTtNG THE SCALP OF A LION. National Bavarian Museum, Munich . 20
356. Salade. probably Venetia.v. about 1480-90, enriched with cloisonne
ENAMEi.. Collection: Viscount Astor 21
357. The Jack o* SouTiiwoLD. Southwold Church, Essex .22
358. Stirrup, one or a pair, enriched with enamel, Venetian, about 1490.
Collection : Lady Ludlow 22
359. PtiRTIONS OK A BRIDLE, KNRICHED WITH ENAMEL, VENETIAN, ABOUT I480.
British Museum 23
360. Salade ok French Type, about 1440. Collection: Dr. Bashford Dean,
New York 24
361. Salade, French, about 1450. Collection: Sir Edward Barry, Bart. 24
362. Coloured stone head, believed to represent that ok Joan of Arc, from
THE MONUMENT AT ORLEANS, ERECTED IN THE XVtH CENTURY. Mus^e
Historique, Orleans 24
363. Brass of Sir Robert Staunton, about 1455. Castle Dennington Church,
Leicestershire -25
364. The battle ok Shrewsbury, 1403. From the Warwick Pageant MS. 25
365. Salade, of French fashion, but probably of English workmanship, about
1460-70 (a) profile view; (^) front VIEW. Sl Mary's Hall, Coventry . 36
366. Salade. French fashion, hut probably of German workmanship, about
1450-60. Wallace Collection 27
367. Salade, French fashion, but of German workmanship, about 1460-70.
Burges bequest, British Museum 27
368. Salade. French fashion, but of German workmanship, about 1470-80,
WITH North Italian bevor, about 1480. Collection: Baron de Cosson 27
369. Salade, about 1440. The Rotunda, Woolwich 28
37a Salade. about 1470-80, possibly Flemish. The Rotunda, Woolwich 28
371. Carved wood statuette, representing St. Michael, French, about 1460.
Collection: the late Baron F. Rothschild, British Museum ... 29
iyi. Salade. The Rotunda. Woolwich 29
373. Salade, French fashion, possibly North Italian, about 1480. Wallace
Collection 30
xiv
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
Hf" PAGE
374. Salade, French fashion, possibly of North Italian make, about 1480.
The Arsenal, Venice .......... 30
375. Salade, French type, German make, about 1470-80, possibly of a
MOUNTED archer. Wallace Collection . . . . . . ^i
376. Salade, French type, German make, about 1470-80. Museo Civico,
Venice ............ 31
;^y7. Archer's Salade, English make, about 1480. Collection: Mr." H. G.
Keasby ............ 32
378. Salade, Augsburg make, about 1490. Collection: Prince L. Odescalchi,
Rome ^^
379. Salade, German, about 1480. National Bavarian Museum, Munich . ^^
380. Salade, German, about 1480. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg 34
380A. Salade, with laminated tail-piece, about '1480. The Rotunda,
Woolwich ............ 34
381. Salade, with bellows visor, North Italian, about 1500. Collection:
Monsieur L. Carrand, Bargello Museum, Florence . ... -35
382. Salade, North Italian, about 1 500. Armoury of the Knights of St. John,
Malta 35
36
36
37
38
38
383. Salade, North Italian, about 1500. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris
384. Salade, North Italian, ABOUT 1500. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris
385. Salade, North Italian, about 1500. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris
386. Salade, North Italian, with bellows visor of Maximilian order
Wallace Collection .........
387. Salade, North Italian, about 1500. Wallace Collection
388. Salade, Milanese, second half of the XVth century, engraved with
THE arms of the Bentivoglio FAMILY. Tsarskoje Selo, Petrograd . 39
389. Salade, French type, the work of the Negroli family, about 1500.
Royal Armoury, Madrid ......... 40
390. Salade, North Italian type, but of German make, about 1500. Wallace
Collection . . . . ........ 41
391. Salade, of which the skull-piece is probably English, about 1460-70.
Harefield Church, Middlesex ........ 42
392. Salade, of which the skull-piece is probably English, about 1480.
East Shefford Church, Lambourne, Berks . . .... 43
393. Salade, probably English, though of Italian form, late XVth century.
Hexham Abbey ........... 43
394. The obverse of Pisano's medal of Lodovico di Gonzaga, showing a
crested salade . . . \ 44
XV
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
395. From a drawing »v Pis.\no Pisanellu kor thk medal or Alphonso V
or Aracon. The Louvre. Paris 45
396. DraWIMC or A SALADC WITH THE CREST OF LUDWIG OF BaVAKIA ... 45
397. Portrait or Alberto Aringiueri. FROM A FRESCO OF ABOUT 1470. Duomo
of Siena 46
398. Short BCVOR. German. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell .... 47
398A. Tall bevor. German. Riggs Collection. Metropolitan .Museum of New
York 47
399. "The cot'RSK of the ingenious breast-plate," from Hans Bukgkmaier's
woooctrr in the Tkivufm of M aximilias 48
40a Jousting SALAUE. German, 1500-10. Tower of London .... 49
401. Reproduction of a German jousting saladk, of the style of 1500.
Windsor Castle 50
402. Jousting salade, probably German, about 1470-80, from a drawing by
THE author. Sir Ro^fl Paton Collection, Royal Scottish Museum,
Edinburgh 51
403. Jousting salade, German, about 1470-90. Wallace Collection 52
404. From a drawing by Viollet-le-Duc, .showing a reconstruction of thk
jousting salade with long wooden bkvor 5.^
405. Jousting KALADE, German, about 1505-15, of thk Maximilian sqi;ark-
TAiLED ORDER. Mus^e d'Artillerie 54
406. Jousting salade, German, about 15 10-15, representing a slashed and'
cinr cloth cap drawn over a coif of mail. Mus^e d'Artillerie 54
407. Salade known as a "Saxon jousting helm," German, about 1580.
Wallace Collection -55
408. Jousting salade, with screw for holding the large MENTONNi'kKH in
position, about 1 580. Mus^ d'Artillerie 55
408A. Five visors of XVth century .salades. (a) (b) (c) Italian of about 1470;
(d) German of about 1470-80, and (e) German of about 1460-70.
The Rotunda, Woolwich 56
409. From the Painted Chamber, the old Palace of Westminster, showing
a knight wearing the chapel-dk-fek 57
410. Illumination from a MS. of the Prntateuchus. British Museum 58
411. From a stone statuette in the Chapel of St. Maurice, Cathedral of
Constance. From Hefner-AIteneck's Waffen 58
41a. From an equestrian figure on the tomb of Aymer de Valence, about
1330. In the Abbey Church of Westminster -59
413. BftAM or Almeric, Lord St. Amand. HIsing Church, Norfolk 59
xvi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
Fir.. PAGE
414. From the MS. of the address from the town of Prato, Tuscany, to
Robert OF Anjou, ABOUT 1 335-40; British Museum .... 60
415. Chapel-de-fer, probably Swiss, about 1440-90. Collection: Viscount
Astor 61
416. Chapel-de-fer, probably Swiss, about 1450-90. Metropolitan Museum
of New York 61
41 6a. Chapel-de-fer, probably Burgundian, about 1460. Riggs Collection,
Metropolitan Museum of New York . . . . . . .61
417. Chapel-de-fer, probably Burgundian, about 1450-60. Metropolitan
Museum of New York .......... 62
418. Chapel-de-fer, Spanish type, about 1460-90. Collection: Sir Edward
Barry, Bart. ............ 62
4 1 8a. Chapel-de-fer, about 1460-90. The Rotunda, Woolwich ... 62
419. Chapel-de-fer, belonging to the suit made probably by H. Grunewalt
FOR Sigismund the Wealthy, Archduke of the Tyrol. Imperial
Armoury, Vienna . ... ....... 63
420. Chapel-de-fer, Bavarian, about 1495. Collection: Mr. H. G. Keasby . 63
421. From the MS. of the pageant of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of War-
wick, showing knights wearing the chapel-de-fer .... 64
422. From a wing of a^ triptych of the Netherlands School, in the Brussels
Gallery, showing the portrait of Philip the Fair .... 65
423. Bascinet of the form described sometimes as the " barbute," Italian,
ABOUT 1 390- 1 400. Wallace Collection . . . . . . .68
424. Reconstruction OF the " barbute" AND CAMAIL BY VioLLET-LE-Duc . 69
424A. Statuette of a Knight representing St. George: carved in wood.
Museum, Dijon ........... 70
425. PiSANO's MEDAL OF SiGISMONDO PaNDOLFO DI MaLATESTA, ABOUT 1445 . 72
426. PiSANO's MEDAL OF FiLIPPO MaRIA ViSCONTI, DuKE OF MiLAN, EXECUTED
ABOUT 1447 ' Tl
427. PiSANO's MEDAL OF DoMENICO MaLATESTA, CALLED NoVELLO ... 74
428. Bas-relief from the architrave of the "door of war" in the Ducal
Palace, Urbino 75
429. Armet from Chalcis, FIRST HALF OF THE XVth CENTURY. Ethnographical
Museum, Naples ^^
430. Armet, Italian, ABOUT 1440. Collection: Baron de Cosson ... 78
431. Armet, Italian, ABOUT 1440. The Rotunda, Woolwich .... 80
432. Armet, Italian, first half of the XVth century. Collection : Sir
H. Farnham Burke, K.C.V.0 81
II xvii c
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
no. PAOR
4jj(. Akmct. Italian, first half or the XVth century. Collection: Baron
de Cosson 83
434. Armet. Itauan. first halt of the XVth century. Collection: Baron
de Cocson .82
435. Armet. KissiBLV Polish, late XVth centukv. Collection: Sir H. Farn-
ham Hurkc. K.C.V.0 83
436. Armet, Italian, second haiJ'- of the XVth century. Wallace Collec-
tion 84
437. Armet. Itauan. second half of the XVth century. Wallace Collec-
tion 84
438. Seven Italia.n and Spanimi akmkis of thk last guARTKR ok ihk XV hi
century. Collections: Baron de Cosson; Don Jos<J Argaiz, Madrid;
Metropolitan Museum of New York; Museo Civico, Venice . . 85
439. Armet, Italian, about 1470. Collection: Baron de Cosson ... 86
44a Akmet. Italian or possibly Spanish, about 1480. Cleveland Museum . 87
441. Armet, Italian, about 1500. Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris .... 88
443. Four Italian armkts from English churciie.s, third quarter ok tiii.
XVth century. Hawstead Church, Suffolk; Cobham Church, Kent;
Aldenham Church 89
443. Armet, Spanish, about 1500. Wallace Collection .90
444. Armet. Spanish, about 1500. Formerly in the Murrietu Collection 91
445. English armets. St. Mary's Church, Bury Sl Edmunds; Tower of
London: Sir Edward Barry's Collection; Mr. H. G. Keasby's Collection;
Stoke Poges Church; St. Peter's Church, Stourton • • • • 93
446. Encush made armet, about 1530-30. Eye Church, .Suffolk ... 94
447. Armet with additional buffe, made by Conrad Seusenhukek, presented
BY Emperor Maximilian I TO Henry VIII. The Tower of London . 95
448. Armet. belonging to a suit made in 1521 by K. Koi.man kor the
Hmperor Charles V, showing the bscuffa, and other reinkorcing
pieces 97
449«. Helm, hanging above the tomb of Henry V in hh Ahhkv Cuukcii "i
Westmin-ster. {Vitw in profile) 100
449^. Helm, hanging above the tomb of Henry V in the Abbey Church of
Westminster. (Front view) loi
45a Helm of Sir Nicholas Hawberk, in Cobham Church, Kent 103
451. Helm of Sir Reginald Bravbrook. in Cobham Church, Kent .104
453. Helm. Ex Dino Collection, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New
York 107
xviii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
•■"•G. • PAGE
453. Helm, late XVth century, bearing an armourer's mark attributed to
Jacques Voys. Porte de Hal, Brussels log
454. Helm, English, about 1475-90. Collection: Captain H. Lindsay . .110
455. Helm, English, about 1475-90, erroneously supposed to have belonged
TO Henry VI. St. George's Chapel, Windsor . . . . .111
456^. Helm, English, about 1475-90. {^Profile View) The Pyx Chapel, West-
minster . . . . . . . . , . . .112
456/;. Helm, English, about 1475-90. {Front View.) The Pyx Chapel, West-
minster . . . . . . . . . . , .113
457. Helm, English, about 1475-90, hanging over the tomb of Sir John
Fogge. Ashford Church, Kent . . . . . . . .114
457A. The Brocas Helm, German or possibly English, about 1490-1500.
The Rotunda, W^oolwich . . . . . . . . • 1 1 5
458. Helm, English, about 1470-90. Metropolitan Museum of New York . 116
459. Helm, German or possibly English, about 1490- 1500. The Bargello
Museum, Florence . . . . . . . . . .116
460. Helm, German or possibly English, about 1520, hanging over the tomb
OF Sir John Dawtrey in St. Mary's Church, Petworth, Sussex . 117
461. Helm and tilting harness, German, about 1500-15 10. Wallace Collection 120
462. Helm, German, about 1500. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg . 122
463. Helm, German, about 1500. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . . . .122
464. Helm, German, 1500, with the armourer's mark "R.N." Collection:
Prince Ernest of Windisch-Graetz . . . . . . .123
465. Helm and harness, made for the Emperor Maximilian I. Imperial
Armoury, Vienna . . . . . . . . . .124
466. Helm and harness, German, about 15 15. National Germanic Museum,
Nuremberg ......... ... 125
467. Helm and harness, German, about 1515. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . 127
468. Helm and harness, German, about 15 15. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . 127
469. Helm of about 1515 and associated harness. Metropolitan Museum of
New York 128
470. Helm, Italian, about third quarter of the XVth century. Mus^e
d'Artillerie, Paris . . . . . -. . . . .129
471. Drawing by M. Viollet-le-Duc showing how the helm (Fig. 470) may
have been worn with the tilting harness 1 2g
472. Helm and breast- and back-plate, Italian, late XVth century, sup-
posed TO have' been made for Ascanio Maria Sforza. The Arsenal,
Venice 13'
xix
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
473. Helm and harness, Italian, third quarter ok the XVtii century, said
Tu HAVE •CLONGKO TO Gasi>aro Fracasso OK MiLAN. Imperial Armoury,
Vienna
474. Helm and harness, Spanish, early XVIth century. Royal Armoury,
Madrid
475 Helm. Spanish, early XVIth century. Royal Armoury. Madrid .
476. QiiLTEii tournament cai*. early XVIth century. Imperial Armoury,
Vienna
477. Two DRAWINGS AKTER A. DURER. SHOWING THK HELM AND THE TOURNAMENT
CAf ATTACHED
478. Helm. E.nglish, early XVIth century, now hanging over the tomb of
Sir W. Barextyn in Haseley Church, Oxfordshire
479. Helm. English, early XVIth century. Wallace Collection .
480. Helm. English, early XVIth century. The Har^ello Museum, Florence
481. Helm. English, early XVIth century, erroneously said to have
BELONGED TO Kdward IV. St Gcorgc's Chapel, Windsor .
482. The author's drawings of the English and German tyi'es of helm worn
AT THE END OE THE XVtH AND THE UE(;iNNING OF THE XVItH CENTURIES
483. Helm. Burgundian, late XVtii century, found in tiik vicinity of
Bourg-en-Bresse. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York
484. H ELM -B ASCI NET. ABOUT 1460-80. Mus^e Lorin, Hourjj-en-Bresse
485. Helm-basci NET. ABOUT 1470. Sallc de Garde, Museum of Dijon
486. Helm OP Sir Thomas Broke (<//a/ 1523). Cobham Church, Kent .
486A. Helm, late XVth century, reputed to have hung formerly in Ayles
BURY Church. Now in the Rig^s Collection, Metrojxjlitan Museum
of New York
487. Helm, late XVtii century, ha.sginc over the Dk i.a Wark tomh. Broad
water Church, near Worthing
488. The Sir John Gostwick helm, with crest. Willington Church, Bed-
fordshire
489. The Nevill HELM, WITH CREST, Birling Church, Kent
490. Armet-helm, with crest. Collection: Lord de Lisle and Dudley
I'enshurst Place, Kent
491. The Framlincham helm, with crest. Framlingham Church, .Suffolk
491A. The Darell helm, with crest, hanging over the Dakell tomh. Little
Chart Church. Kent ..........
492. The Capel helm, formerly in the old Raynk Church, Essex. Now in
the Metropolitan Museum of New York
XX
PAUR
'34
•35
«37
138
1.^9
140
140
141
142
•43
144
'45
146
"47
148
149
•50
'5>
'52
'53
'54
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
FIG. PACK
493. Helm from Lord Stafford's armoury, Costessey Hall. Now in the
Metropolitan Museum of New York . . . . . . .156
494. Helm, now hanging over the tomb of John Beaufort, Duke of Somer-
set. Wimborne Minster . . . . . . . . .156
495. Helm, early years of the XVIth century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna , 158
496. Helm, early years of the XVIth century. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . 1 58
497. Helm, by one of the Missaglia, made for Henry VIII. Tower of
London ........ ... .159
498. Armet-helm, probably English, early XVIth century, made for
Henry VIII. Tower of London . ....... 159
499. Helm, early XVIth century, from Stowe. Tower of London . . 160
500. Helm, middle of the XVIth century, long known as " Headpeece of
John OF Gauntes." Tower of London . . . . . .160
501. Tournament helm, German. From the Soyter Collection . . . 161
502. Tournament helm, German, of leather and open ironwork, early
XVIth century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna . . . . .161
503. Helm-crest, Italian, first half of the XVth century. Collection:
Signor S. Bardini . . . . . . . . . . .164
504. Helm-crest, reputed to have been that of King Martin I of Aragon
(1409- 1 4 10). Royal Armoury, Madrid . . . . . .164
505. Helmet and crest, reputed to have been worn by Georg Castriota
(1406-1466). Imperial Armoury, Vienna ...... 166
506. Hauberk of chain mail, known as the shirt of Saint Wenceslaus.
Cathedral of Prague . . . . . . . . . .168
507. Portion of the Wenceslaus hauberk, showing actual size of links . 169
508. Tippet of chain mail, added late in the XVth or early in the
XVIth century to the Wenceslaus hauberk. Cathedral of Prague . 170
509. Drawing, showing the manufacture of the links of mail . . .172
510. Armourer making chain mail, from -yw^ Zwoi.fbruderhaus Stiftuxgs-
BUCH. Town Library, Nuremberg . . . . . . -173
511. Chaiij mail cap, attributed to the XIIIth or XIVth century, reputed
to have been found in a tomb at Epernay. Collection: Mr. H. G.
Keasby . . . . . . . . . . . • 1 74
512. Chain mail cap, assigned to the XIIIth-XIVth century. Porte de
Hal, Brussels . . . . . . . . . . -174
513. Piece of chain mail with clamp rivets, possibly early XIVth century,
reputed to have been found in a church in Gloucestershire. Col-
lection: Author . . . . . . . • . . -175
xxi
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
no. PAOK
514. PiKCK or CHAIN MAIL, FOttlBLV XIVtH CENTURY. FOUND IN THE FOUNDATION
or AN OLD HOUSE IN Nottingham. Collection: Author. . .176
515. Piece or chain mail, fOSSiBi-v XIVth century. London Museum 177
516. Chain mail hauberk, late XIVth century. Royal Scottish Museum,
Edinburjjh 178
517. FKt»M THE EKKUIY OF SiR EdMUND DE ThORI'E, AWOUT 1418. Ashwcl-
thoqx: Church. Norfolk i79
518. Chain mail hauberk, late XIVth century. Collection: the late
Mr. R. Stuyvesant 180
519. Chain MAIL hauberk, early XVth century. M usee d'Artillerie. Paris . 181
5aa Chain mail hauberk, fj^rly XVth century. Collection: Author . .182
5J1. Portion of chain mail hauberk (Fig. 520), .showing actual size ok the
UNKs 182
5aj. Bevor of riyeted chain mail, middle of the XVth century, /.eughaus,
IJcrlin 183
522A. Riveted chain mail brayette, late XVth century. Rigjfs Collec-
tion, Metropoliun Museum of New York 183
523. Standard OF RIVETED MAiu The Rotunda, Woolwich . .184
524. Standard OF riveted mail, found in the Thames. British Museum 184
525. Standard of riveted mail, second half of the XVth century, found
near Worship Street. Loniwn. Collection: Mr. W. H. Fenton . 184
526. Riveted chain mail hauuerk, early XVItii century. Collection:
Author '85
527. Part of a RivtrrED mail gusset, early XVItii ckntukv. Collection:
Author • '85
528. Portrait or a Nobleman, by Giovanni Moroni, showing now the chain
MAIL GU.S.SETS WERE worn. National Gallery 186
529. From a w<»oik ut of a Landsknecht captain, wearing a tippet of chain
MAII '87
53a - Bishop's Mantle." EARLY XVItii CENTURY. Collection : Author . .187
531. " BiMUip's Mantle," early XVItii century. Collection: Mr. V .
Joubert '88
532. DuELUNG GAUNTLET, WITH LINING OF CHAIN MAIL. Collection : Mr.
W. H. Fenton «88
533- *•'*"** THE FIGURE OF St. GeoRGE, BY M. AND G. KlAUSENBOURG, SHOWING
jAZERANT 'body ARMOUR. Hradschin Palacc, IVaguc .190
534, JAZERANT HALF ARMOUR, MADE FOR FrANCE.SCO MaRIA I l»KI.I.A KoVKKI,
DuKE OF Urbino, ABOUT 1530. Imperial Armoury, Vienna 190
xxii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
FIG. PAGB
535. From a picture by Dirk Bouts, showing a brigandine. Collection: the
late Mr. C, T. D. Crews . . . . . . . . .191
536. Brigandine, Italian, about 1500. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum
of New York . . . . . . . . . .192
537. Brigandine, early XVtii century. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . . .192
538. Brigandine, as in Fig. 537, turned inside out and showing metal lining.
Musee d'Artillerie, Paris 192
539. Brigandine, with lance rest, late XVth century. Imperial Armoury,
Vienna .... ......... 193
540. Brigandine, Italian, early XVth century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna 193
541. Two BRiGANDiNES, early XVth CENTURY. Porte de Hal, Brussels . . 194
542. Brigandine, possibly French, third quarter of the XVth century. The
Castle, Darmstadt . . . . . . . . . -195
543. Velvet brigandine, from a picture by Nuno Gonsalves, late XVth
CENTURY. National Museum, Lisbon . . . . . . .196
544. Brigandine, EARLY XVIth CENTURY. Tower of London .... 197
545. Brigandine, possibly late XVth century. Burges bequest, British
Museum . . . . . . . . . . • .198
546. Portion of a brigandine, early XVth century. Burges bequest, British
Museum . ........... 198
547. Brigandine, Italian, early XVIth century. Ex Collection: Herr R.
Zschille 199
548. Brigandine, with arm defences and tassets, late XVIth century.
Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York .... 200
549. Jack of quilted linen, as represented in Memlinc's St. Ursula Chasse.
Hospital of St. John, Bruges 200
550. Jack of coarse worked linen, second half of the XVIth century. Porte
de Hal, Brussels 201
551. Jack, middle of the XVIth century. Burges bequest, British Museum. 201
552. From the brass of Sir Robert de Septvans, early XI I Ith century, show-
ing chain mail mitten gauntlets. Chartham Church, Kent . . 203
553. From the effigy of William Longespee, Earl of Salisbury, about 1226,
SHOWING chain MAIL MITTEN GAUNTLETS. Cathedral Church of Salis-
bury 203
554. From the effigy of William de Valence, showing chain mail gaunt-
lets. Abbey Church of Westminster .....■• 204
555. Gauntlets, as represented on an effigy of a knight, early XIVth
century. Schutz Church, Alsace . . . . ' • • • • 204
xxiii
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
PAOB
556^ GAUKTi.rr AS reprksknted on a sculptural slab, early XIVth century.
Sch6nthal Church. Germany 304
557. Gauntlet, as represented on an unknown effiuy, about 1335. Ash
Church. Kent 205
558. From the brass «f Sir John db Saint Quintan, about 1370-80. Brandes-
burton Church, Yorkshire 205
559. The right gauntlet. h.\ngi.ng over the tomb of the Black Prince.
Cathcdrul Church of Canterbury 306
56a The Gauntlets, as represented on the effigy ok the Black Prince.
Cathedral Church of Canterbury 207
561. "Gad," kuruerlv on the knuckle of one of the gauntlets now iiangini;
OVER THE TOMB OF THE Bl.\CK PrINCE 207
562. Fragment OF A GAUNTLET, ABOUT 137a Tower of London 208
563. Portion OF A GAUNTLET, ABOUT 1370. British Museum .... 209
564. Hour-glass form of gauntlet, as represented on the effigy of a
KNIGHT, ABOUT 1 4 ID. South Kelsey Church, Lincolnshire 309
565. Pair of gauntlets, probably Italian, 137080. Bargello Museum,
Florence 210
566. Pair of GAUNTLETS WITH enrichments OF brass, about 1380-1400. Wallace
Collection 211
567. Left gauntlet of the pair (Fig. 566) as recon.structed by Viollkt-
LE-Duc 212
568. Gauntlet, as repre-sented on the efugy of Sir Thomas Cawnk, about
138a Ightham Church, Kent 212
569 Right gauntlet, about 1380, found among the ruins of the castle 01
Tannenberg. Collection: Dr. Bashford Dean . -213
570. Gauntlet, as represented on the effigy of Sir George Felbkigge,
ABOUT 1440. St. Mary's Church, Playford, Suffolk < 213
571. Gauntlets, as represented on the brass of Richard Dyxton, about
1430. Cirencester Church, Gloucestershire 214
572. Gauntlets, as represented on the efugy of John Fitz-Alan, Earl of
Arundel (<//<f<^ 1434). Arundel Church, Sussex 215
573. R IGIIT gauntlet, Italian, AB<JUT 1460. Collection; Sir Edward Barry, Bart. 216
574. Left GAUNTLET, POSSIBLY French, ABOUT 1470. Wallace Collection . 216
575. Right GAUNTLET, PROBABLY German, ABOUT 1470. Wallace Collection 217
576. Right GAUNTLET, French, ABOUT 1480. Wallace Collection .217
577. Pair of gauntlets, German, 1460-80, probably by Adrian Treytz of
MUHLEN. Wallace Collection 218
xxiv
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
PAGE
219
FIG.
578. Right GAUNTLET, German, ABOUT 1490. Collection : Author . . .219
579. Portion of a right gauntlet with pointed gads, German, about 1470.
Collection : Author ..........
580. Right fingered gauntlet, a reconstruction, after the French fashion
OF 1470. Wallace Collection 219
581. Pair of gauntlets, German, about 1490, probably part of a harness
WHICH belonged TO Charles le Beau or Maximilian I, possibly the
work of Hans Grunewalt of Nuremberg. Royal Armoury, Madrid . 220
582. Left gauntlet, Italian, about 1500. Collection: Sir Edward Barry,
Bart. .
583. Right GAUNTLET, German, ABOUT 1 5 10. Collection: Author .
584. Duelling gauntlet, early XVI Ith century. Collection: Author.
585. Duelling gauntlet, embossed and gilt, late XV Ith century. Ex Collec
tion : Sir S. R. Meyrick, now in the collection of the author .
586. The shield of Edward III in the Abbey Church of Westminster
587. Shield of painted wood, Italian, end of the XIVth century
Collection: Signer S. Bardini .......
588. Shield of painted wood, Italian, early XVth century. Collection
Signor S. Bardini
589. Tomb of John of Gaunt in Old St. Paul's .....
590. Shield of John of Gaunt ........
591. Shield of wood covered with gesso, Florentine, XVth century. Col-
lection: Signor S. Bardini ......... 228
592. Shield of wood covered with gesso, Florentine, XVth century. Col-
lection: Signor S. Bardini . . . , . . . . . 228
593. Shield of painted wood, early XVth century. Collection: Signor
S. Bardini ............ 229
594. Shield of wood covered with gesso and painted in polychrome. Burges
bequest, British Museum ......... 230
595. Shield hanging over the tomb of Henry V. Abbey Church of West-
minster. . . . . . . . , . . . .231
596. Silk damask on the shield of Henry V 232
597. Shield of wood covered with painted gesso, German, late XVth
century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna ....... 233
598. Shield of wood covered with painted gesso, German, late XVth
century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna ....... 233
599. Iron shield with etched decoration, after A. Durer, late XVth cen-
tury. Imperial Armoury, Vienna. '....... 234
II XXV d
221
22 1
222
222
224
225
225
226
227
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
no. PAGK
6oa Shield of wood covkred with gesso, i458-9a Mus^e d'Artilleric, Paris 234
601. Shield or painted wood, German, late XVth century. Wallace
Collecbon 235
60*. From an iu.umination in a Manuscript, showing a kite-shaped shield.
Collection: Author 235
60J. Shield or wood with gesso. North Italian or Portuguese, kari.y XVtii
cekturv. Collection: Signor S. Bardini . . . 236
604. Shield or wood with gesso armorial decoration in relief, Italian,
MIDDLE or THE XVth century. Victoria and Albert Museum. 236
605. Shield or WOOD OVERLAID with HIDE and GESSO, Italian, 1450-75 237
606. Archer's shield, middle or the XVth century. Tower of London 237
607. CkOSSBOWUEN with PAVISES, FROM THE MANUSCRIPT OK THE PaGEANT OK
Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick 238
608. 609. Shields rkpresented on thk kri^iscoes, formerly in the Painted
Chamber. Wej^tminster 239
61a ErriGV or an unknown knight in Great Malvern Priory Church,
middle of THE XII ItH CENTURY 24O
611. Illumination in a Manuscript, early XVth century, showing a small
BUCKLER. Collection: Author . 240
612. V%ou A>MiXiw:\:i \s Reve/.it/oxss CBLESTSS sA/fcTAS Bk/c/ttae, \^q2 241
613. Horn buckler or boce, second hale or the XVth century. Mus^e
d'Artillcrie. Paris 242
614. Buckler or wood and iron, early XVIth century. Mus^e d'Artillcrie,
Paris 243
615. Buckler. English, KAKLY XV Itii ck.ntury. Tower of London . 244
616. Buckler. E.vglish, early XVIth century 245
617. Rectangular shield, as seen in a woodcut uv Uurgkmaikr, in the
"Triumph or Maximilian " 246
618. Boer., AS seen in a woodcut by Burgkmaikr, in the "Triumph of
Maximilian" 246
619. Rectangular shield. Italian, early XVIth century. Collection:
Author 247
62a Boce, early hale or the XVIth century. Ex Dino Collection, now in the
Metropolitan Museum of New York 247
631. Buckler, with central pistol, Engllsh, early XVIth century. Tower
of London 248
622. Buckler, with central pistol, Engllsh, early XVIth century. Edin-
burgh Castle 248
xxvi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
FIG.
623.
624.
625.
626.
627.
628.
629.
630.
631.
632.
633-
634-
635-
636.
637-
638.
639-
640.
641.
642.
643-
Buckler, to which was once fitted a central pistol, English, early
XVIth CENTURY. Amioury of the Kfiights of Malta .
Buckler, middle of the XVIth century. Wallace Collection
Small buckler of embossed iron, English, late XVIth century
Collection : Lord Kenyon ........
Tilting shield, German, early XVIth century. Wallace Collection
Bastard sword, about 1430, found in the Thames. Collection : Mr. H. G
Keasby ...........
Effigy of William Philipp, Lord Berdolf, in Dennington Church
Suffolk ...........
Bastard sword, first half of the XVth century. Wallace Collection
Bastard sword, first quarter of the XVth century, found in the Cam
Collection: Mr. W. H. Redfern
Bastard sword, first quarter of the XVth century, found in thi
Thames. Tower of London .......
Bastard sword, Italian, second half of the XVth century. Collec
tion: Mr. Godfrey Williams .......
Bastard sword, German, end of first half of the XVth century
Collection : Mr. H. G. Keasby .......
Sword of bastard type, probab ly Italian, middle of the XVti
CENTURY. Collection: Mr. H. G. Keasby .....
Bastard sword, German, late XVth century. Collection: Baron d(
Cosson . . . ...
Bastard sword, German, late XVth or early XVIth century. Wallace
Collection . . . . . . . . .
Six bastard swords in the Bavarian National Museum
Single-handed sword, early XVth century. Ex Dino and Carrand
Collections, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York .
The " Battle Abbey " sword, first quarter of the XVth century
Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh ......
Single-handed sword, first quarter of the XVth century. The Pyx
Chapel, Westminster .........
Sword, middle of the XVth century, etched with inscriptions. Royal
Armoury, Madrid . . • .
Sword, probably Italian, middle of the XVth century. Wallace Collec
tion ...... ......
Sword, with the arms of the Viscontj family engravkd on the blade,
Musee Cluny, Paris . • .
xxvii • ,
PAGE
248
249
249
250
252
253
255
255
256
257
258
258
262
262
262
264
265
266
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
no. PACK
644. "Sword or the Constables of France," second half of tiii^ XVtii
CENTURY. Musde d'Artillcrie, Paris 267
645. CuRveo iiwoRD. NoRrHKRN French, first quartkr of tmk XVtii century.
Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert 268
646. CyRVEO SWURI) WITH FAI.CIIION BIADK, ItAUAN. I.ATTKR PART OF THK XVtU
century. Collection: the late M. Edmond Foulc, Paris 269
646A. Curved sworu with falchion blade, Milanese, first third of the
XVIth CESTi'RV. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell .... 269
647. The " DoNATELLO ■' sword. Italian, late XVtii century. Royal Armoury,
Turin 271
648. Thf. "Caesar Borgia " sword, Italian, late XVIth century. Collection :
Prince Teano, Duke of Sermoneta . 272
649. Leather scabbard of the "Caesar Boroia" sword. Victoria and Albert
Museum 272
650. THE"PuCCr' SWORD, NoRTH ITALIAN, LATE XVtH CENTURY 273
651. SwoRD, Italian, late XVth century. Beaumont Collection, Mus<5e
Cluny, Paris 273
652. Sword, Italian, LATE XVth CENTURY. Collection: Baron dc Cosson . , 273
653. Sword, late XVth century. Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert . 274
654. Sword, North Italian, u^te XVth century. Mus^e de Louvre 275
655. Sword, North Italian, late XVth century. Beaumont Collection,
Mus^e Cluny, Paris 276
656. Sword, North Italian, late XVth century. Beaumont Collection,
Mus^ Cluny, Paris . .276
657. Small sword with enriched blAde, Italian, late XVth century. Bargello
Museum, Florence 277
658. Sword, refuted to have been designed by Andrea Briokco, early
XVIth century, Musde de Louvre .... 277
659. Six pommeus of bronze, Italian, late XVth and early XVIth centuries.
British Museum 278
660. .Sword, with "ear" pommel, Venetian, decorated under Moorish in-
fluence, LATE XVth century. Collection : Signor Rcssman, Bargello
Museum, Florence .......... 280
661. The Villaseca sword, or sword of Boabdil. Collection : Dowager
Marquise de Viana, Madrid 282
663. Sword of Hispano- Moorish design, presented to the Biblioth£que
Nationai.e, Parls. by the Due dk Luvnks 282
663. Sword of Hlspano- Moorish df„sign, late XVth century, reputed to
xxviii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
PAGE
FIG.
HAVE BELONGED TO CARDINAL DoN FeRNANDO, BROTHER OF PhILIP IV
OF Spain. Royal Armoury, Madrid ....... 284
664. Sword of Hispano-Moorish design, reputed to have belonged to
• AbEN-AcHMET, the last of the ABENCfeRRAGES, LATE XVth CENTURY.
Metropolitan Museum of New York ....... 284
665. Sword of Hispano-Moorish design, now recognized to be a forgery.
Royal Armoury, Madrid ......... 284
666. Sword, back-edged, Spanish, early XVth century. Collection : Mr. Felix
Joubert ............ 285
667. Sword, first half of the XVth century, showing the introduction of
the finger-ring. Collection: Baron de Cosson . . . . . 287
668. Sword with double-grooved back-edged blade, probably German, second
half of THE XVth century. Collection: Author ' . . . . 287
669. Sword with single finger-ring beneath the quillons, etched and gilt
with the arms of Lopez de Zuniga, late XVth century. Windsor
Castle 288
670. Sword with single finger-ring below the guard, late XVth century, of
French origin, with a medallion portrait of Louis XII- inset in the
pommel. Collection: the late M. Edmond Foulc, Paris . . . 289
670A. Sword, early XVIth century. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum
of New York ........... 289
671. Sword, Italian, LATE XVth CENTURY, with primitive /'^.s-'/j'^A^^. Collec-
tion : Mr. Godfrey Williams . . . . . . . . . 289
672. "The battle sword of Ferdinand the Catholic." Royal Armoury,
Madrid ............ 290
673. Sword, Spanish, late XVth century. Collection: Signer Osma, Madrid 291
674. Sword with early knuckle guard, Italian, end of the XVth or com-
mencement OF THE XVIth century. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan
Museum of New York .......... 292
675. Sword of the Landsknecht type, Italian, late XVth century.
Wallace Collection .......... 295
676. From the picture by Palma il Giovane of "Judith with the head of
HOLOFERNES," SHOWING THE ITALIAN TYPE OF LaNDSKNECHT SWORD.
Accademia, Venice .......... 296
677. SwORD OF THE LaNDSKNECHT TYPE, LATE XVtH CENTURY. Rothschild
bequest, British Museum . . . . . . . . . 297
678. Landsknecht sword known .^s the Hauswehr or Kurzwehr order,
German or Swiss, early XVIth century. Wallace Collection . . 298
xxix
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
no. PACK
679. LANDSKKECirr SWORD AND SCABBAKU. WITH EVISCFKATINc; KNIVKS, EARLY
XVItm cENTi'RV. Collection: Mr. S. J. VVhawcll .... 299
679A. LaND&KNECHT SWORIl. WITH A LATTKN SHIELD OK THE AKMS OF AUSTRIA ON
THE CRII". EARLY XVItH CENTURY, KOUND IN LoNIWN. London MllSCUm 3OO
680. FoL'R Lani«knkcht swoRus OK 1510-30. Collections: Mus«l'c d'Artilleric,
Paris, ImiKrial Armour)', Vienna, and Baron de Cosson •301
681. CiJiiDHKJ^MH-MOR. EARLY XVIth CENTURY. Ex Collection: Sir Noiil
Paton, now in the Royal Scottish Museum, Hdinburgh . 303
68a. Claii>heamh-mor, Scottish, EARLY XVIth CENTURY. Collection: the late
Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant, New York 303
683. Ct-AiUHEAMii-MUR, .SCOTTISH, EARLY XVItii CENTURY. British Muscum . 303
684. C1.A10HEAMH-MOR. EARLY XVIth clntury 304
685. ClaIDHEAMH-MOR. EARLY XVItH CENTURY 304
686. QuiujONs or A SWORD or THE CLAIUHEAMH-MOR TYPE. Collection : Author . 305
687. Scottish sword, the prototyi'E or the claidheamh-mor type, middle of
THE XI Vth CENTURY. National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh . 306
688. Portion or a claidiikamh-mur or smaller proi-ortions, mid-XVtii
CENTIRY 306
689. CiJiiDHEAMH-MOR, ABOUT 1610. Collection : H.M. the King. Windsor Castle 307
69a Ci^iDHEAMH-MOR, ABOUT 1610. Collection : H. M. the King, Windsor Castle. 308
691. FoUR-<jUILLONED CLAIDHKAMH-XIOR, EARLY XVItH CENTURY. Hawthornden,
Midlothian 309
69a. " Mourning " SWORD or THE city or Brlstol, PROBABLY dating from 1373 313
693. The oldest or the swords of the city or Lincoln, probably dating
from 1386 314
694. Scabbard or the oldest or thf. swords or the city or Lincoln, this
scabbard was made late in the XVI Ith century. Collection: the late
Mr. Robert Hillingford 315
695. •• Lent "sword or THE citv or Bristol, EARLY X Vth century . 3' 5
696. The older swtiRD or the city or York, a rioHTiNc weapon of the fikst
YEARS or THE XVHI CENTURY 317
697. The ONLY SWORD NOW AT Coventry, FIRST HALE or THE XVth CENTURY . 317
698. Hilt or a sword or Coventry, in all probability the one taken hy
Edward IV IN 1471. Collection: Author 319
699. The " Pearl" sword or THE CITY OF Brlstoi 321
70a Sword or STATE or KiNc.sTON-oN-HuLL 322
701. Sfxond sword or the city or Lincoln, XVtii century .... 323
702. One of the swords of state of Newcastle-on-Tyne .... 324
703. The " Mourning " sword or TUB city or Gloucester .... 325
XXX
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
FIG- ' PACK
704. The " Steel " SWORD OF Hereford 327
705. Sword of the city of Chester . . . . . . . . 327
706. State sword of King's Lynn ......... 328
707. The great sword of Edward IH. Abbey Church of Westminster . . 329
708. The great SWORD OF Edward in. St. George's Chapel, Windsor . . 330
709. Sword of state of the Earldom of Chester (1471-1483). British
Museum . . . . . . . . . . . • 33'
710. The second Chester sword, late XVth century. British Museum . 332
711. One of the swords of state of the Emperor Maximilian I. Imperial
Armoury, Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . 334
712. Sword of state, once belonging to the Archduke Sigismund of
Tyrol. Imperial Armoury, Vienna ....... 335
713. Sword of ceremony of the Electors of Cologne. The Treasury of
Cologne Cathedral .......... 335
714a. Hilt of the sword of ceremony of Duke Christoph of Bavaria.
Royal Palace, Munich .......... 336
714^. Sword of ceremony, in its scabbard, of Duke Christoph of Bavaria.
Royal Palace, Munich .......... 337
715. Sword of ceremony presented by the Emperor Maximilian I to
Eberhard von WiJRTEMBURG. Castle of Stuttg'art .... 338
716. Sword of ceremony, reputed to have belonged to Charles the Bold,
Duke of Burgundy. Imperial Treasury, Vienna .... 339
717. Sword of investiture; from the Austrian Archducal Insignia.
Imperial Treasury, Vienna ......... 340
718. Tn^ A'URBKANDENBURGiscHE s^OKD. Crown Regalia of Prussia . -341
719. The "Hessian" sword, presented By Pope Innocent VHI to the
Landgraf, William I of Hesse, 1491. Royal Museum, Cassel . . 342
720. The "Pomeranian" sword, presented to Duke Bogislaw X of
Pomerania by Pope Alexander VI, 1497. Hohenzollern Museum,
Castle of Montbijou .......... 342
721. Sword presented by the Emperor Charles V to Duke Maurice of
Saxony, 1548. Royal Historical Museum, Dresden .... 343
722. Sword of ceremony of Ferdinand V and Isabella .... 344
723. Sword of ceremony presented to King James IV of Scotland by Pope
Julius II, 1507. Royal Scottish Regalia ...... 345
724. Sword of ceremony to which is attached the tradition that it was
presented to Henry VIII by Pope Leo X. Ashmolean Museum,
Oxford 346
xxxi
A RECORD OF
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
THROUGH SEVEN CENTURIES
CHAPTER X
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE FROM THE XIVth TO THE XVIth CENTURIES
OLLOWING the period in which the bascinet was the principal
head-piece came that in which the salade, or sailet, held a similar
position and was not only the favourite helmet for use in battle
for nearly a century, but was also often employed in the joust.
The salade period was, naturally, overlapped by that of the later
forms of bascinets. There were also other types of helmets, such as the armet
and the cliapel-de-fer, which enjoyed thejr season of popularity at various
times during the same period; but, save the armet, the salade is the only
helmet of the time to which can be attached any very great importance, and
accordingly we shall devote a chapter to considering it, in order that we
may follow its development and examine its varieties without confusing our
story by introducing into it the study of other types.
One of the first mentions of the salade in England appears in a poem
known as " Chaucer's Dreme," although Chaucer is not generally accepted
as its author, critics holding that it was written in the early part of the
XVth century.
Ne horse, ne male, trusse, ne baggage,
Salad ne speare, gardbrace, nepage.
But even accepting this poem as belonging to the early years of the
XVth century, the allusion is, for an English record, a very early mention of
this form of head-piece, though to what type of helmet the " salad " in the
poem refers we are rather at a loss to divine. That it was an open helmet
its name tells us, the derivation being from celata (Italian) or schale (Ger-
man = shell). We fully appreciate the fact that Italy was very greatly in
advance of England in the matter of her body armour; so it may possibly be
the case that one of the first forms of this helmet may be seen in those
beautiful head-pieces of North Italian origin which were so closely copied
II I B
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
frt>m (ircck ami I'.truscan bronze helmets of anlitjuity and wliith fi^urcil
almost throuj»hout the XVth century as the chief head-piece of the Italian
knight. The development of the bascinet helmet into such a salade would
have been a verj'casy step: it necessitated but the introduction of a stronj^er
form of keel to the crest of the skull-piece, the ileprcssin^ of its pointed
a|H:.\. and linally the givinjjof a slight outward curl to its lower edge. Troni
the earliest mention of the salade in lingland in the opening years of the
Wth centur)' one has to wait till about the years 1470-80 before it is first
seen represented on any linglish effigy, when an example apixiars, of what
wc shall ver)' broadly term the French or tailed type, on an effigy of a
meniber of the Neville family in HrancejKth Church, Durham (Fig. 330).
On the continent, however, a variety of forms of the (ircek hoplite type are
to be noted in .Xvanzi's frescoes in the chajx;! of St. ('icorgc at Padua,
Fig. 33a From an ekhgv of the Neville family
ibiy Ralph, second Earl of Westmorland, about 1470-80. Hrancc|>cth Church, Durham
(After Stothard)
painted as early as 1385; while there are existing Italian salades which
may safely be assigned to the middle of the XVth century, and of these we
arc able to present many illustrations.
Contemporar)- with the early Italian salades were those German forms
which were half war hats and half salades. These were far less graceful in
their outline than the Italian type of the same period; but existing specimens
are nowadays much rarer. The German Schallcrn was an open helmet w ith
a slight ridge and ajiex to the skull-piece and a brim that projected uniformly
all round. It was large enough to cover the whole face, and the deep brim
had a slit cut in it for the ocularium. We arc unacquainted with any perfect
S|x;cimen now existing in our Iinglish collections; although a portion of such
a salade is in the collection of Sir Hdward Harry at Ockwells Manor. There
was formerly an example in the Londeslx)rough collection, which is engraved
in l-airholt's Afisce/iaptca Graphica. In the Mus<5e d'Artillerie of Paris there
is an admirable example. II 46 (Fig. 331), together with a painted picitre,
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
TYPE, AHOUT I44O
H 46, Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris
or horse breast-plate, representing two
knights clad in armament which might
well be assigned to the early years
of the XVth century, jousting and
wearing exactly this type of head-
piece (Fig. 332). In the arsenal of
Fiirstenwalde on the Spree there is a
representative German Schallerti shown
misleadingly upon a half suit of fluted
armour of early XVIth century date
(Fig. 333). It is safe to conclude that
the Italian Celata and the German
Schallerti were the only contemporary
head-pieces of the salade type worn
when the bascinet was the almost
universal helmet. The third and cer- ^^^^'^^i. Salade of the German .sc//^^z£aw
tainly the best known form of salade
is that which is drawn out at the back
to a tail, a form which, broadly speaking, may be described as the French type;
although in the second half of the XVth century it was the popular head-
piece of nearly all civilized Europe with perhaps the exception of Italy,
which remained constant to the Celata form. This French type consists in
a finely moulded skull-piece prolonged
over the neck very much after the
manner of a mariner's sou'wester. This
tail-piece was occasionally composed of
two or more laminated plates. In some
cases a hinged visor was added in
front; but often the ocularium was
formed by a slit, or a double slit, in the
skull-piece itself, as seen in the German
Schallern. Although all salades are head-
pieces of the greatest rarity, excellent
examples of nearly all types can be
inspected in our National collections.
Ex coll. J. M. Soytcr. G 533, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris t-»u iU-tirii r^ \\ t.' 1
^^^ ' Perhaps the Wallace Collection shows
us the greatest variety; for inclusive of those found on the suits numbered
respectively 340 and 620, there are sixteen examples, all varying in form.
3
Fig. 332. Painted piciere
probauly burgundian
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
We will, in the first place, describe those of the Italian order to be found
in the Wallace Collection and elsewhere. Althoujjh we are aware that the
Italian Cfiata was in use throughout the first half of the X\'th century, we
dare not assign any of the examples we illustrate to a date earlier than about
1450. In the Wallace Collcx^tion, No. 75 in the catalogue is perhaps one of the
earliest with which we are acquaintcxi (Tig. 334). It is of the so-called 1 1()i)litc
type, having a finely moulded skull-piece with an acute keel-like section.
The face-i>pening is shaped as the letter T, but the ocularia are eye-shaped
and have round their border a reinforcing band, square in section, which was
addetl to prevent a hostile weapon from glancing into them. The edge of the
lower border is turned outwards, and is of triangular .section. Around the
middle of the skull is a row of flush-headed rivets for the attachment of the
Fu;. 333. German schau.ekn
Gennan, about 1460. Arsenal of Furstcnwaldc on the Spree
lining. An armourer's mark, probably that of Antonio da Missaglia, repeated
three times, is on the right-hand side of the skull-piece at the back. This
salade came from the collection of Sir Samuel Meyrick, to whom it was
presented by M. Vendramini. It is illustrated in Skelton's "Engraved Illus-
trations of Antient Arms and Armour," vol. ii, Plate LXXIV. Next in point
of interest is No. 39, which is also of the Hoplitc form (Fig. 335). It even
more closely resembles the Etruscan helmet and must have been suggested by
the model of Theoplion. The skull is high and finely moulded, entirely forged
from one piece, the ocularia taking the form of two oval apertures divided by
a na.sal guard; around the skull is a row of fourteen rosette-headed rivets for
the attachment of the leather strap, still in jxjsition, to which could be sewn
the lining. This helmet, which was formerly in the collection of the (>)mtc de
Nicuwerkerke, is Norih Italian, and might be dated within the third (|uartcr
4
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
of the XVth century. An Italian salade almost similar to No. 75 is No. 86
(Fig. 336), also of the classic type, having a finely moulded skull-piece with a
keel of acute section, perforated with a hole for the attachment of the crest. The
face-opening, formed as the letter T, is unlike the two just described, being
quite rectangular ; around the margin has been riveted a reinforcing band
0
r"i(.. 334. Salaul
North Italian, about 1450-70
No. 75, Wallace Collection
Fig. 335. Salaue
North Italian, about 1470
No. 39, Wallace Collection
Fig. 336. Salade
North Italian, about 1470. No. 86, Wallace Collection
(now missing) as in the case of No. 75. The armourer's mark upon this
helmet, which appears twice at the back of the skull, is one akin to that used
by the Missaglia of Milan. The surface of this salade is now painted. The
other two salades of the Italian order in the Wallace Collection are Nos. 30
and 53. The former, crudely fashioned and of indifferent workmanship, was
doubtless the helmet of an archer. The latter (Fig. 337), also an archer's
5
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
head-piece, though of sounder constmction, has the peculiarity of havinjij its
right check-piece hingctl. in all probability to enable the wearer more readily
to bend the head on one side when taking aim. These two salatlcs l)cU)ng
to the third i{uarter of the X\*th century.
This is a fitting opportunity to refer to a " find " of North Italian salades
which took place a few years ago. They must all ha\e come from the arsenal.
of some Italian castle, in the region of Padua; but, though we have made
the most assiduous ini|uiries, we have up to the present been unable to
ascertain positively the name of the place where they w ere disco\ered, a circum-
Fi<;. 337. Sai-ade I'Rou'aulv worn uv an archer
Italian, about 1470. No. 53, Wallace Collection
Stance due, doubtlc*ss, to the secrecy in w hich the dealers who first came upon
them determined to involve the whole affair. I'rom this group the first
example was sold in I'lorence (Fig. 338, a and b). It is jx-'rhaps as grand a s|x;ci-
mcn a-s any known. Of great depth, its ocularia and face-oi)cni ng arc of T-shajx:
form. At the Ijack of the skull-piece is a Milanese mark of about 1470, three
times repeated; while on the right-hand corner of the cheek-piece is a counter-
mark, resembling the fore-part of the Lion of St. Mark seen full face. This
salade is now in the collection of the Baron de Cossf)n. The next of the salades
to ap|xrar in the market (Fig. 339) is in the same condition and is marked in
precisely the same manner as the first example. It is a little shorter from the
6
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
top of the skull-piece to the lower edge. This head-piece was purchased in
Munich; but we have been able to trace it to the same Italian source. It is
now in our own collection. A few months later five other salades were offered
for sale through various channels, all of which we discovered came likewise
from Italy. Three we illustrate (Figs. 340, 341 , 342). Two (Figs. 340 and 341)
are in our own collection, while the third (Fig. 342) is now in a collection at
Munich. They all bear the same Milanese armourer's mark, and most of
them the small counter-mark, the Lion of St. Mark. The other two
salades of this same "find," both excellent examples, though of somewhat
Fk;. 338. Salade
North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark, also one that appears to be of Venetian origin
About 1470. Collection: Baron de Cosson
(a) Profile view (^) Front view
smaller proportions, are in the collection of Mr. S. J. Whawell. All the head-
pieces we have examined from this " find " are in the same satisfactory state
of preservation, which makes us think that they had been kept together under
the same atmospheric conditions. After this discovery the collector need not
despair, the more so that in the summer of 1919 we acquired for our collection
a North Italian salade of about 1470 of equal beauty and in equally fine
condition. It is i2| inches in height and is illustrated in the frontispiece to
this volume. It was found in a private house in England and has never before
been described.
The Tower armoury contains a very fine example of an Italian salade
with a strong reinforcing band around its T-shaped face-opening. The skull-
7
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
piece of this saladc, which was purchased by the Tower of London authorities
at the Ikrnal Sale at Christie's in 1855, is most gracefully mouKlcd to a keel-
like form, and. like most of the other examples to which we ha\e alluded, is
I'Ui. 339. Salade
North Italian, bearini; Milanese and Venetian marks. About 1470
Collection: Author
Fig. 34a Salade
North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark
About 147a Collection: Author
Fig. 341. Salade
North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark
About 1470. Blued and trimmed with
gilt bronze. Collection: Author
deeply stam|x:d at the back with a Milanese armourer's mark twice repeated,
placed above which is a third though different Italian mark (Tig. 343).
In the same armoury is an almost similar salade, but of less graceful
contour. It bears a different armourer's mark, though of Milanese origin,
thrice re|)eated. I-ive other salades of the Italian order are also to be seen
8
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
in the Tower collection, one of which, a late XVth century example, is covered
with crimson velvet and studded with gilded head rivets and applied
ornaments. It was purchased at the Peuker Sale.
In the Museum of Artillery at the Rotunda, Woolwich, is an Italian
salade that is classed in the official catalogue of that Institution under the
heading of Rhodes Armour, though what is meant to be inferred from this
is difficult to determine. The suggestion seems to be that the example came
from the Isle of Rhodes; but when imported and under what circumstances we
have been at a loss to discover. This salade (Fig. 344) is of fine form, but
somewhat small when compared with those we have been describing. The
Fig. 342. Salade
North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark. About 1470. In a private collection, Munich
{a) Front view; {b) Profile view
skull-piece is trimmed with a gilt bronze decorated border attached round
the edge with bronze-headed rivets, while the plume holder, also in the
same medium, which is fixed to the helmet in front, is engraved with a
vase and flowers. It is well worth taking special notice of the illustration
of this salade ; for its exact type figures throughout the XVth century and
even earlier in Italian pictorial and sculptural art. For example, at the end
of the XlVth century, it is a head-piece of the knights painted on the Avanzi
frescoes already referred to; while in the middle of the XVth century it is
carved on the triumphal arch of Alphonso of Aragon, erected at the Castel
Nuovo at Naples in 1470 (Figs. 345 and 346). In the splendidly modelled
reliefs on this arch, the details of the Italian mid-XVth century armour are
II 9 c
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
mosi accurately rendered; while it is remarkable to note that every head-piece
depicted is a salade of the Italian ty|X.' with the exception of that depicted
on the central fij^re (Fij;. 345). who wears a helmet resemhlinj^ the chapd-
de-ftr worn with a strong ^w^. In one of the illustrations showinjj these
reliefs (Fig. 346) the salade which the knight immediately on the left of
the central figure is represented as wearing has a |)eculiar interest, as it
shows an outer covering to the helmet in the form of a lion's scalp, such as
can be noted covering an actually extant salade (Tig. 355). The representa-
tion of a salade very like the Rotunda example is to Ix; seen in a picture
by Martino di Battista in the Imperial Picture Gallery, Vienna, where a
Fig. 343. Salade
North Italian, bearing a Milanese armourer's mark. .About 1470. Tower of London
young N'enetian nobleman is portrayed holding just such a salade, and
resting it jxirtly on "a balcony in frontof him (I'ig. 347). In this picture the
skull-piece of the salade is encircled with a gilt metal wreath of oak foliage.
To find mid-XVth century Italian salades decorated with applied gilded
bronze ornaments is not uncommon; although in nearly every case the
ornamentation was added at a later date, perhaps in the XVIth or even
in the W'llth century, when these really business-like head defences were
sometimes enriched by these additions for use in pageants.
The late Mr. Morgan Williams, in his fine armoury at St. Donat's
Castle, had a salade (I*ig. 348) covered with gilt bronzework and velvet
additions of the early years of the XVI Ith century. He had these additions
removed and then found himself the possessor of a fine salade of mid-
10
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
XVth century date, bearing the armourer's mark of the famous Antonio
da Missaglia (Fig". 348). Though excessively rare, XVth century salades
with elaborate contemporary trimming of gilt bronze are known to be still
extant. A splendid example (Fig. 349), with the decoration added in bold
and simple good taste, is from our own collection. In the collection of
Mr. S. J. Whawell is a head-piece which the Baron de Cosson declares
Fig. 344. Salade
North Italian, about 1480. Museum of the Rotunda, Woolwich
to be one of the finest Italian salades in existence. It has the great depth
of I2| inches. It retains a splendid blue-black surface and also, with the
exception of a small part, its original trimmings of decorated gilt bronze
around the edge. Only recently, on the back of the skull-piece, beneath a
small deposit of rust, was found a Milanese armourer's mark. This fine
salade Mr. Whawell obtained from Florence, where it was well known as
one of the principal treasures of the collection of Signor S. Bardini (Fig. 350).
Two other salades of the Celata order, but very richly decorated with velvet
II
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
and applied hmnze-jjilt work, we illustrate. The finer of the two (Fijj. 351),
which was formerly in the Ciatterburjj Morosini Colleetion, X'enice, has adorn-
ments which mij^ht be as early as the With century. The second (Fij?.
35aX now in the collection of Prince I<adislaus Odescalchi of Rome, is
equally rich in appearance; but we consider that its bronze-j^nlt adornments
must have been added for pajjeant purposes early in the XVI Ith century. At
Parham. in the late Lord Zouchc's heterogeneous collection, are two good
Italian saladcs. the more solid of which we should judge to be of Venetian
make, dating from about 1470. The other is especially elaborate, being
Fig. 345. FKoM IHK TkllJ.M»'HAL ARCH OK ALI'HONSO Ot AkAGON
Erected at the Caitel Nuovo, Naples, in 1470
covered with crimson velvet u|)on which is applied a design in bronze gilt
pierced <i jour with a true arabestjuc scroll. The ornamentation is contem-
porary with the helmet itself, though curiously Moorish in character. This
head-piece we should judge from its enrichments belongs to the closing
years of the XVth century. The mention of this helmet brings to our
mind the superb example in the Royal Armoury of Madrid, made by a
member of the Negroli family towards the close of the XVth century
(No. D 12, 1898 catalogue) (Fig. 353). The whole surface of this beautiful
salade, the general outline of which closely follows those of the helmets
of which we have been speaking, is overlaid with |)laques of silver nielloed
and incised with ornamentation of pronounced Ilispano-Arabian origin.
12
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
This oriental enrichment may have been the means of strengthening the
belief that the salade was made for and worn by Boabdil, the last Moorish
King of Granada; for this is its tradition recorded in the 1849 catalogue of
the Madrid Armoury. That may or may not be true, but the fact remains
however that this salade was in the armoury of the Emperor Charles V.
Though salades of the Italian form are of considerable rarity, many
are to be seen in the armouries of the Continent — in Vienna, Berlin, Dresden,
Munich, and Nuremberg. From the last-named collection we illustrate three
(Fig. 354 a, b, c). The Poldi-Pezzoli Collection at Milan, and the Museo
Fig. 346. From the triu.mpiial arch of Alphonso of Aragon
Erected at the Castel Nuovo, Naples, in 1470
Civico and the Arsenal at Venice, contain examples. The Royal Armoury of
Turin also possesses many specimens; indeed, it would be safe to say that
most of the National Museums abroad possess salades of the Italian type.
As to examples appearing in painting, almost every cassone of the end of
the XVth century has a panel depicting them as head-pieces of the Italian
knights.
There are but two other salades of the Italian Celata type to
which we shall refer: they both represent somewhat different head-pieces
from those we have already described and illustrated. One of the two
helmets was formerly in the collection of Mr, A. C. Lafontaine, who
purchased it in a shop near the Cattle Market, Oxford, on the advice of
13
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Mr. Seymour Lucas, R.A. The purchaser was toUl that it came originally
from a mansion in the neighbourhood (Fig. 355). It is a curious salade,
inclining to what we have termed the French or tailed variety. F'itting
over the helmet itself is an outer co\ering of gilded cop|)er, skilfully
modelled and well chased to represent the scalp of a lion — the eyes of
which are rendered in vitreous enamel. It has been suggested that this
Fir.. 547. Portrait ok a Venetian nobleman
Attributed to Martino di Battista da Udine known as I'ellcgrino da San Danicle.
Fainted about 1490. Imperial Picture Gallery, Vienna
outer covering is work of the XVIIth century; but we have no hesitation
in pronouncing it to be contemporary with the helmet. From its very
close resemblance to that lion mask salade sculptural in the relief on the
Alphonso of Aragon arch at Naples to which we have referred, we should
think that the I^fontaine salade is of Italian origin; but, as the helmet is
somewhat crudely fashioned, there is the |x>ssibility that it may be an
English-made head-piece founded on an Italian model. The plausibility of
this latter thcor)' is somewhat .strengthened by the circumstance that tradition
>4
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
has it that this hehnet was originally part of the original armoury of the
house from which it was obtained.
The salade of Italian form that we shall mention last is a very beautiful
helmet in the possession of V^iscount Astor, at Hever Castle, Kent (Fig. 356).
■ _
A
m
i^^m
1
ikJIP
^
y^ -^7^^ ',1
^
* ■ ..^Kkt^i .A
"^
i
Fic. 348. Salade
North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark
About 1470. Collection: Mr. Godfrey Williams
Fig. 349. Saladk
North Italian. About 1470
Collection: Author
Fig. 350. Salaue
North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark. About 1470. The surface blued, with bronze
gilt enrichments. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell
Owing to the semi-oriental feature of its decoration Viscount Astor's helmet,
like the salade in the Royal Armoury, Madrid, has been associated
with the name of Boabdil. Be that as it may, this salade remains one
of the most remarkable helmets of its type extant. The proportions of
the head-piece are not large and the face-opening is wide. Above the ears
15
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
are applied scmi-cylindrical plates to render hcarlnjf less difficult. Follow-
ing the lower edge of the helmet is a series of very large heinispherically
headed rivets which, though they serve no other puqx^se than that of con-
necting the skull-piece with the leather thong to which the lining was
attached, seem to lend to the helmet an apjK'arance of strength. These
exaggerated rivets arc constantly found ujxjn head-pieces of about this
time — the third quarter of the W'th century. They are to be seen on the
little salade worn by that curious XVth century figure known as Jack o'
Fh;. 351. S.vi.Aiii
Nurth luliaii, prubiibly Venetian. About 1490, with enrichments added in the XVIth century
Formerly in the Collection Gatterburg Murusini, Venice
Southwold in Southwold Church, Hssex (Fig. 357). The figure holds a
halberd in the right hand and a falchion in the left, which latter used to
strike a bell at the hours, when the figure was part of the church clock. But,
apart from the rivets, a general likeness to the salade in Viscount Astor's
collL*ction can lje noticed in the salade worn by the Jack o' Southwold. The
same large rivets are also to Ik* seen on a war hat in Mr. Frank B, Maconiber's
collection in Boston, U.S.A., and in a later form upon the fine war hat in
the Wallace Collection.
It is not so much in its form as in its decoration that the Ilevcr
Castle helmet is remarkable. A silent reminder of past pomp and grandeur,
16
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
it is almost the only existing example of anything of its kind. The whole
surface of the salade has been roughened by even cross-hatching, and on to
this surface a thin sheeting of gold has been hammered, then burnished,
and afterwards tooled with a series of dual lines conforming to the general
decoration of the helmet. To enrich this head-piece further, over the face of
the skull-piece apertures have been cut in groups, pear-shaped and round,
into which have been inserted beautiful little arabesque designs executed in
gold cloisons filled with translucent enamel. These are retained in position
at the back by a lining of thin iron which covers the entire inner surface of
the salade. The colouring of the enamel is vivid and beautiful. Many
Fig. 352. Salade
North Italian. .About 1490, with enrichments added in the XVI Ith century
Collection : Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi, Rome
theories exist as to the origin of this helmet. Moorish Spain and Venice seem
to make the best claim to its production; in our. opinion, it should be credited
to the latter place.
It is by comparison of the enamel panels on this helmet with the only
two other examples of like enamel applied to military equipment, with which
we are acquainted in England, that we arrive at this conclusion. These
enamels of the same technique and brilliancy are to be seen on the famous
Forman stirrups (Fig. 358), now in the collection of Lady Ludlow, and on
portions of a bridle in the British Museum (Fig. 359).
After most careful consideration, and comparison, these stirrups and
the plaques from the bridle have both been pronounced to be of Venetian
origin and workmanship of the latter part of the XVth century. So, on the
II 17 u
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
}*round of their kinshi|) lo these enamels we feel justified in attributing^ those
found on Viscount Astor's helmet to the art and workmanship of laic X\'th
ccntur)' X'enitx*. rather than to Mot)rish Spain; though the enrichment on the
hcad-piccc bears a general resemblance to the decoration found U|X)n the
Ilispano-Motjrish swords of the lime of the Spanish Contjuest, yet we must
bear in mind the Moorish inHuence on X'enetian art at this period. Viscount
Astor's salade is one of those recent discoveries that from time to time
surprise and ilelight the collecting world. It was practically unknown up
I-Hi. 353. S.M.ADK OK THE V'KM.TIAN OKDKK
I-alc XVlh ccntur)'. From the armour)' of Charles V. D 12, Royal Armoury, Madrid
to about fifteen years ago, when it was purchased from a small private
collection in the ChAteau de Perignen, Finhan, France, and afterwards sold
to Viscount Astor at a figure far in excess of any price ever paid for an
individual piece of plate armour.
The next family or group of salade head-pieces which we shall consider
are those of the tailal order which we have very vaguely termed " French,"
to distinguish them from the types already dealt with. We call the class
" French " merely l^ecause the form appears to have originated in France; but
as a matter of fact almost immediately on its introduction the F'rench salade
found universal favour, es|x;cially in Germany, where the finest examples are
18
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
still to be seen. The Italians, however, remained constant to a slightly
modified Celata type. It was a comparatively easy task to deal with the
Italian C>/«/rt and the German Sclialern, as there was little variation in their
forms; but in discussing the "French" type greater difficulties are en-
countered, many varying shapes being met with, all of which must be placed
under the same general head. We will sub-divide this class into three
divisions: those provided with movable visors and with or without laminated
tail-pieces: those fashioned from a single piece: and lastly and latest in date
Fig. 354
{a) Salade, North Italian, about 1470. (It would appear that the face opening
in this helmet has been altered, probably in contemporary times)
{F) Salade, Italian, about 1480. {c) Salade, North Italian, about 1470
All in the National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg
those in which the elaboration of the parts almost converts the salade into a
close helmet of the armet type. To simplify our subject, and to deal with each of
these varieties entirely separately, and at the same time to keep up anything
like a chronological order in our description of existing pieces, is quite
impossible; inasmuch as the types overlapped one another, and were to a
great extent contemporary. For instance, a simple salade forged from one
piece may date late in the XVth century; while a visored example may be
found of an earlier period, and vice versa.
We shall first mention the visored tailed salade, because we are able to
19
FiC. 355. iiAI.ADK OK NORTH ITALIAN TYPE
About 1470, but pcMsibly of English workmanship. A casing of copper gilt fits over the
iron salade. Formerly in the coIlcctionH of Mr. A. C. I^fontainc and Hcrr liuhter
and now in the National Bavarian Museum, Munich
20
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
record a very early example that we can place within the first half of the
XVth century. It is, however, to America that we have now to turn for this
representative specimen. It is in the collection of Dr. Bashford Dean of New
Fig. 356. Salade, probably Venetian
About 1480-90. Of iron, plated with gold, and enriched with cloisonne enamel
Collection: Viscount Astor, Hever Castle
York, who obtained it from the Baron Vedal de Levy. It was originally dis-
covered at Meuse, France (Fig. 360). In form the skull-piece rises to a high
pointed and ridged crown. The tail-piece is short, and hinged immediately
below the position in which one is accustomed to look for the visor rivets;
while the visor itself, if it may be so named, is attached to the front of the
21
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
skull-piccc in the manner of a reinforcing plate. It may l)c added that this
salade is studdeil with j»e\vtcr-cap|XHl rivets. From the place of its discovery we
may look upon it as beinjj of Trench orijjin, a typical example of the head-
pictx* then becoming popular in I'rance. A second salade t>f very much the
same family of head-piece, small in projx>rtions, but in this instance furnished
with a movable visor, is in Sir Iidward Harry's collection at Ockwells Manor
(I-ig. 361). This little head-piece was likewise found in I'rance. Its peculiarity
Fig. 357. Jack o* SocTHwoLn
Southwold Church, Kssex
t"u;. 358. Stirrup, onk ok a i-air
Venetian, about 1490. Collection: lady Ludlow
is the shallowness of the lower part of its visor lx;low the oculariuin. Indeed,
its general pn»|it)rtions very much resemble those of the salade head-piece
represented on that beautiful painted stone head in the Musde Historicjuc
d'Orldans, which by some authorities is considered to be a fragment of the
monument erected in the XV'th century to the Maid of Orleans, Jeanne d'Arc
Fig. 362). kendde Belleval, in his Costume Militaire, quotes from a FVench
MS. of about 1446 who describes such a head-piece worn with the armour of
the time in language that leads one to supiK)se that the .salade was coming into
22
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
general use : ''La tierce armeure" {de teste) " et la phis cotnune et la meilleure
a mon semblant est ranneiive de teste qui se appelle sallades." Although we
have accepted the Bashford Dean salade as being of French origin, we must
admit that its proportions very closely resemble those of the head-piece on
the Neville effigy to which we have already referred. On the brass, too,
of Sir Robert Staunton in Castle Donnington Church, Leicestershire, the
visored salade may be seen most clearly represented (Fig. 363). The date of
this brass is about 1455, which illustrates clearly how very difficult it is,
even when some marked national characteristic is present, to assign with
Fig. 359. Portions of a bridle
Venetian, about 1480. British Museum
certainty a helmet, or, in fact, any piece of armour to any given country, on
the mere ground of a general similarity of form.
At adate closely following that of these head-pieces come the strange high-
crowned salades that are peculiar to England, and which are the virtual pro-
totypes of the English armet. The famous Warwick pageant, designed about
1475, shows salades of the tailed order in the drawing depicting the battle of
Shrewsbury. These salades have high-crowned skull-pieces, with a reinforcing
piece at the front, and also the movable visor (Fig. 364). For a representation
of an extant example of salade of this type we can do no better than illus-
trate that now hanging in the St. Mary's Hall of Coventry, known as the
helmet of " Peeping Tom," a helmet which probably owes its preservation to
the fact of its having been formerly used each year in the Lady Godiva pro-
cession (Fig. 365 a and b). It is a fine English-made salade of the third
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
quarter of the XVth centur)'. The skull-piece is forged entirely from one
piece, with a stronj^ly accentuatetl ridge running u|) the centre anil terminating
in an acute point, in the manner of the bascinet helmet. To the apex has been
1
Fit;. 360. S.M„\l>K
French type, about 1 440
Collection: Dr. Itashford IXran, New York
Fig. 361. Saladk
French, about 1450
Collection: Sir Kdward Barry, Hart.
Fi<;. 362. Coloured stonk head
Belie\-cd to rcprcMrnt that of Joan of Arc, from her monument at Orleans, erected in the
XVth century. It will be noted that the back portion of the hcad-piccc is broken off
Muste IIi.5torique, Orleans
roughly riveted a tubular plume-holder, which, if not con tern {jorary, is a very
old addition. The tail-piece is not long, nor the visor deep; but both are very
strongly made. A reinforcing plate with an angled upjjeredgc is riveted above
24
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
the ocularium, which is unusually wide, and is formed by the space between
the lower edge of the skull-piece and the top of the visor, in precisely the same
manner as one sees in the case of the armets of the same period. Around
the centre of the skull-piece is a series of hemispherically headed rivets which
held the leather strap for the attachment of the lining. The small rivets upon
which the visor is pivoted are the original ones. The surface of this fine
salade, which has never had anything done to it, is now a russet-brown with a
bronze-like patina.
W^
P(rT> u
m
V.rK u«c3r™"^l^^^~T^^"^!^^
1/ -#
^r
.rf:-
n^^
■'w
%:
Vr'
Fig. 363. From the brass of Sir
Robert Staunton
Castle Doniiington Church, Leices-
tershire. About 145 s
Fig. 364. From the Warwick pageant
Drawn about 1475. This portion of the
drawing represents the battle of
Shrewsbury, 1403
Next in the matter of date comes a group of salades, examples of which
are shown in the British Museum, in the Tower and elsewhere, entirely
forged from one piece. The ocularium in these is formed by a slit in the
rim of the salade, which rim is broad enough to cover half the face. The
ocularia served no useful purpose when the salade was worn tilted back
on the head, as was customary when the wearer was not engaged in actual
combat; but when it was drawn down so as to protect the face, the ocularia
came into their correct position. Of these one-piece salades, we will first
illustrate the example in the Wallace Collection, No. 31 (Fig. 366), not from
II 25 E
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the ptiint of view of its quality of make, which indeed is somewhat mediocre,
but because it is easily accessible for study. The skull has a slight ridge
fomicil to an acute anj;le. "f he ocularium is i J inches from the lower edge
of the helmet. The row of rivets which runs round the centre of the skull
scr\ed for the attachment of a strap, to which the lining could be sewn.
We are inclined to consider this salade. which was one of those formerly
in the collection of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke. as of German manufacture
and as dating prolxibly within the last years of the first half of the XVth
century. Ne.xt we will refer to the s;ilade in the bequest made by the late
Mr. W. Hurges to the British Museum, which is also German, and of
{a) {/>)
Flu. 365. Salade
French fa.'shion, hut probably of English workmanship, about 1460-70
St. Mary's Hall, Coventry
(a) Profile view (^) Front view
alx>ut the same period. Its workmanship, like that of the Wallace specimen,
is not of the best; but its general outline is more vigorous, and its greater
depth lends it an ap|x*arance of solidity (Fig. 367). In the collection of the
liaron de Cosson is a salade much like the Hritish Museum example, i)Ut
it is of far finer workmanship, though a little later in date. It was pur-
chased from the Soeter Collection, Augsburg. It appears to be of German
make; though it is now asMxriated with a Ixivor which is apparently of North
Italian workmanship (Fig. 368), The Artillery Museum in the Rotunda at
Woolwich shows a more unusual salade, remarkable for its great depth and
for the very slight projection of its tail (I'ig. 369). If it be compared with the
three salades just descrilx:d, which are of the less uncommon " tailed " order
26
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
of the second half of the XVth century, its peculiarities will be the more
clearly seen. A series of rivets, flush on the outside, held a strap just above
Fig. 366. Salade
French fashion, but probably of German
workmanship, about 1450-60
No. 31, Wallace Collection
Fig. 367. Salade
French fashion, but of German work-
manship, about 1460-70
Collection : the late Mr. W. Burges,
British Museum
Fig. 368. Salade
French fashion, but of German workmanship, about 1470-80; the bevor North Italian, about 1480
It bears the Missaglia and Negroli marks. From the armoury of Philip the Fair and
Charles V; salade and bevor in the collection of the Baron de Cosson
the level of the slit for the eyes, to which the wadded cap or lining was sewn.
The bottom edge is rolled outwards over a wire; but the rolled edge does
not, as is usually the case, project beyond the level of the outer surface of
27
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the saladc. When the Baron de Cosson described this salade in "Ancient
Helmets and Mail " (1881), he stated that he considered it of earlier date
than the preceding type of salade. In shajx: it approaches more nearly the
(hapel-iie^fer with a slit in it, which may have sujjjjested the origin of this
** tailetl" or French type. The possible date of this salade is from about
1440. Like much of the XVth century armour in the Rotunda, it is stated
to have come from the Isle of Rhodes.
From the same source, the Museum of Artillery also acquired two other
salades: one of unique form (I'ig. 370). which has the rivets for the lining
and chin straps ne;irly flush with the outside. There is no ridge. Some
Fic:. 369. Saijvoe
In the Rotunda, Woolwich
I'Ki. 37a Sai.aiii
or about 1460-1500
In the Rotunda, Woolwich
experts have attributed a Flemish origin to it, but there is no representation
of it on any monument to support this view. The other (Fig. 372) is a fine
example, part of the tail has received a blow and is turned up, and the
rivets are to lie s|x.'cially noticed.
I'xamples of these salades are constantly to be met with represented
on the sculpture of the ix.*riod. One can be seen on that fine carved wood
statuette in the late Baron Ferdinand Rothschild bequest to the British
Museum which Sir Hercules Read descriljcs as German, but which in our
opinion might easily he Northern French (Fig. 371).
A rather different type of salade, but one fxissibly as early as any of the
tailed order that we have described, is a fine little helmet in the Wallace
Collection (T-'ig. 373). This is a splendid specimen, retaining its original russet-
28
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
coloured surface and studded with hemispherical headed rivets of a large size.
It will be noticed that across the skull-piece, immediately above the forehead,
is applied a plate, the upper edge of which is escalloped. This may have been
done to reinforce the helmet, or possibly to lend it the appearance of having a
pivoted visor. There is in the Tower Armoury another such salade;. but it is
a less satisfactory specimen, having suffered from rough handling and over-
cleaning. A salade of almost similar form, and, we imagine, the work
of the same armourer, forms part of the original armoury of the arsenal of
Fig. 371. Carved wood
STATUETTE OF ST. MiCilAEL
French, about 1460. Collec-
tion : the late Raron Ferdi-
nand Rothschild, British
Museum
Fig. 372. Salade
In the Rotunda, Woolwich
Venice (Fig. 374). In our opinion it was this form of salade that found
favour with the unmounted knight, the head-piece being light, of good pro-
tective quality at the back, and of small proportions. It could be worn
alike with the standard of mail and bevor, or even when the face was
unprotected, a fashion that was much in vogue for combats on foot. The
French gallant and great champion of his day, Jacques de Lalain, greatly
favoured the little salade, and did much to make it popular, especially
for combats on foot in the champ clos. In the early days of his fighting the
bascinet helmet was his head-piece; but he fought ''sans visiere ct a visage
29
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
d^-imvfrt." In other words he removed the visor from his bascinet. In his
famous fight with the Scottish knight. James Douglas, his face was
exposed, while the Scot. " foinhn/foif «•// bnssinet in visidre /ermde." In
1
^^^^^H^^
^IH
i^^^^^B
JJlHiMiHi
E^^^^l
Fig. 373. Sai-adk
French r»!ihk>n. but poMibly of North Italian make, about 148a No. 76, Wallace Collection
*■"'• 3/4- .">/%! A HI,
French faiUiion, but poMibly of North Italian make, about 1480. The Arsenal, Venice
almost his next fight we read of Jacques dc Lalain encountering the same
I>ouglas, but wearing " line petite saiiade de guerre toute ronde et avoit ie
visage et ie coi tout di'couvert." It is Olivier de la Marche who in
30
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
wonderfully vivid word pictures gives descriptions of the fights of the illus-
trious Lalain. In all his later combats de Lalain is to be found wearing a
salade in combination with the collar or standard of mail, but rarely the bevor.
Fio. 375. Salade
French type, but of German make, about 1470-80. Possibly used by mounted archers
No. "jj, Wallace Collection
In Chastelain's Chronique dti Bon Chevalier Messire Jacques de Lalain, he
adds this description of his salade, '' un chapeau de fer d'ancienne faqon,
quon avoit approprid pour cefaire." In fact, it was an old chapel-de-fer cut
Fig. 376. Salade
French type, but of German make, about 1470-80. Museo Civico, Venice
and altered to suit the taste of this knight," who disregarded the conven-
tions of armament. All degrees of fighting men wore the salade during the
last three-quarters of the XVth century — the noble, the knight, the soldier,
and the archer. The Baron de Cosson gives it as his opinion that the
31
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
elon};fnted, thouy:h somewhat poorly constructed class of salade with movable
visor that is to be found in many of the niuseunis of Hurope, was used by
the archer.
There is an excellent specimen, representative of this type of salade. in
the Wallace Collection (Fig. 375). It has the lifting visor. The skull-piccc
is without a comb, but becomes ridged at the tail, the lower edge being
strongly cur\ed so that the helmet could be thrown well back on the head
when not in use. The hinged vist)r, coming to a flattcnai point at the top,
is piercetl with a narrow slit which forms the oculariuin, l)clow which it
slightly projects. Around the border is a series of twin holes by which the
lining is secured. This example came from the collection of the Comte de
Nieuwerkerke. having previously been in the possession of M. Louis
b-^^^BM Carrand. The Haron de Cosson, describing an
^^^^■^fc^^^^^ exactly similar salade in his own i)ossession,
-^^^^^^^^^^ remarks: "The small holes, in pairs, were for
the pur|)ose of sewing in a lining which covered
the inside of the visor. ... It is curious that
this arrangement, which must have made the
head-piece more comft)rtable, was not adopted
in the heavier salades of knights; but it was
jHirhaps thought more necessary in a light head-
piece like this, which would be driven against
the face by a heavy blow and was probably worn
without a Ix'vor." M. Viollet-le-Duc gives an
engraving of two archers from a manuscript of
the Passages, t/'ott/ re Mcr, who are wearing this form of salade, and the front
view shows no iK-vors l)eing worn w ith them. These salatles are also peculiar
in the Hattish tops of their crowns, which have no ridge whatever; they are
remarkable, too, for their great length from front to back. M. Viollet-le-I)uc
descril>es and engraves the Wallace example. The knight in DOrers en-
graving, "The Knight, Death and the Devil," and the brothers Stephen and
J-ucas Baumgiirtner in the p<jrtraits of them painted by this master on the
"j"^-:ls of the Baumgartner altar-piece in the old I'inakothek at Munich, all
^* Jades of this type. There are two similar salades in the Tower;
. ..i-^'d on the outside, from the castle of Ort, in Bavaria, the other
one. paintc , , , , , /• , t, ^ \^
Durchi 'd af*^ *^ ^ arms and armour of the Baron de Cosson m
1 893. *-
\nother salade''**'"''^'** ^^ ^^ same tyiK-. though somewhat shorter,
32
Fii;. 377. Salaok kor an akciiek
KnglUh. about 148a
Collection: Mr. Ilcnr)' G. Kcasby
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
used to l)c in the collection of M. Gayeski,
in Mgovvo, Poland, a collection dispersed
some twenty-five years ago.
The suit made by Antonio da Missaglia
and said to have been worn by Robert of
San Severino of Naples in 1487, which is
preserved in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna
(see vol. i, Fig. 216), has associated with
it a similar German make of salade head-
piece, which has its surface painted with a
chequered design. Two other salades of this
kind may be mentioned, one in the Musde
d'Artillerie(H 41, 1890 Catalogue), the other
at Venice in the Museo Civico (Fig. 376).
An English variety of what we should
imaQ;ine was an archer's salade is in the
collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby. This
little head-piece, little better than a skull-
cap with a slight tail to it, is interesting as
having been found in London on the site of
the Fortune
Fig. 379. Saladk
German, about 1480. National
Bavarian Museum, Munich
II
Fig. 378. Salade
German, Augsburg make, about 1490
Collection: Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi,
Rome
Theatre in
Golden Lane. Although it is impossible to
date it with any degree of precision, we should
imagine it to belong to the closing years of
the XVth century (Fig. 377).
When we come to deal with the heavy
knightly salade of the "tailed" variety with
the lifting visor, head-pieces hardly ever worn
without the bevor, we are obliged to turn to the
continent for complete examples, since there
are no specimens of this type in English collec-
tions. The prolific Wallace Collection shows
us no such salade, neither does the Tower,
nor any private collection with which we are
acquainted. The skull-piece of these heavy
salades may be drawn out into the tail it-
self, as in the case of that very splendid
33 F
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Fiu. 38a Saladk
German, about 148a National Germanic Museum,
Nuremberg
helmet formerly in the col-
lection of Herr I'ranz Thill
of Vienna, ami now in that
of Prince Ladislaus Odes-
calchi, a specimen that leaves
nothing to be desired either
as rej^ards form or condi-
tion (Fig. 378). Rarer still
arc those salades of which
the laminated tail-plates give
a certain play to the ex-
tended neck covering. The
Imperial Armoury of Vienna
exhibits such salades upon
the suits of Sigismund "The
Wealthy " of the Tyrol, in
a complete form (see vol. i,
Fig. 244): while the National Bavarian Museum of Munich contains a
particularly representative example, which we illustrate (Fig. 379). It is a
suficrb specimen, elaborate and complete in construction, and belonging to
the last quarter of the XVth century. Unfortunately in the illustration the
laminated plates on the tail-piece are not clearly defined. In the National
Germanic Museum of Nuremberg there is a fine salade with a tail-piece of
five laminated plates and a large ample visor; it bears the Nuremberg guild
mark (Fig. 380). A salade of much the
same type is to be seen in the Rotunda
at Woolwich (l*ig. 38or/).
The last and most complete variety
of the salade helmet reverts in the forma-
tion of its skull-piece to that of the
It;ilian Celata ty|)c, amplified with a
very protective visor and often with
reinforced forehead plates, such as are
seen on the armct or close helmet of
the time. However, unlike the Italian
Celata, the salade in its final form,
though }x>ssibly originating in Italy,
was not used exclusively by Italians,
34
Fici. 380a. Salaue
The Riitunda. Museum, Woolwich
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
but was copied by other nations, not-
ably by the Germans.
There is an example of this purely
Italian form of the latest shape as-
sumed by the salade in the bequest
of M. Louis Carrand to the Bargello
Museum, Florence; indeed, of its kind,
it is as fine a specimen to illustrate as
any with which we are acquainted (Fig.
381). Here is the salade indeed in its
most elaborate form ; for besides pos-
sessing the hinged tail-piece, the re-
inforced skull-piece, and the full bel-
lows visor, may be noted an added
chin-piece which is attached to se- ., , ,' ,.'' ^
, North Italian, about 1500
COndary underlymg cheek plates. 1 his Collection : Monsieur L. Carrand. Now in the
chin-piece opens down the front in the Bargello Museum, Florence
manner of those seen upon the close helmets or armets of the XVth century.
This is a perfect protective head-piece, and one worthy of the closest study ;
for apart from the interest it possesses from being the most elaborately
constructed example known, its condition leaves nothing to be desired. It
has not suffered at all from rust, and is remarkably thick and heavy; while
the surface bears a patina of a fine dark
blue-black colour.
Next we will illustrate a national treas-
ure, a really fine and complete specimen
(Fig. 382) of an Italian salade in the armoury
of the Knights of St. John at the Palace,
Malta (No. 439, 1902 Catalogue). Here the
skull-piece has a finely moulded crown-
piece finishing in cabling of the Maximilian
order, the front portion strengthened by a
reinforcing plate. The back of the skull
is out-curved to form a neck guard, the
whole of the edging being turned under
to make it blunted and less marked, as one
finds to be the rule in nearly all armour
of the XVth century. The visor is of
35
Fig. 382. Salade
North Italian, about 1500. Armoury
of the Knights of St. John, Malta
(No. 439, 1902 Catalogue)
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the bcllou-s form, with a few longitudinal slits for breathini,' purposes.
The surface is now blue-black in colour— perhaps as originally produced. It
is also delicately etched with ornamental desijjns of acanthus leaves, upon
which are traces of gildinjj. This fine and rare salade, certainly one of the
greatest treasures of the armoury at Malta, was. until the re-arrangements
made there by the present writer, set upon one of the three-quarter suits
of .W'llth century armour which once lined the walls of the gallery. The
head-piece, together with the suit, had received from time to time coats of
paint, ciltirely obscuring the delicate etching, which only appeared on the
Fiti. 383. Salade
North Italian, about 15CXX It bean an ar>
inourcr's mark of the Miiisajjlia family
No. G 8. Mua^ d'Artillcric. Paris
l-IU. 384. S.\LAIJE
North Italian, about 1 500, etched and gilt.
I'Vom a suit numbered G(j, Mu.s<}c
d'Artillcric, Paris
former after it had been subjected to several baths of i)otash and hot water.
VVc consider that this salade dates within the last quarter of the XYth
century. Milan was probably the place of its manufacture; for, although it
is unmarked, it closely resembles certain head-pieces of the Missaglia
school, as, for instance, the salade in the Mus<5e d'Artillcric of Paris, which
appears upon a suit numbered (i 8. This helmet we know to be actually
the work of a Missaglia, as it bears the mark of that family .several
times repeated (F'ig. 383). It has a reinforcing plate riveted to the skull-
piece. Two other s.ilades of the same nature are also to l)e seen in the
Musce d'Artillcric (Tigs. 384 and 385). Both, however, show certain differ-
36
»
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
ences, one (Fig. 385) having the visor attached on the hinge principle of
the XVth century bascinets or armets.
Of the latest and most complete form of salade, Nos. 79, 80, 82, and 87
are the examples to be seen in the Wallace Collection; but as three of
these are of German origin we shall refer to them later. In the Windsor
armoury is a head-piece somewhat made up, but it has a genuine visor
of bellows form. It is to be seen on a suit (No. 56 in the 1902 Catalogue)
partly of modern manufacture, which was sent from the Tower of London
to Windsor Castle in 1901 merely for the purpose of filling an empty
bracket on the grand staircase of the Castle. In the Tower collection this
Fig. 385. Salade
North Italian, about 1500. It will be noted that the visor could be removed on the
hinge-and-pin principle of the XVth century armet and earlier bascinet
H 45, Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris
latest form of salade is not represented. Of the Wallace examples No. 80
(Fig. 386) is the finest and most complete. The skull-piece is of finely
moulded keel form, reinforced in the front. A hinged tail-piece com-
pletes the back, the lower border of which is turned upwards. The visor
may be compared to the bellows type with four ridges, and is of the
Maximilian order, pierced with thirty-four circular holes for ventilation.
The ocularium is formed by the space between the edge of the skull-piece
and the top of the visor. The probable date of this complete salade, which
appears to be North Italian in origin, is about 1480 to 1500. It came from
the collection of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke. There are other good Italian
examples, which might be illustrated, in the collection of Prince Ladislaus
37
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Fig. 386. SAI.ADK
North Italian, about 1500
No. 80, Walla e Cullectiun
Odcscalchi, at Rome, in the Royal Armoury of Turin, and in the Poldi-
Pezzoli Collection. Milan; while in the collection of Sijjnor S. Hardini of
F'lorence and in the Wallace Collection (No. 62) are
shtnvn specimens of this type of salade etched and
gilded in the Missaglia manner, which have lost
fj0 their visors. The Wallace salade (iMg. 387), a finely
^L < ^"^^1 decorated specimen, has a slightly ridged skull-picce
^^ "^^P ^^ '^'^ •* single tail-plate, the lower edge of which is fin-
^^ ''^M ished by being turned inwards on a wire. A plate, i \
m ^ inches wide, runs across the forehead. For beauty of
J^- outline and of decoration, however, no extant Italian
salade of the Missaglia schtK)l can l^ear comparison
with that splendid example which, formerly the pro-
perty of the Grand Duke Michael Paulowitch, passed,
at his death in 1866, into the Tsarskoe Selo of
IVtrograd (Fig. 388). The skull-piece is somewhat high with a strongly
defined but slightly flattened comb. Secured by rivets at the sides arc three
laminated tail-piates which, like the
very beautifully modelled plate that
reinforces the forehead, are furn-
ished with rosette-headed washers.
This latter plate is gracefully fluted
into grooves radiating from the
centre to the upper edge, which
is shaped in bat's-wing fashion.
The foliage design with which the
whole of the plate is finely etched
introduces on its dexter side a shield
with thirteen |X)ints, and on the
sinister side the armorial bearings
of the Hentivoglio family; while
alx>vc them are smaller shields
etched rcsixctively with an eagle,
surmounted by a ribbon inscribed
NVN . Micm (nunc mihi) and a bull with a lily Ixitween its horns. There is a
tradition that this fine head-piece was made for Hrcole Hentivoglio of Bologna
(1459-1507), a tradition which probably has some foundation, for the eagle
38
Fic. 387. Sai.aok
North Italian, about 1 500. School of Missat^lia
No. 62, Wallace Collection
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
and the bull, seen in the auxiliary shields, figure in the arms of Barbara
Torelli, to whom Ercole Bentivoglio was married, while the helmet seems
to answer well enough to Ercole's period. There is one puzzling motif for
which we cannot satisfactorily account, the word nesi'OLA (signifying the
fruit medlar), repeated four times in the grooves of the forehead-piece. It has
been suggested that nespola might be a battle cry, abbreviated from dare
iiespole — to give a beating; but if that were the case the spelling should
certainly be nespole and not nespola. At the back of the skull-piece is an
Fig. 388. Salade
Milanese, second half of the XVth century, said to have been made for Ercole Bentivoglio
(b. 1459, d. 1507). Collection: Tsarskoe Selo, Petrograd
armourer's mark (much rubbed), which we must confess resembles but little
that employed by the Missaglia family, to whom we should have otherwise
unhesitatingly ascribed this most beautiful head-piece. The mark is most
probably of Milanese origin, but unlike any of which we have a record.
Contemporary illustrations of salades of this type are numerous; and
among the best-known pictures in which an example figures is the fine
painting of a youthful warrior by Francesco Torbido in the Uffizi, Florence,
formerly described as the portrait of the General Gattamelata (see vol. i,
page 194, Fig. 230). In this picture a head-piece of grand proportions
39
EUROPEAN AKMOUR AND ARMS
is rcprcscntetl ; the surface is blue-black, with delicately fashioned enrichments
of bronze, gilt, or ptwsibly silver-gilt. There is ample record to show the
high pitch to which the dc*coration of salades was carried. The Negroli Cchfa
in the Royal Armour)', Madrid, which we descrilx:d among those of the
Italian ft)rm (Fig. 353). has applied silver plates to increase its splendour.
Another salade of the ** tailetl " or I'rench tyix; in the same collection is
adorned in a precisely similar manner (Fig. 389). This, like the other salade
at Madrid, is also the work of a Negroli, the only other instance, we believe, of
Fig. 389. Salade
French type, but the work of a .Nctjroli of Milan, about 1500. From the armoury of Charles V
I> 13, Koyul .Armoury, Madrid
that family of armourers producing a head-piece on these lines. Like its
companion Celata it was in the Armoury of Charles V, and bears the same
tradition attaching to it of having been originally made for Boabdil (No.
I) 13, 1892 Catalogue). It will Ixj noted in the illustration that in addition
to the tail-piece Ixringa separate plate and riveted to the skull, the decorated
borders are likewise applied. The engraving upon the surface is ex(|uisite,
and the ornamentation is Ixautifully balanced; but it is |X)ssibly a little
more Hispano-Moorish in design than the decoration of the other salade
in the same collection.
40
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
We have remarked on an earlier page that this very completely visored
salade with the Celata form of skull-piece was made in countries other than
Italy. The Wallace Collection contains three of German origin, one of which
we will illustrate; while on certain of the magnificent suits in the Imperial
Armoury of Vienna may be seen such head-pieces, the work of noted German
armourers. Of the Wallace helmets of this type No. 82 (Fig. 390) is the
most typically German. The skull-piece is flattened, and has a low comb of
rectangular section, with a hollow groove running down the centre. On
either side are four radiating rows of fluting. The tail-piece is composed of
three plates. The hinged visor, which is attached by conical-headed rivets,
contains oblong apertures forming the ocularia, below which are pierced and
embossed ridges and two series of holes for ventila-
tion. This salade was purchased by the Comte de
Nieuwerkerke from the citadel of Seragavow. The
other two salades of this type in the Wallace Col-
lection are Nos. 79 and 87, both more or less of
the same form and of the same nationality of origin.
Putting aside the Coventry example (Fig.
365 a and b) and the small archer's salade (Fig. 377),
the type of salade head-piece which was worn in
England in the latter part of the XVth century, and
which may be looked upon as of English make,
appears to be a head-piece which is a mixture of
the Italian and " tailed " types, inclining perhaps
rather to the former. One can only judge what
the English made salades may have been like by referring to those very
few specimens to be seen in English churches, where they are in some cases
placed above tombs dating nearly two generations later than the make of the
salades. True, two of the examples we illustrate (Figs. 391 and 392) have
had mesails and chin-pieces added in the XVIth century; but none the
less the skull-pieces are XVth century work, and as such must have
represented the ordinary type of English made salade common in this
country toward the close of that century. These head-pieces were then going
rapidly out of fashion; so that probably they were bought up as out-of-
date helmets by the funeral furnishers of the time to be adapted as one
sees them for heraldic purposes, much after the manner they treated the
Italian armet at a later period. The first example (Fig. 391) appears to
be the earliest of the three. It is in Harefield Church, Middlesex. The skull-
II 41 ■ G
Fig. 390. Salade
North Italian type, but of Ger-
man make, about 15CX)
No. 82, Wallace Collection
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
piece, which is |M>intetl at ihc top after the manner of the Itny^lish made
armets illustrateil on |>ajies 93-4 (I-'ijjjs. 445 and 446), extenils to a tail-piece
of sonie lenjjth. .ind nnj;ht date within the third quarter of the X\'th century.
The workmanship is sound, but not fine — |X)rtions of a visor and a mesail
and a chin-piece of the |)eriod of HIizaljeth have Ikvu added to it. The next
salade that seems to be of Enjflish make is in liast Sheflford Church,
I^mlxiurne, llerks. The skull-piece of this example (Fig. 392), to which was
added a mes;iil for funeniry pur|X)ses in the With century, is not iK)iiited,
and is possibly of alx)Ut 1480, and therefore of somewhat later dale than the
Fig. 391. Sai.adk
The skull-piccc probably English, about 1460-70. Ilarcfidd Church, Middlesex
Ilarefield example. The third salade (Fig. 393), which might also be of
Hnglish make, though it is very Italian in form, is to be seen in Hexham
Abbey; in the guide books it is described as having been worn by Sir John
I-enwick, who was killed at Marston M(K)r in 1644. Since, however, the
salade dates from the fourth quarter of the XV^th century, the story is most
improbable, but it is possible that it is a relic of the battle of Hexham,
fought in 1464.
Richness of adornment of arms and of armour seems always to reach its
culminating points in the ornature of the helmet and the sword hilt. We
mentioned a record of the richness of the decoration of the bascinet helmet
(vol. i, |>ages 230-2). The evidence of contemporary annals furnish pr(X)f of
42
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
even more profuse luxury in the case of the salade. In the privy purse expenses
of King Henry VII (Bentley's Excerpta Historicd) are these entries: "De-
livered by the Kinges commandement for diverse peces of cloth of gold, and
for certain and many precyouse stones and riche perils bought of Lambardes
for the garnyshing of salades, shapues [meaning chapemix or chapels-de-fer\
and helemytes agenst the King's noble voyage, ;i^38oo "; and later: " To John
Vandelf for garnyshing of a salett, ;^38. i. 4." At the same time we find
among the privy purse expenses of Elizabeth of York, Queen to Henry VII,
the account of a payment for a gift intended for her husband, who was then
planning an expedition against Scotland. It is as follows: "To the Quene's
grace for garnishing a sallett, £\o!' In the year 1455 Charlotte of Savoy,
Fig. 392. Salade
The skull-piece probably English, about
1480. East Shefford Church,
Lambourne, Berks
I'iG. 393. Salade
Probably English, though of pronounced
Italian form, late XVth century
Hexham Abbey
Queen of France, is recorded to have defrayed the expenses of the equipment
of three men at arms, and amongst the items of the account was " i marc
7 ozs. and 7I gros silver," employed for making the ornaments of three salades.
Everything, however, in the nature of the luxurious adornment of a head-
piece is surpassed by the decoration of the salade worn by Louis XI on
his state entry into Paris, which is stated by Duclercq to have been worth
100,000 crowns of gold on account of the jewels with which it was enriched.
The Duke of Burgundy in 1443, according to Olivier de la Marche, appears
to have possessed a salade valued at the time at almost as high a figure.
It is a matter for wonder that even any parts of the highly enriched head-
pieces of the XVth century have survived; for not only did the fashion
and the use of the salade cease in the XVIth century, but the old shapes
43
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
were remodelled and dcspoilcil of their ornaments. Three and a half cen-
turies of vandalism and t>f lack of archaeological interest have so effectively
Uinisheil into obscurity any specimen that escaped contenijwrary destruc-
tion that to bring to light to-day an unknown XVth century head-piece is a
discover)- much rarer than the re-discovery of some work from the brush of
one of the old masters.
Whether a crest was ever worn on the salade in the field is somewhat a
matter of speculation. Nearly every specimen of salade that we have
examined has in the ridge of its skull-piece a slot-like hole, to which
some form of crest or ornament could have been attached; but it is now
im}x)ssible to say if the crest was actually worn in battle or only for
purposes of pageantry. In the Uccello battle-
piece (vol. i, Fig. 238) in the National Gallery, very
fanciful shapes can be seen attached in the form
of cresting to the armets, but not on the salades,
though several are seen in use. In this picture
the crests on the armets do not appear to have
any armorial significance; for their shapes are
unusual. They may, however, have served to
identify the wearer. We are, however, bound to
admit that in the portrayal of the battle subjects
so often seen on the front panels of the Italian
cassoni of the latter half of the XVth century
many of the warriors wear the Celata crested,
much in the same manner as the armets are crested
in the Uccello battle-piece. On the pbverse of Pisano's medal of Lodovico III
di Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua (Fig. 394), an equestrian knight in full
armour is represented wearing a salade of North Italian form, upon which
is a trimming of feathers surmounted by a great spherical object that might
be taken for a crest. In the Louvre is a drawing by the same artist,
evidently a sketch for the more famous medal of Alphonso V of Aragon,
King of Naples, in which, Ijchind the profile view of the Duke, is a well-
drawn Italian salade, showing its straps for attachment, and surmounted
by a crest in the form of a bat (Fig. 395). It is, however, chiefly in
German armorial painting that we see the mantling and cresting of the
salade carried to excess and to a degree that in actual usage would be im-
possible. As an instance we reproduce from an illustration a salade bearing
the enormous crest of Duke Ludwig of Bavaria, showing the lambrequin
44
Fu;. 3<>4. The oh verse ok
PiSANd'S MEIIAL OK I^DO-
vtco bi Gonzaga
Showing the crested saUde
THE SALADE HEADPIECE
hanging beneath the crest (Fig. 396). This can be, however, only an heraldic
device. Occasionally in illuminations a knight is represented in a crested
salade; but this may be an artistic licence, the display of heraldry being
an easy way of explaining his personality. On purely utilitarian grounds we
are inclined to dispute the idea of the salade having received any actual
cresting in warfare. At its best the salade was certainly a top heavy head-piece ;
so that the addition of a ponderous crest, even if only fashioned of papier
vidchd, would have made it almost impossible to wear. On the great seals
of the later Plantagenet kings the sovereigns are represented as wearing
crested salades as headgear. This again must have been an artistic licence.
•DIVVS-ALPHONSVS-
•REX-
•TRIVA^PHATOR'ET•
'PACIFICVS-
Fig. 395. From a drawing by Pisano called Pisanello
FOR THE FAMOUS MEDAL OF ALPIIONSO V OF ARAGON
Louvre, Paris
Fig. 396. The crest
OF Duke Ludwig
OF Bavaria
In England, except on the tilting helm, the representation of a crest is
rarely seen ; though a mid-XVth century English writer, whose name is un-
known, alludes on two occasions to " salads " with crests.
A description of the salade would be incomplete without mention of
the bevor — bavier, or baviere — a defence that was latterly almost always
worn in company with it. Many are the derivations suggested for this word.
Grose says that bevor is derived from beveur, drinker, or the Italian bevere,
to drink, forgetting the fact that its original spelling was bavier, bavidre
(French) and baviera (Italian). His derivation therefore is not convinc-
ing, and we prefer to derive it from the French baver, to slobber. Shake-
speare's use of the word rather suggests that he is alluding to a movable
attachment to the helmet. Speaking of it in Henry IV, Pt. II, act iv, sc. i,
45
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
he says: "Their beavers d4mH\ their eyes of fire sparkling through sights
of steel": in Hamlet, act i, sc. 2, he says: ** He wore his beaver hP"\ in
Henry IV. Pt. I, act iv, sc. i, he says: " I saw young Harry with his beaver
cm." And finally in Richard III, act v, sc. 3, he says: "What, is my beaver
gmsitr than it was?"
To-day we are accustomed to apply the word (bevor) to that movable
portion of the close helmet which actually covers the face and into the top of
which the visor of the helmet fits. It is, however, with the bcvor considered
Fig. 397- I'oktrait of Alberto Akinguieri
From the fresco by i'inturicchio. About 1470. Duomo of Siena
as a separate defence that we are now concerned. It has erroneously been
called the metitoiniicre; but there is no record of that term having been used
so early as the X\'th century. There is little doubt that Planchc is in error
when he op|x>ses M. \'iollet-le-Duc*s opinion, and states that the piece which
we arc here calling the Ixivor is really the " /tausse-col" ; for we continu-
ally find the " hansse-coi" described as being made of mail: " Haussecol
de niailU, houscot de mailles " (Chastelain) ; " /e chamail ifu /laitssecol" (Olivier
dc la Marche). The /laMsse-co/ \\':is certainly the stanilard or gorget of mail
(see page 184). It is almost safe to affirm that in the first quarter of the
46
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
XVth century the association of the bevor
with the salade was practically unknown.
It would have been useless in conjunction
with the early German Schalern, and
almost as impracticable with the salade of
the Italian Celata order. It was not until
the " tailed " or French type of salade had
obtained an established reputation as a
head-piece that attention was paid to the
necessity of finding some form of protec-
tion for the lower part of the face. It
would appear that the high standard of
chain mail fashioned as a collar standing
rigidly up round the neck, though popular
throughout the XVth century, was not
considered of sufficient protective power;
Fig. 398. Short bevor
About 1470-80. Collection: Mr. S.J. Whawell
with the result that plates of metal were added to a plate gorget to give full
protection to the lower half of the face. In this way
was the bevor evolved. The bevor of closely linked
chain mail that can be seen in the Zeughans of
Berlin may perhaps be a transitional type (see
page 183, Fig. 522). It is rarely that these defences
figure on effigies or on contemporary carving; for
in actual wear, covering as they do the lower part
of the face, they would preclude any attempt at
portraiture. Pictorial art, however, furnishes an
admirable representation of a bevor. In a fresco in
the chapel of S. Giovanni in the Duomo of Siena,
painted in the first or second year of the XVIth
century, Alberto Aringhieri is depicted fully armed
in the fashion of about 1470 (Fig. 397). He is
represented kneeling in prayer. His salade, very
like the one of French origin we have illustrated
on page 30 (Fig. 373) and his gauntlets are on the
ground in front of him; whilst his bevor is in
position round his chin. In this instance the
lowest gorget plate of the bevor has a border
of chain mail with a vandyked edge. In some of
47
Fk;. 39.SA. Tall Blvor
Collection: Mr. W. H. Riggs,
Metropolitan Museum, New
York. Ex collection: Baron
de Cosson
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the later and more elalwrated bevors there was an aperture in the lower
|»arl of the K*^*^*-'^ plate, which fitted over a staple in the top of the
breastplate, throuj^h which a pin was passed holdinj^^ the bcvor rigidly in
|)osition. St) that the face which it protected could move with ease within it.
In other cases it was merely attached by a strap around the neck. In some
instances the neck straps were made of mail. The height of the plates varied
according to the depth of the rim of the salade. W'c illustrate a simple Ixivor
of the small or t)rdinar\- ty|x: from a (icrman example in Mr. S. J. Whawell's
collection (I'ig. 398). In the gorget plate are double holes for attaching it to
Fig. 39y. Fk<»m H.vns Blm.kmaik'.s "TkiUMrii ci M wimii 1 an I'l,. LI)
" The course of the ingenious breast -plate "
Showing jousters with tilting saladcs
the breastplate; while at the back are the remains of the straj) by which it
was fastened round the neck. This s|KX'imen dates from the last (juarter of
the XVth century. The high bevdr which covered the face up to the eyes
must also have done duty with a chapd-de-fcr ty|)e of helmet; for again
quoting Chastelain we note "... avoit nil /lariins de fcUc qui lidtoit ni
bassinet iii salade, iitaisetoit fait h la semblance et ma 11 id re dim cape I defer
. . . et avoit tine haute bavitre, tellement que de son visidre il nappardit que
Us yeux." The Haron de Cosson's collection used to contain a tall bevor of
this kind (F'ig. 398A). The more usual courte bavitre spoken of by Olivier de
la Marche when he says "salade h visiere, et courte bavidre" is like those
48
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
found associated with the ordinary salade as seen in the Wallace Collection,
at the Tower, and elsewhere, for they are not of exceptional rarity. The
bevor, in association with an open helmet, must have been an unsatisfactory
face defence; it was easily knocked out of place, it must have bruised or
even lacerated the face when forced against it, and in a fierce mdlde must
often ha\e become detached. It will be noticed that in the accompanying
illustration (Fig. 398) the upper portion of this bevor is formed of two plates,
the top one being hinged at the sides, so that it could be pushed down over
the lower one. The wearer could thus speak clearly without removing the
bevor. A spring catch kept it in its place when it was raised.
Lastly, we must mention
those salade forms of head-
pieces that owe their existence
to the practice of the tourney,
specimens of which are to be
found in some of the public
collections of this country. They
are true tailed salades in form,
but not fashioned for purposes
of war, and are nearly all late
in date, certain types advancing
well into the XVIth century.
These jousting salades are for
the most part heavier than those
used in war, and are flatter in
front below the ocularium; so
that they could be worn with
the lower edge fitting inside the tilting bevor or, in later times, the menton-
niere. The tilting bevor, was often fashioned of wood and leather and was in
most cases rigidly screwed to the breastplate, its upper edge reaching to the
ocularium in the helmet. As it is easier to suggest an idea of this jousting
harness by means of an illustration than by any explanation in words, we
give a picture chosen from the famous "Triumph of Maximilian," by Hans
Burgkmair, Plate LI (Fig. 399). The engraving shows five of a series of
jousters in tilting salades, the knight on the left wearing a bevor of plate
outside the lower edge of his salade, while the knight next to him has one
of wood similarly adjusted. To facilitate the fitting of the salade inside the
bevor, it will be noticed that the cabled edge running round the rim of the
n . 49
Fig. 400. Jousting salade
German, about i5CX)-io. Tower of London
Class IV, No. 17
H
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
helmet is omitted in front. In the Tower armoury is a salade which most
dearly shows this characteristic (Tij;. 400). It is an example of the early
years of the With centur)'. and has the square-shai)ecl tail-piece instead of
the pointed. This is a not uncommon feature; indeed, we are able to give
illustrations of three with tail-pieces so formed. The Tower salade is quite
in the Maximilian style, with channels arranjjed in groups of three, and with
crudely engraved ornaments. The engraving is not etched, hut cut with a
tool, and cabling forms the crest of the skull-piece. It will be noticed that
the channelling and ornamentation cease over the ocularium, leaving a plain
|>olished surface, on which it was customary to apply two plates formed like
wings or shells which together took a semicircular shaj)e. These curious
Fig. 401. RErRODUCTioN of a Gkkman jou.stino sai.adk
In the style or about 1500, showing the detachable wings above the ucuiarium
If.M. the King, Windsor Castle
plates appear on all the tilting saladcs represented in the "Triumijh of
Maximilian." They were not applied for defensive purposes, but were targets,
to dislodge which required a particularly neat stroke of the lance, a feat which
scored heavily in the tournament, M. Viollet-le-Duc shows them admirably
in his Dictiounaire dii Mobilier Franqais, vol. ii, p. 405. The lower edge of
these plates fitted on to a projecting b<jlt at either end of the ocularium, and
the)' were retained in |X)sition from above by a forked steel sjjring, the hole
for the screw of which exists on the comb of the Tower salade illustrated.
The Windsor armoury can show us another such salade (Catalogue 1902,
No. 1 10) up<jn a suit that was obtained from the Tower of London: this
head-piece is not genuine, but it gives a good idea of what we wish to
explain (Fig. 401).
50
THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE
Our next illustration (Fig. 402) is from a drawing, made by the present
writer, of the superb tilting salade formerly in the possession of Sir Noel
Paton, whose collection was some time ago purchased in its entirety by the
Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. This helmet is indeed a splendid
example, and of an earlier type than any tilting salade with which we are
acquainted, its date being about 1470- 1490. It has all the characteristics of
the helmet at Windsor Castle just alluded to, except that its tail-piece is
pointed, and that there is a reinforcing piece secured beneath the ocularium.
Fig. 402. Jou-STiNG salade
Probably German, about 1470-90. Collection: Sir Noel Paton. From a drawing by the author
On examination it will be noticed that this extra plate covers a welded
line, which rather suggests that the salade was originally made for use in war,
and that the lower part beneath the ocularium was added, the welded place
being strengthened by an extra plate, when the helmet was adapted for the
jou.st. The condition of the helmet, which retains its original blackened
surface, is admirable: indeed it has suffered in no way from the effects of time
or of accident, and the original padded lining is still in its place. No less
than twenty-six aiglette holes — an astonishing number — appear about the
skull-piece, each hole being fitted with a decorated pewter rim. There are ten
on each side, and a group of six at the back, three being on each side of the
51
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
medial line of the helmet. It is somewhat difficult to determine the use to
which st> many holes were put; but, perhaps, like those fijjurinjjj in Diirer's
famous drawinijs of tiltinjj helms (see page 138), the aiglcttes were
thrcadetl through them in profusion to keep the lining of the salade from
flapping about the wearer's head. The lining is comi)osed of four segments
of wadded canvas drawn together in the centre by the aiglettes, allowing
for ventilation in the centre. The whole was sewn to a leather strap, the
rivets for the attachment of which appear on the outside of the skull-piece
just above the aiglette holes. Sir Noel Taton |)ut it on record that when
he first remembered the helmet the loop of leather used for suspcntling it
from the saddle was preserx'ed intact; but now part only remains. Sir Noel
Paton purchaseil this salade from Mr. W. B. Johnstone, R.S.A., who in
turn had obtained it from Mr. David O. Mill, R.S.A.
In describing the example in the Wallace Col-
lection, No. 73 (Fig. 403), an example which is
considered by some authorities to be of even earlier
date than the Noel Paton specimen, we may seem
to be reversing the proper order of things; but
though in general outline the Wallace helmet aj)-
|>ears to \)c a fighting salade of about 1460, we are
forced to assign it to a later date owing to the
flattened keel form of its crest. The skull-piece,
which is forged entirely from one piece, is of fine
strength and of even thickness. The tail is five
inches in length, and the ocularium is formed by
a flanged opening three inches from the bottom of the helmet, the lower edge
protruding half an inch beyond the upper. There is a row of nine rivets,
which passes round the centre of the skull for the attachment of a leather
strap (parts of which remain), to which was sewn the lining. In the front of
the salade, at the extreme bottom, is a small roller, against which must
have rested a long tilting Ijevor of the same pattern as those worn with
the tilting salades just descril>ed. The purpose of this roller was to assist
the wooden bevor, when struck in the proper place by the adversary's
lance, in sliding upwards and detaching itself — a stroke which scored well
in the tournament. To detach the long bevor by a single blow, it was
necessary to strike it at a marked point, which, as often as not, was a painted
heart; the shock so directed released a spring attached to the breastplate,
and the bevor was thrown forward and upward. M. Viollet-le-Duc gives
52
Fig. 403. JofSTiN«i sAi.Ai'K
German, about 1470-90
Na 73. Wallace Collection
THE SALADE HEADPIECE
an excellent explanatory drawing of this elaborate mechanism, and illus-
trates a bevor of metal worn beneath the exterior wooden defence (Fig. 404).
There were many variations of these mechanical jousting contrivances which
are most accurately illustrated in Burgkmair's "Triumph."
In the Musde d'Artillerie (Nos. H 50 and 51) are two very beautiful
salades of the Maximilian square-tailed order (Figs. 405 and 406). The former,
w hich is finely fluted, has the applied roping round its lower edge, which in
the usual manner ceases in front, though the design of the cable is brought
out in flat chasing. Six aiglette holes are on either side of the skull-piece.
Fig. 404. .From a drawing by Viollet-le-Duc
Riveted to the comb is the fork-like attachment that held the additional
forehead plates of which we have already spoken. The second salade (Fig.
406), from which, by the way, the additional forehead plates are also missing,
is of exactly the same construction, but far more elaborate in its enrichment.
Its ornamentation may be said to represent a slashed and cut cloth cap
drawn over a coif of mail. This effect is obtained by grooves, which
represent the slashing, and by embossing the cuts, both grooves and
cuts being accurately etched in imitation of chain mail showing through
the interstices of some textile material. About the centre of this fine
helmet is deeply etched a band of scroll ornaments. Other museums on the
53
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
continent show many varieties of these tilting salades, notably the Imperial
Armoury of Vienna and the Armoury of Dresden.
We wouli! place the absolute
clisapi)carance of the salade as late
as 1580. In its final form it differs
but little from the common open
casque of the time; but it is, as one
would expect, much heavier and
more solid in construction, since
its use, like that of its immediate
predecessors, was limited entirely
to the tourney field. Salades of
this type are invariably German,
and as a rule .Saxon; they arc
known as "Saxon jousting helms."
The Wallace Collection possesses
a pprfect example (No. 1308), which
has attached to it its original bcvor,
which in this form may now be
termed \.\\c menfoiinidt'e {V'\^. 407).
The skull-piece has a high roped
crown in the manner of all late
XVIth century helmets; the only
suggestion of the salade form is
seen in its pointed tail-piece at the
back. The visor is strong and fits
into the lower part of the helmet,
which protrudes to receive it. The
main edges are roped and have
slightly recessed bands round
their border, a row of steel-
headed rivets follow the outline.
At the back of the skull-piece on
either side are two groups of twin
holes, four of which are fitted with
I-"U.. 405. JOLMI.Ni. SALAOK
German, about 1505-15. II 50, Muscc d'Artillerie
Fig. 406. Jousting .saladk
German, about 1510-15. H 54, Muste
d'Artillerie
pewter rims; through these were drawn the aiglettes for the attachnicnt of
the padded lining cap. In the front is a large screw, to which the mentonuidre
is secured by a nut. The metitonnidrc has a spring trap-door on the dexter
54
THE SALADE HEADPIECE
Fig. 407. Jousting salade
of the latest type
German, about 1580. No. 1308,
Wallace Collection
side for breathing purposes, and in the lower
part, which covers the chest, are six large circular
holes to fit the staples on the top of the breast-
plate. This interesting helmet comes from the
collection of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke. A fine
series of these Saxon helms can be seen at Dresden
upon suits fitted with their extra tournament
plates. A complete suit with such a helmet is
shown in the Musde d'Artillerie, Paris, as also are
two separate helmets. An illustration of one of
these, H 53, which we give, clearly shows how
the hinged visor, by fitting within the front part
of the salade, could be raised without unfixing the
head-piece from the nientojinidre. The screw for
holding the mentonnitre is still in position (Fig.
408). The helmet, H 52, in the Musde dArtillerie
is a splendidly enriched example of the Saxon
salade, and was formerly in the collection of Napoleon III. The whole surface
is closely etched with an arrangement of strap work painted in polychrome.
The suit to which this salade be-
longs was made for Nicholas von
Radzivil, Duke of Olyka, about
1575. Part of it is now in the
Imperial Armoury, Vienna, and was
previously in the collection of
Prince Charles of Prussia. The
chanfron belonging to this suit is
nowin the collection of M. Bachereau
of Paris. Another good Saxon salade
was sold at Baron de Cosson's sale
in 1893. This helmet was originally
in the Brocas Collection, which was
dispersed in 1834, and later appeared
in that of Mr. J. W. Bailey.
We should have liked to have
described many other incomplete
Fig. 408. Jousting SALADE OF THE LATEST TYPE specimens of salades which are to
German, about 1580. H 53, Mus^e d'Artillerie be found scattered in private collec-
55
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
tions and museums, but this chapter is perhaps already too long aiul we
must be content to illustrate fivt most interesting examples of visors which
arc preserved in the Rotunda Museum at Woolwich (Fig. 408A).
Fic. 408A. Visors
(a) Visor of an Italian saladc, about 1470
(B) Visor of an Italian saladc, about 1470
(c) Visor of an Italian saladc, about 1470
(D) Visor of a saladc, German ty|>c, about 1470-80
(E) Viior of a saladc, German ty|)c, about 1460-70
All in the Museum of the Rotunda, Woolwich
We lx;lieve that the salade will ever be the favourite head-piece of the
armour enthusiast, for it was in use during the period in which the art of
the armourer was at its zenith both as regards utility and refinement of
decoration.
56
CHAPTER XI
THE HEAD-PIECE CALLED THE CHAPEL-DE-FER, WAR HAT, OR CHAPAWE,
DOWN TO THE EARLY YEARS OF THE XVlTH CENTURY
ROISSART speaks of this head-piece as ''un chapel de Mon-
tanban,Jin, cler et net, tout d'acier, qui respiendissait au soleil"
an account which is lyrical, but not very enlightening. Whether,
indeed, the chapel de Montauban was a distinctive form of war
hat, or whether war hats made at Montauban and thereby famous
for excellence of workmanship, the great chronicler fails to make clear. The
period when the chapel-de-fer prevailed was probably longer than that of any
Fig. 409. From the Painted Chamber, Palace of Westminster
Showing the chapel-de-fer. Early XHIth century
Other helmet; its simplicity of form, together with its general protective
qualities, must have made it universally popular. Mentioned in statutes as
early as the end of the Xllth century, its form survived in the pikeman's
helmet of the middle of the XVI Ith century, and so stretched over an epoch
covering close on five hundred years, during the whole of which time such
alterations of its general form as can be traced are surprisingly slight. As
its name implies, the chapel-de-fer, chapeau-de-fer, or, as it was termed in
England, the chapawe, means nothing more than a hat of iron.
II 57 ■ I
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
It may be arjjutxl that we should have mentioned the chapel-de-fer
in the previous chapters which deal with the head-pieces of the earlier
centuries; but since we are unable to ^ive illustrations of any actual chapel
that can be assigned to a date earlier than the XVth century, we have
thought it best to defer such brief description as we can give of this type of
head-piece to the present stage of this work. We are inclined to think that
•
1
^r •
f?*
m f
\-^^ ^ Jj J§ #^k
k
1 f
•* •
Pic 4ia From the " Pentateuchus," etc
Third quarter of the X 1 1 Ith century
Add. MSS. 11639, British
Museum
Fig. 411. From a stone statuktte
Middle of X 1 1 Ith century. Chapel of
St. Maurice, Cathedral of Constance.
From Hefner-Altencck, IVaffen •
the chapfl-dt-fer was more ordinarily the head defence of the rank and file;
though undoubtedly the noble and the knight arc |x>rtrayed wearing such a
form of helmet. Before we refer to actual head-pieces of this class which
we are able to illustrate, we will give a few instances of chapawcs of earlier
date, as they appear in missal and sculpture. A good example of a chapawe
of early XI I Ith ccntur)' date is depicted on the mural paintings which were
formerly in the old Palace of Westminster (see vol, i, Figs. 143 and 144,
also I'ig 409 and vol. iii, Fig. 907). Here the head-piece represented is of
58
THE WAR HAT OR CHAPAWE
basin form, reinforced with bands, as in the case of the conical heh-net of the
Xllth century, and surmounted by a spherical knob. A wider brimmed
variety of chapawe is shown in an illumination (vol. i, Fig. 141), which
illustrates a French battle scene of about 1280. The hat can be seen on the
figure placed immediately behind the knight whose helm has been so success-
fully cleft in twain. A drawing dating from the last quarter of the Xlllth
century (Fig. 410) can be seen in the British Museum (Add. MSS., No. 1 1639)
which depicts a more elaborate type of war hat on which a comb, doubtless
applied, is shown, much in the manner of the pikeman's helmet of the XVIIth
<aTrr^'^^^°'^.^"'''^*^^'
Fig. 412. From an equestrian figure on the
TOMB OF AyMER DE VALENCE
About 1330. Abbey Church of Westminster
Fig. 413. Almeric, Lord St. Amand
About 1350. Hastings brass.
Rising Church, Norfoltc
century. Again the sleeping warriors, clad in complete chain mail with coifs
of the same medium, who are represented in the mid-XIIIth century stone
carving in the chapel of St. Maurice in the Cathedral of Constance, will all
be noticed to be wearing, as an additional head-piece, a chape l-de-fer, which,
with its low sloping brim and reinforced comb, is almost XVth century in
style (Fig. 41 1). Yet another form of chapawe, deep and almost morion-like,
and strengthened by a band which passes down the skull-piece, appears on
one of the equestrian figures which form part of the Aymer de Valence
monument in the Abbey Church of Westminster, a monument which dates
from about 1330. [We may mention, by the way, that the front portion
59
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
of the brim of this chapawe has been unfortunately broken off, and that
round the neck of the knight, outside the mail coif, is what appears to be
a quilted defence (Fig. 412.)] The splendid but mutilated brass of Sir Hugh
Fkj. 414. From the aodkess from the town of Prato in Tuscany to Robkkt 01 As}uv
About 1335-40. Royal MSS., E ix, fol. 21, British Museum
Hastinjjs in Elsing Church, Norfolk, which dates from about the middle
of the XlVth century, presents a rather different kind of chapawe; for
Almeric, Lord St. Amand. who figures on this brass along with other
notabilities, and whose neck is clad in a plate gorget of large circumference,
60
THE WAR HAT OR CHAPAWE
attached to which is a camail of chain (Fig. 413), is shown in an elaborated
chapavve, worn over what appears to be a small, close-fitting bascinet.
P'lG. 415. Chapel-defer
Probably Swiss, about 1440-90. Collection: Viscount Astor, Hever Castle;
Ex collection : Herr J. von Hefner- Alteneck
Another example of the chapawe worn as an auxiliary helmet is shown on.a
sepulchral slab in Ashington Church, Sussex, which dates from about
Fig. 416. Chapel-de-fer
Probably Swiss, about 1450-90. Found in
the lake of Morat in Switzerland. Ex
Chabrieres-Aries and Ressman collections,
now Metropolitan Museum of New York
Fig. 4 1 6a. Chapel-de-fer
Probably Burgundian, about 1460. Collection:
Mr. W. H. Riggs, Metropolitan Museum,
New York
1350. Here again the head-piece is seen worn over a small bascinet. Among
the Royal MSS. in the British Museum there is a splendidly illuminated
61
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
address (E ix, fol. 21) in Latin verse to Robert of Anjou from the town of
Prato, in Tuscany, executed about 1335- 1340, in which is depicted a knight
(iMg. 414) fully annex] in the reinforced chain mail of the time. He is armed
Fh;. 417. CUAl'hl. DhtKK
rrobably Kui^undian, about l450-9a Kx collection: Signor Kcssman, now Mctru|)olitan
Museum of New York
with a sw<)rd and dagger, remarkable in their detail. On his head is rej)re-
scntcd the chapel-tie-fer, with an almost conical skull-piece and sloping brim
worn over the coif of mail.
M. Viollet-Ic-Duc in his erudite work, the Dictioiinairc du Mobilicr
Fig. 418. Chapel DBFER
SpMihh type, about 14^-90. Collection:
Sir Edward Barry, liart.
Fig. 418A. Chapeldefkh
About 1460-90. The Rotunda Museum,
Woolwich
Francois, reconstructs various interesting types of the citapel-de-fer from
contemporary illuminations.
With the advent of the XVth century we can expect to find actual head-
pieces that tally with the pictorial descriptions of the chapawc. Of these
62
THE WAR HAT OR CHAPAWE
no existing specimen is worthy of closer scrutiny than the fine helmet (Fig. 415)
now in the collection of Viscount Astor at Hever Castle, and formerly in that of
Fig. 419. Chapel-defer
Said to be the work of Hans Griinewalt of Nuremberg, belonging to the suit made for
Sigismund, Archduke of the Tyrol (1427-1496)
Imperial Armoury, Vienna
Herr Hefner-Alteneck {Trachfen, vol. ii, Plate LXXXIII). The form
of this head-piece is remarkable. The circular skull-piece is pinched
Fig. 420. CllAPEI.DE-FER
Bavarian (Innsbruck make), about 1495. Collection: Mr. W. G. Keasby
together at the top, while the brim slopes gently downward, much after the
manner of the hats of civilians as represented in pictures of the early Dutch
schools. The iron from which this particular chapawe is made is of the
63
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
hardest possible quality, dark and lustrous u\ colour. Hefner-Alteneck was
probably correct in considering this helmet, which came from a castle
on the Rhine and bears a fleur-de-lys as an armourer's mark, to be of
Swiss workmanship, dating from about 1440-90. M. Demmin, in his Guufe
des Amalenrs d' Amies (page 283, No. 83), states that there is a dupli-
cate of this chaftel in the Museum of Copenhagen. Next to be examined
is a strangely simple iron hat, also Swiss in workmanship and of very
characteristic form. It is fairly light and of very large proportions, and must
have been heavily )>added inside. The holes for the rivets which secured
this }>adding are still visible. The exterior surface was originally plated
with tin to prevent its rusting. It is now in the Metropolitan Museum of New
Fic. 421. Fkum the I'Aueant o> kicHAku Hkauchamj', Kaki. ok Warwick
Showing the knightly cha/>el-de-fer in use. EngU.sh, about 1475
York (Fig. 416) where there is' another very graceful specimen with a falling
waved brim and dating from the middle of the XVth century (I'ig 416A).
In the same museum is a singularly graceful head-piece of the same order
but of a different ty|>e. The brim of this example is not of uniform breadth and
has a curious curved line; it is witler over the ears, where it is compressed
in to afford them greater protection. The skull-piece is gracefully decorated
with simple broad, spiral channels. This helmet was considered by Signor
Rcssman. in whose collection it once was, to be Burgundian and to belong to
the middle of the XVth century (I'ig. 417). A good many chapawes, more or
less of this type and of this date, are ii) existence, and are for the most part
the head-pieces of the soldiery. One special type comes exclusively from
Spain, a specimen of which we illustrate (Fig. 418), now in the collection of
64
THE WAR HAT OR CHAPAWE
Sir Edward Barry. Another good example may be seen in the Rotunda,
Woolwich (Fig. 41 8a).
When the chapawe was used as the head-piece of a knightly harness it
was generally interchangeable with some other form of head-gear; as a proof
Fig. 422. Portrait of Philip the Fair in 1505
From the wing of a triptych. Netherlands School, early XVIth century
Brussels Gallery
of this assertion we may instance the small head-piece which goes en suite
with the superb harness, said to be the work of Hans Grunewalt of Nurem-
berg, which was made for Sigismund the Wealthy, Archduke of the Tyrol
(1427- 1 496), and is now in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna (see vol. i,
Fig. 244). On the harness is a fine and complete salade ; but associated with
II 65 K
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
it is also a simple basin-like chapei-de-fer of magnificent workmanship with
sumptuous brass enrichments (I^ig. 419).
A similar chapel was formerly in the collection of Herr Max Kuppel-
ma\Tr uf Munich, and is now in that of Mr. Keasby. Although fluted in the
same way it is without the brass enrichments. It is apparently of Innsbrilck
make and Ix'longs to the last quarter of the X\'th century (Fig. 420). In the
manuscript of the pageant of Richard Heauchamp, Fiarl of Warwick, to which
we have alluded, and which is now considered to have l)ecn executed in
the third quarter of the XV'th centur)', the war hat or chaj)awe often
figures as the head-piece of the knight. In the illustration of the siege of
Calais (I'ig. 421) five of the knights have this form of helmet; but the helmets
arc represented as crested, much as the Italian armets are seen in the famous
Uccello Ixittle-pieces (see vol. i, page 193, Tig. 228, and page 199, I'ig. 238).
We might almost say that the calofeor steel coif worn under the cavalry hat
of the latter part of the W'llth century is a descendant of the chapawe; and
the modern steel helmet first worn by the French, and then adopted for
general use among the allies, can prefer an even stronger claim to that
distinction. But since the application of this term to any ojjen form of helmet
after the first half of the XVIth century ceases from the |X)int of view of
the armour enthusiast to describe the tyjx.- of head-piece to which we have
been alluding, we will take leave of the chapawe, which, strictly speaking,
assumed its final form in the closing years of the XV'th century, by giving
an illustration of the portrait of Philip the Fair, father of Charles V (d. 1506),
which figures in the Brussels Gallery (F'ig. 422), and by quoting Grafton,
who describes King Henry VI 11 in 1514 as wearing "on his hedde a
chapeau Montaubin with a rich coronal, the fold of the chapeau was lined
with crimson satten."
THE "BARBUTE* HELMET
When we speak of the barbutc we are employing a term that, as applied
to a head-piece, has certainly a very indefinite denotation. We are accustomed
to classing salade head-pieces of the Venetian order under the heading of
barbutes; but we have slight authority for putting them in this category,
save a knowledge of the fact that the term has been handed down parrot-
wise from collector to collector as descriptive of such a head defence. In
66
THE "BARBUTE" HELMET
the opinion of the Baron de Cosson, and we can certainly go to no higher
court of appeal, the barbute or barbuta was a bascinet type of helmet furnished
with a chin-piece of plate; for the word barbuta must originally have meant
something bearded. In this interpretation of barbute, the beard portion of the
helmet would signify a plate protecting the beard, and not, as M. Viollet-le-
Duc suggests, an open-faced helmet showing the beard; so that what in
France would be known as a bascinet a bavidre, would in Italy come under
the heading of the barbuta, or in the French language, barbute. It requires
no imagination to conjecture that, while originally the term barbute was
applied to the beard-plate only, it finally came to stand for the entire head-
piece, of which the beard-plate was but a part.
Olivier de la Marche uses the term for a defence of the same nature
as the bevor. He states that Claude de Sainte Hel^ne, armed for a
fight, appeared '' sa teste armde de salade et de barbute "; while Chastelain,
describing the appearance of the knight on the same occasion, speaks of
him as having a ''salade en tite ayant bavidre''; so that the word barbute
and baviere would appear to be synonymous. In an early XVIth century
mention of the barbute, it figures as a portion of the helmet itself; for
Hall, giving an account of a mishap to King Henry VIII at a tourna-
ment, says in his history of that monarch: " For a surety the duke strake
the King on the brow right under the defece of ye hedpece on the very
coyffe scull or bassenetpece whereunto the barbet for power and defence is
charneled." Here Hall, in his use of the word barbet, certainly seems to
refer to a reinforcing plate applied to the skull-piece of a helmet, as seen on
most armets (see post. Fig. 430). To enable the reader to get some idea
of the different interpretations which the two great authorities we have
mentioned give of the same term, we furnish an illustration of a very splendid
Venetian helmet in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 423) which illustrates
adequately enough the type of head-piiece to which M. Viollet-le-Duc applies
the term barbute; while another illustration, that of a bascinet helmet (see
vol. i. Fig. 283), will sufficiently depict what the Baron de Cosson means
by the same expression. The present writer would have preferred to include
his account of the bascinet barbute, referred to by M. Viollet-le-Duc, in those
chapters which deal with the history of the bascinet head-piece, since in his
opinion the Wallace example is a representative helmet of that class. It
differs indeed from certain bascinets represented (see vol. i, Figs. 278 and 279)
only in the prolongation of its lower front cheek-pieces and in the outward
sweep of its lower back edge. It was, however, almost a matter of necessity to
67
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
rcscr>-c this helmet for inclusion in the present chapter in order to contrast
M. \'ittllet-lc- Due's a>nception of a Ixirbute with that o( the Haron de Cosson.
The W'allacx" ixiscinet dttrdM/e is a finely made helmet, heavy, thick, and
xrry true in outline. The skull-piece is constructed on the lines of a hascinet
of about 1390 with a pointed apex; thouijh, as we have said, the base of the
Fig. 423. Rascinkt
Described by Viollet'le-Duc as the type of helmet called the barbute
lulian, about 1390-1400. No. 1 5, Wallace Collection
helmet splays outwards. I'ollowing the line of the border, except on the
prominent check projections, is a close row of small holes for the attachment
of the lining, and jnside these, some 2\ inches apart, a row of staples through
which a cord was passed for the fastening of the camail ; these cease over the
forehead, in the extreme centre of which are two small staj)lcs with upright
projections placed one alxjve the other. It is probable that they were for
68
THE "BARBUTE" HELMET
fixing a movable nasal-guard when raised. The same arrangement appears
on the fine little XlVth century bascinet (see vol. i, Fig. 261) to be seen in
the late Mr. W. Burges's bequest to the British Museum. M. Viollet-le-
Duc gives an excellent drawing of the barbute reconstructed with a nasal-
guard and camail added (Fig. 424), perhaps of the Wallace example. It will
be noted that by an arrangement of the staples, which run up on either side
at an obtuse angle from the lower edge of the skull-piece to the forehead line,
the very prominent cheek-pieces would be covered by the camail, which.
Fk;. 424. The same helmet
Reconstructed by M. Viollet-le-Duc, with the nasal-guard and camail in position
From the Dictionnaire raisonni du Mobilier Franqais
however, owing to the angle at which the cheek-pieces are set, was kept from
pressing upon the chin. This head-piece in the Wallace Collection used to be
in the collection of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke and was previously in that of
the Count of Thun, at Val di Non. It is safe to assume that it is Italian and
belongs to the middle of the XlVth century.
As to what actually was the form of this widely used head-piece, uncer-
tainty will always exist; for, as we have already explained, contemporary
accounts are extremely contradictory. M. Viollet-le-Duc's theory that the
barbute was closely allied to the French open-faced salade is certainly difficult
to accept; for we have mention of a barbuta in a will which dates as far back
69
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
as 1349. Now as there is no record of a saladc of the so-called Venetian
type at so early a date, it is probable that bttrbuiam in this will must refer to
some other head-piece more akin to the bascinet. We ought to add that,
according to Ducange. the term ikirbiita was used in the Italy of the XlVth
ccntur)' to indicate a man-at-arms, or a body of men-at-arms, much in the
same way as in I'rancc the word '* lances " had reference to a unit in battle,
a company of lancers. Cereta, for instance, in his Veronese Chronicle, states
that licrnabo \isconti, lord of Milan, attacked Verona in 1354 with "800
Iktrbute."
Fu;. 424A. Statuette ok a Knkjiit (41 cm. in iiEuaiT) rkpresentinc St. GEOKf;E
Carved in wood and originally painted. It is one of the figures on a wing of an
altar-piece of the second half of the X I Vth century by Jacob de Bacra
Now in the mu.scum at Dijon. From Herr J. von
Hcfncr-Altcncck's " Waffcn"
See page 1 57
70
CHAPTER XII
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE FROM THE EARLY YEARS OF THE XVtii
CENTURY TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE NEXT CENTURY
T is remarkable that, although Meyrick illustrates two helmets
of the armet class in his famous work, this particular and very
special head-piece was not described in public or private collec-
tions as a distinctive type, or as a link in the evolution of the
helmet, until the Baron de Cosson made its importance clear
about forty years ago. It is safe to say that up to as late as the seventies
of the XlXth century, the XVth century character of this head-piece was
entirely unappreciated; while its individual features were confused with the
mass of types of closed head-piece which were vaguely classed as of XVIth
century origin. We well remember seeing in the Tower of London a fine,
though incomplete, late XVth century armet placed on a three-quarter suit
of mid-XVIIth century armour, and japanned brown to match the suit.
This was as late as 1890, proving that the armet was not even then recognized
as a XVth century head-piece in our National Armoury.
As is the case with nearly all names which are employed to-day to
particularize the parts of a suit of armour, there is considerable doubt as to
the type of head-piece to which the term armet was originally applied. This
may be accounted for by the very loose nomenclature of the XVth and
XVIth centuries, and also by the fact that the line of tradition that doubt-
less attached the word armet to the class of helmet to which it really belonged
was broken during the latter part of the XVI Ith and wholly through the
XVIIIth century. The fighting man of the earlier part of the XVIIth
century may possibly have possessed, from tradition, a truer understanding
of what the armet head-piece really was than we possess to-day; but after
that period the original and true interpretation of the armet head-piece
was lost, from the fact that this type of helmet had fallen into disuse for so
long a period. We have, therefore, nothing to guide us but loosely expressed
contemporary records.
The derivation of the word armet is also obscure, and the Baron de
Cosson himself does not appear to have come to any definite conclusion on
71
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the point. It has usually been spoken of as a variation of the word heauinct.
the diminutive of heaume. just as helmet is the diminutive of helm; hut
the two fonner names are clearly given to two distinctive helmets in
Lt Ckailange </<• PhUlipe dt BontoH (1467), the combatants bcinj; cxjjcctcd to
fijjht " port ant annet ou heaiilmet on choys et piaisir dintch'un tie nous!'
Liltn' has found a p;iss;igc in a writer of the XlX'th century from which he
deduces the conclusion that armet was not derived at all from heaumet.
He quotes Girard de Ross, who says: '* Zi ars [/'«//'] respleiidit tons
Its spleudissours des ariites, des armez, des auhets, des fauces, des jusanncs,"
Fui. 425. Medal ok SiciisMUMX) Panixji.kj di Malatksta
Kxecuted about 1445 by Vittore Pisano
and observes that it is strange that this earliest form of the word should not
show any traces of the transformation from heaumet, but appears to be
derived from anne. As the Baron de Cosson remarks: "The passage in no
way indicates what kind of head-pieces were described as armez in the
XlX'th century, and the word may have no connection with the armet of
the XV^th; besides which the orthography of that jxiriod is not a very safe
guide to the derivation of a word."
One of the first mentions of the armet is made in 1443 by Olivier de la
Marche in his description of a passage of arms between two mounted
knights, the less fortunate knight, Bernard de Bdarn, receiving a blow
7^
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE
"stir le bord du clou qui tient la visitre de rarmet." For early pictorial
or sculptural evidence, other than that afforded by the celebrated Uccello
battle-piece in the National Gallery, we rely largely on the evidence of Vittore
Pisano's medal, executed about 1445, of Sigismondo Pandolfo di Malatesta,
Lord of Rimini, which shows an armet with the rondel, so characteristic
of this helmet (Fig. 425). Two years later Pisano again depicts the same type
of head-piece upon a man at arms on the reverse of a medal which represents
Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan (Fig. 426); while on the reverse
of a medal of Domenico Malatesta, called Novello, he represents a knight
Fig. 426. Reverse of a medal of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan
Executed about 1447 by Vittore Pisano
kneeling before a crucifix and wearing as head-piece an armet with a clearly
defined rondel at its back (Fig. 427).
A few years elapse, and in 1450 we read of Jacques d'Avanchies wearing
in his famous fights with Jacques de Lalain '' un armet en idle" but that
he " ne voyait pas bien en son armet." He also fought " en salade et gorgerin
de forte mail/e,' while de Lalain wore "/? bassinet."
The armet was a distinct advance on any helmet that had previously
been in use, the most protective of which had been either a head defence
with a visor and separate chin-piece, or a helm that was put over and covered
the whole head. The armet, while forming a better protection than the
" 73 L
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
former, was lighter and more convenient than either; at the same time it had
the vcr>' distinct advantage over ever)- other t\ i>e of early helmet t)f having
in its more advanced form its weight borne by the gorget instead of resting
on, the head.
S{)eaking in the broadest sense, the armet may be classed under two
headings, the s«>-calkxl Italian and the later English variety. The dift'ercnce
between the two consistcxl in the manner of oj)ening the head-piece; for the
general shape and the visor protection of the face were practically identical.
The Italian or continental armet almost invariably had complete cheek-plates
wf
^^^^2^«iH^.^
FVi. 42J. RKVtk.sK OK A MKDAI. OK DoMKNICO MaLATESTA, CALLED NOVELIX)
Kxecutcd about 1450 by V'ittorc I'isano
•
opening outwards on a hinge attached to the skull-piece immediately below
the visor pivot. The cheek-plates joined in front of the chin, and the visor
fitted over them when lowered. The skull-piece was continued down the back
of the neck by a piece only a few inches wide, which uas partially over-
lapped by the cheek-pieces. From this narrow piece projected a short stem
on which a disk or rondel, sometimes termed the volet, was fi.xcd. C(incern-
ing the use to which this rondel, which is characteristic of the armet and is
never omitted from the early type, may have iK'cn put, there has been some
difference of opinion; but there can be little doubt that it was added as a
protection to the o|x;ning of the helmet at the back. The skull-piece of the
English armet was modelled more to the shape of the head, extending so as
74
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE
to cover the back of the neck and the ears; while a movable chin-piece was
attached by the same pivots as controlled the visor. This type had a
distinct advantage over the continental and earlier type, since it avoided
the weak spot at the juncture of the cheek-plates with the narrow neck-piece
at the back, and did away with the necessity of the rondel, which is seldom
found in an English made armet. The movable chin-piece was fixed firmly
by a hook or spring-bolt at the side.
From the continental type we should perhaps exclude the armets of
German make. These were all of a late type, and had many individual
features of their own.
The buffe, or grande bavidre, was so often
associated with the armet, that it might almost
be taken for an integral part of the helmet proper.
In the Uccello picture in the National Gallery no
head-piece is seen without this additional protec-
tion. It was a reinforcing plate, fashioned much
on the lines of the bevor of the salade; but worn
on the armet it fitted over the chin and the lower
part of the visor, effectually preventing the latter
piece, which was unfastened in the early armets,
from being forced up by a lance or sword thrust.
These buffes were in almost every case attached
by a strap or double straps passing round the neck
of the helmet and buckling beneath the rondel at
the back. A very good mid-XVth century illustra-
tion of the buffe attached by the strap is to be
noted on the sculptured stone architrave in the
Ducal Palace at Urbino, known as "the door of
war"; where, carved in the motif of the ornamentation, there is a bas-relief
profile view of an armet. The pin and rivet attachment of the mesail, the
rondel, and the buffe attached by a stout strap are all admirably rendered
(Fig. 428). Such buffes are also most clearly visible, sculptured on the splendid
bas-reliefs that decorate the tomb erected between 1494 and 1497 ^o the
memory of Gian Galeazzo Visconti in the right transept of the Certosa di
Pavia, near Milan, casts of which may be seen in the Victoria and Albert
Museum.
The increasing use of the armet was not uniform throughout civilized
Europe. The countries of central Europe generally never appeared quite to
75
Fk;. 428. Bas-relief
From the architrave of the
famous "door of war" in the
Ducal Palace, Urbino. Middle
of XVth century
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
appreciate it. and, as \vc stated in a previous chapter, they retained the
saladc with stubborn conservatism; indeed, until after the early years of the
With century, head-pieces of any other description are scUlom found on
suits of German make. Itnjjiand, in her slowness to adopt any new fashion in
armour defence, was also behindhand in takin^^ to the arniet; but with this
difference, that when the qualities of the arnict as a head defence were proved
to excel those of the bascinet and saladc, she practically discarded all others.
This was not, however, until the closing years of the W'th or coinincnce-
mcnt of the XVIth centur)'. It is certainly safe to say that no country
to-ilay can show such an array of closed helmets of the armet type as
England; they are not in her armouries, public and private, but distributed
among the country churches, where they are to be seen hanging above the
tombs of various knightly families.
Passing to the individual helmets of the armet tyfjc that are extant,
wx' find, as in the case of other armaments, that the continental collections
retain most of the earliest examples. It is impossible to name a par-
ticular date and say " the earliest type ap|)eared then ; " for with one exception
known to the present writer, the armet certainly fails to figure in missal or
sculpture until well into the second (juarter of the W'th century. The only
pictorial evidence of an armet head-piece of earlier date appears in the famous
fresco at Rome, attributed to Masolino, which, as most authorities now
recognize, was painted some time between 1420 and 1425 (see vol. i,
rig. 200). This testimony corroborates the opinion of the Baron dc Cosson,
whom we look on as the greatest authority on the armet head-piece, that
they were doubtless in use as early as 1410-20. (Juite recently the Baron's
theory has been lK>rne out from the examination of the Italian armour from
Chalcis, now in the Kthnological Sluseum at Athens. This armour was
discovered in the year 1840 (according to Buchon who was present on the
occasion) during some alterations which were being made to the Military
Hospital in the castle of Chalcis in Iuilx)ea, thirteen miles from Thebes. All
the pieces had been bricked U|) in a casement («;/ rdduif) and were only brought
to light by the falling down of a party wall. Hefner, in his Tracltten des
christlichen Mittelalters (vol. i, p. 83), gives indifferent illustrations of cer-
tain of the helmets and states that they were found in a cistern.
The collection consists of bascinets, salades, armcts, some body armour
and jambs, cuisses, and arm-pieces; in all probability they were not walled
up intentionally Ix-fore the evacuation of the castle; for they would hardly
have been worth the trouble of preserving. But it seems more likely that
76
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE
they were thrown aside as needing repairs or as being past repairing. For
Hefner's statement that they were found in a cistern, there is no authority.
Buchon, too, only mentions their having been found and gives no details
beyond those we have mentioned. On its discovery the armour was first
removed to Athens and placed in the museum of the Acropolis; but at a later
date it was removed to the Ethnological Museum, where it was, until quite
recently, labelled Casques Normands, Croisades du XII' Sidcle. Buchon in his
notes dealing with the Chalcis collection in La Gr^ce et la Morde (page 134)
connects this group of helmets and other armour with the battle of Lake
Copais, where in 131 1 the chivalry of the Morea was defeated by the Catalan
Grand Company. This, from the nature of the armaments discovered, is, on
the face of it, impossible. It is probable, however, as the castle of Chalcis was
ia) ib)
Fig. 429. Akmet from Chalcis
First half of XVth century. Now in the Ethnographical Museum, Athens
{a) Profile view; ib) Back view
captured by the Turks from the Venetians in 1470, that this hoard was part
of the armour of the captured Venetians, and that owing to its fragmentary
nature it was thrown aside as useless by the Turks. It has been rather vaguely
stated that the group dates from the middle of the XlVth century, until the
defeat of the Venetians in 1470; but we have no hesitation in saying that
no single piece can be assigned to a date earlier than the closing years of the
XlVth century, not even the bascinet helmets, all of which are of a very
late type, even if crude in workmanship.
But we are more particularly interested in the three armets of this group,
for, associated as they are with the bascinets and early salades found at
Chalcis, they confirm the Baron de Cosson's theory of the mid-XVth century
existence of this particular class of head-piece. Two of the armets are illus-
77
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
trated in Archaeoiogia (vol. Ixii, Plate LI 1 1), the complete one (Fijj. 429. a, b)
beio); very similar in the skull- and check-pieces to an example at the Museum
of Artillen- in the Rotunda. Woolwich (Imjj. 431), and to the fine and complete
armct in the Baron's own collection (I-ig. 430). The great likeness in these
three armets is in the extreme depth of the cheek-plates, in the keel-like
cross section of the skull-piece, and in the simple fornuition of the upper
Fit;. 430. Armkt
Italian, about 1440. Collection : Baron de Cosson
outline of the reinforcing forehead plate. This la.st mentioned point we draw
attention to, as it will be noticed, on reference to the illustration of the
more advanced armets of the XVth century (.see Fig. 437), that this plate
has a tendency to Ijccome elaborate in its outline and that the single curve
is at a later date usually duplicated. The face opening in all the three armets
under discussion is also strengthened by a stri|) of iron of square section
riveted round the edge of the skull- and cheek-pieces; while at the back of
the neck of the Chalcis armct projects a square pin, which held the rondel.
78
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE
On the three armets found at Chalcis, as on the de Cosson and Rotunda
head-pieces, there are brass or iron staples at intervals round the lower edge-
These were Tor the attachment of the camail in a similar manner to that
adopted in the case of the XlVth century bascinet. This was almost a
necessity ; for in the early armets, before the protective neck-plates of
metal were added, the helmet offered a very vulnerable spot in the region
of the neck.
The de Cosson armet, which we have alluded to as having the same
characteristics as the Chalcis armets, is the most complete and earliest of
its kind known to the present writer (Fig. 430). It was purchased by the
Baron thirty-five years ago of Messrs. Willson, the well-known London
dealers, to whose gallery it was brought by an Italian dealer in works of
art. We mention this fact because we tried, but unsuccessfully, to trace its
history previous to its purchase by Messrs. Willson. So, although it was
painted in exactly the same manner as the helmets seen hanging in English
churches, the circumstance of its having been purchased from an Italian
dealer inclines us to think that it was brought from Italy to England for
sale. Its fashion and workmanship we unhesitatingly pronounce to be Italian.
From the resemblance of its staples to those found on the bascinet head-piece
of late XlVth century date, and from its form and workmanship, it must be,
as we have already said, one of the earliest armets of its type known. The
same pin and hinge arrangement which is found on the bascinet secures the
visor to the helmet. The ocularium is not cut in the visor; but like those
of somewhat later date is formed by the space between the upper edge of the
visor and the lower edge of the reinforcing plate on the forehead. The lower
part of the armet consists of two cheek-pieces, hinged to the crown just
under the pivots of the visor, which overlap in front and were strapped
together below the chin. At the back the small skull-piece is continued by
a narrow piece down the back of the neck, and this is overlapped by the
cheek-pieces, leaving, however, the central portion of the tail-piece uncovered;
from the base of this projects a short stem, to which was originally attached
the rondel. The tail of the skull-piece does not quite reach the lower edge of
the armet, but is continued by a small piece fixed to it with rivets working
in slots, so that when the head was thrown back, the small plate could
slide slightly upwards. The staples for the camail are fifteen in number and
are of brass. Between the staples are rivets for the lining, which must
have covered the whole inside of the helmet, and which was sewn in over
the forehead through holes to be seen behind the reinforcing piece. The
79
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
annet is small but heavy, weighing 9 lb. 6 oz. At its summit is a hole by
which was attached the crest. It bears a most interesting armourer's mark,
the letter I. in a circle, and below a name in full, Liunakix).
The annet at the Rotunda. \\'tK)lwich (Fig. 431), possesses e.xactly
-\
Fk;. 431. Armet
lulian, about 1440. MuMum of the Rotunda, Woolwich
the same marked characteristics as the others with which we have asso-
ciated it. Indeed, this armet is so similar to the one just described that only
its diflfercnccs need be noted. It has not, and appears never to have had, any
reinforcing piece over the front of the skull-piece; neither is there any trace
of the stem to hold the rondel at the back, which from the very high quali-
80
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE
ties of workmanship employed in this head-piece is rather noteworthy. The
arrangement for securing the lining is precisely the same as is to be found on
the de Cosson helmet. The armourer's mark upon it is a hand with the first
and second fingers extended, and the thumb and remaining fingers closed.
The visor is lost; but the rivets and staple fastening by which it was attached
are in position. This fine head-piece is scheduled, like other armour in the
Rotunda, as coming from the Isle of Rhodes.
In our endeavour to form an opinion as to which of these interesting
armets was the earliest, we must look critically at the slight variations in
I
Fig. 432. Armet
Italian, first half of XVth century. The cheek-pieces are restorations
Collection: Sir Farnham Burke, K.C.V.O.
(a) Profile view (i) Front view
their construction, and try to determine what was most likely to have been
evolved from the type of helmet that was in vogue in the years immediately
preceding. It can be taken for granted that the chief variations in these
very early armets are traceable to the formation of the visor, to the method
of producing the ocularia, and to the reinforcing piece on the fore part of
the skull. Authorities have generally taken it for granted that the short,
thick visor which fell low enough to form a space to look through between
its upper edge and the lower edge of the skull-piece, was the earliest form,
owing to its very simplicity. But we are inclined to believe that we have not
looked far enough ahead, and that we must take into consideration the rein-
forcing piece on the forehead, which is nearly always present on these earliest
II 81 M
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
armcts. Let us ask. "Why is it there? It was never found on the bascinet,
the immeiliate forerunner of the armet." But wfiat we do find on the bascinet
is a a)mplete visor with ocularia and its upper part extcndinjj over the fore-
head as a reinforcement. We suggest, therefore, that in the natural order of
thinjjs the first visor on the armet was a complete one, such as was
used on the bascinet in a modified form, and that the next step was the
dividing of the visor into two at the ocularia, converting the upper part into
a fixcil reinforcing plate on the forehead, and creating a simple ocularium
above the visor as described. This suggestion seems rea.sonable ; for such
A
Fig. 433. Armet
lulian, first half of .W'th century, shown with the
viaor ckncd and original heavy wrapper in position
Collection: Baron de Cosson
Fig. 434. The same armet
With the visor raised and
buffe removed
an arrangement would certainly have produced a visor more easily raised
or closed: visors Ix-ing of heavy construction in those days.
There are two armets |xjs.sessing the large visor which we think support
our view.
The first armet of this ty|x; jwssessing such a visor is now in the collec-
tion of Sir I-arnham Burke (I'ig. 432) a helmet which the Baron dc Cosson
assigns to the second (juarter of the XVth century, thus giving considerable
sup{K)rt to our theory, if his opinion Ijc correct. The skull-piece of the armet
appears somewhat crudely fashioned in spite of its being of Italian workman-
ship. Of its nationality we are sure, since it bears an armourer's mark akin
to that used by the Missaglia family of Milan; though it hung for centuries
in a church^n Hngland from which it was obtained by its late owner. This
82
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE
helmet has been subjected to clumsy alterations and poorly executed repairs
that greatly mar its present appearance. The second armet with large visor
supplies better evidence, and has been the means of inclining the Baron de
Cosson to a belief in our theory as to the earliest form of armet visor.
This is an extremely interesting helmet quite recently brought to light in
Italy; it fortunately fell into the Baron's hands, in whose collection it is
now to be seen. The armet must be of a very early date, indeed of as early a
date as that of the Farnham Burke example; for its visor possesses all the
characteristics of the heavily constructed ample visors to which we have just
referred (Figs. 433 and 434) and is of the complete kind, solidly fashioned, and
furnished with ocularia slits. This helmet, which
is perfect in all its details, even to its original
detached reinforcing buffe, was found to be sadly
battered and knocked about when it came into the
possession of its present owner, who has, however,
most skilfully remedied the damage incurred by
the ill-usage of the past.
To leave theorizing on this subject of what
may have been the form of the earliest armet visors,
we will mention here two extraordinary and early
armets forming part of the Graf G. Trapp collec-
tion in the Schloss Churburg, which have visors
unique of their kind. We have never had the
good fortune to see these armets or even to obtain
a photograph of them; but the following is their
description given to us by one who has handled
them. The section of their combs and the forma-
tion of their skull-pieces present no great variation from those of most helmets
of the armet type; but they are undoubtedly of very early date, probably
coming within the first quarter of the XVth century. It is, however, the
form of their face defence that makes this pair of armets so remarkable. It
is contrived by having the lower edge of the visor and the upper edge of
the cheek-plates cut out in regular castellations, the two edges being so
arranged that the rectangular projections on the one fit into the corre-
sponding indentations on the other; so that when the visor is closed there
are no apertures to look through other than those cracks between the edges
of the plates.
We should also like to mention am ngst curious armets that have
83
Fig. 435. Armet
Possibly Polish, late XVth
century
Collection: Sir Farnham
Burke, K.C.V.O.
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND APMS
come to our notice two which were obtained from MIowa p], in Russian
Poland. They were uj^ly and ptK)rly made; but they unmistakably belonged
to a type that was markedly racial. They are the only two of their type
with which we are acquainted: and it is just pt>ssible that they were the
work of some provincial Polish armourer who hail as his model a head-piece
he only half understood (Fig. 435).
In reviewing the more ordinar)' and ailvanccd tyjx* of armet, let us first
examine three head-pieces that are easily accessible, namely, the three armcts
in the Wallace Collectit>n. Nos. 85. 84. and 81. No. 85 api>ears to be the
earliest (I'ig. 436). The skull-piece has the keel form ridge with the slightly
FiG.4)& Armet
Italian, second half of X Vth century
Na 85, Wallace CollArtion
Fig. 437. Armet
Italian, second half of XVth century
No. 84, Wallace Collection
flattened top; the forehead is strongly reinforced by an extra plate, out
of the upper part of which are cut two semi-circles. The cheek-pieces are
full, slightly overlap at the chin, and finish Ijelow in an inturned edge of
triangular section to lend additional strength. The visor is of one plate,
bluntly pointed, and is without any kind of apertures for ventilation. The
ocularium is formed by the space between the top of the visor and the
lower edge of the reinforcing plate of the skull-piece. The back of the
skull-piece Ixrars an armourer's mark, three times rejxjated, which is of
Milanese origin. The protective rondel on the tail-piece is mi.ssing, but
the hole for its stem is to be .seen. An interesting feature of this head-
piece is the applied strip of iron. three-<|uarters of an inch wide, attached
by three rosette-headed rivets which originally covered a leather strap, to
84
G H
Fig. 438
A. Armet, Italian, about 1500. It has been subjected to certain alterations. Now collection, Baron de Cosson.
p.. Armet, Spanish, about 1470-80. Ex Don Jose Argaiz collection, Madrid. Now collection, Baron de Cosson.
Viewed with visor closed and open,
c. Armet, Italian, about 1500, showing the original leather strap for the attachment of the camail. From the Castello
Paccietto, Padua. Now collection. Baron de Cosson.
D. Armet, Italian, about 1470. It bears the Missaglia mark. From the Becoulet Collection. Now collection, Baron
de Cosson.
E and F. Armet, Italian, about 1480. Ressman and Dino Collections. Now Metropolitan Museum of New York.
Viewed back and front.
G and H. Armet, Italian, about 1490. Ressman, Cosson, and Dino Collections. Now Metropolitan Museum of New
York. Viewed back and front.
I. Armet, Italian, about 1470. Formerly in the armoury of the Doge's Palace. Now in the Museo Civico, Venice.
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
which the camail was attached, a method that 'superseded fastening the
camail directly to the exposed staples. This head-piece is uf the third quarter
of the X\*lh centur)'.
It is interesting to compare No. 84 Wallace Collection (Fig. 437) with
the example just described. It shows a slightly advanced type, though it is
only a few years later in date. It will Ix- noticed that the cheek-pieces are
more ample, and more closely modelled to the shape of the side of the face
and of the neck ; they also extend to a greater length, splaying out towards
I-u;. 43y. Akmkt
Italian, about 1470. Cullection: Baron de Cossfjn
their base in a gorget-like manner; at the back they siijj^htly overlap and arc
attached to one another by a turning pin. The strip of iron that covered
the leather strap to which the camail was attached is missing; though the
holes for the rivets that fixed it can be seen. It will be ob.servcd in the case
of both these armets that the hinge and pin arrangement for attaching the
visor, which, as we saw on the bascinet, made possible a rapid removal or re-
fixing of this defence, is now placed in a position of safety beneath the ex-
tremities of the visor. Space to permit of this arrangement is obtained by the
visor being slightly embossed at the extremities so as to allow space for the
concealed hinge between the visor and skull-piece of the helmet.
86
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE
We will not weary our readers with a full description of the other Italian
armets we illustrate; but so rare is a complete head-piece of this type, that we
have been at some considerable trouble to collect a group of sufficient number
to show the varieties of form of these head-pieces. The examples illustrated
(Fig. 438) are of north Italian make and fashion and date from about 1470
to 1510.
Three other armets of the Italian type we reproduce on a larger scale.
The first (Fig. 439) shows the chain camail fastened beneath the lower edge of
Fig. 440. Armet
Italian, or possibly Spanish, about 1480. Collection: Mr. Frank B. Macomber, Boston,
now in the Cleveland Museum
the helmet. The second (Fig. 440) is an armet which is considered by some
to be of Spanish origin, but which, in the present writer's opinion, is also
north Italian, dating from about 1480. As in the case of other armets
referred to (Figs. 436 and 437), around the base of the skull-piece of this
helmet there is riveted a thin strip of metal beneath which was the leather
strap to which the camail was sewn. The third armet (Fig. 441) is a very fine
north Italian example in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris (No. H 56). Here
can still be seen the true Italian armet, hut in its latest form. The low comb
of the skull-piece is already cabled, and/a suggestion of similar ornamentation
appears on the visor. The borders o; the principal plates, and other parts of
87
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the armct. arc carefully etched and glldeii in the Milanese manner which
is usually a.<sociated with the decorated Missajjiia plate armour of the early
years of the With century, the |)eriod to which this armet belongs.
The group of annets which we next illustrate (Fig. 442) are all of Italian
workmanship; but they are of great interest to us, all having come from
English churches, where they must have been preserved almost from the time
of their manufacture. Each has hung over the tonib of some notable iKTson-
3gc of late W'th or early With century times. We know quite a score of
other Italian close helmets to be seen in Knglish churches; but we have not
\
\'
Fio. 441. Ar.mkt
lUlian, Milanese, about 1500. H 56, Musde d'Artillerie, Paris
thought it worth while to illustrate them or to refer to them individually.
Two explanations can lie given of the presence in our English churches of
so many late XVlh century Italian helmets of the armet type. Hither these
' Italian close head-pieces actually had a popular vogue among the fighting
gentlemen of the times of the Wars of the Roses, who, like the famous
Earl of Warwick, preferred Italian made harnesses; or those who furnished
the heraldic achievements in the XVIth century made large purchases
abroad of these head-pieces, then fast becoming obsolete, which, with
judicious decoration, they were able to u.sc, in conjunction with the carved
wood funeral crests, for the obsequies of deceased knights. Although
88
C E
Fig. 442. Four Italian armets
Third quarter of XVth century, but which have been in England almost from the time of their
manufacture^all from English churches
A. Arinet, about 1480, with a wooden crest (a Talbot), said to have belonged to Sir William Drury. Hawstead Church,
Suffolk. H. The same, full face view. c. Armet, the skull-piece Italian, about 1490. A mesail has been adapted
to it in England. Found some years ago in a church in Norfolk. D. Armet, the skull-piece Italian, about 1480,
with a XVIth century wooden crest, and a buffe of the same period added. Hanging on the tomb of Sir George
Brooke, K.G., Cobham Church, Kent. e. Armet, incomplete, Italian, about 1480. Aldenham Church.
II 89 N
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
it is far less romantic, \vc are inclined to accept the latter theory. W'e have
on several occasions seen a fine late XVth centur)' arinet hanj^injj^ above
the tomb of some worthy of late With or early XVI Ith century- date, when
it has been perfectly evident from the discrepancy of date alone that the
head-piece could not have been worn by the knijjht over whose tomb it is
hung, and that the helmet must have been supplied out of '* stock " by the
funeral furnisher.
Of the purely Spanish type of the armet head-piece, apart from those
which it has been suggesteil might be Spanish, wc can give no better illustra-
tion than the third armet in the Wallace Collection, No. 8i (Fig. 443). We
Fi<;. 443. AkMKT
Spanish, about 150a The surface is blueti. No. 81, Wallace Collcctiun
look upon it as belonging to the first quarter of the XVI th century. Its entire
surface is blued, and though its workmanship is on the whole poor and
rough, a gcxxl deal of spirit is shown in its general form. The skull-j)iecc
has a low roped crown, the greater part of the forehead being reinforced.
The cheek-pieces are very ample, and curl out at their edges, where
there are small holes through which the lining was secured. It seems
improbable that this armet ever had an attached camail. It has the full
ordinary visor, extending to the forehead, with the ocularia pierced in it,
and with holes in the lower part of it for ventilation. A characteristic
Spani.sh feature may l)e noted in the fluting of the visor immediately
l>elow the snout. This we also find on a visor of a Spanish armet formerly
in our own possession, but now in a private continental collection (Fig. 444).
90
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE
There is an armourer's mark of some importance on the back of the skull of
the Wallace Spanish armet; but it has been so rubbed down in the past by
overcleaning of the helmet as to be almost obliterated.
In what we are about to describe as the English variety of the armet, we
note an Italian influence in construction, but an Italian influence subservient
to a curious insular simplicity. The splendidly protective Italian armet of about
1460-70 was indubitably the forbear of the English armet of the first quarter
of the XVIth century. But it must be borne in mind that a long period
had now elapsed before the group of closed helmets we illustrate (Fig. 445)
were in general use in England. The result was that the beauty of contour
which marked the Italian model had disappeared, to be replaced by an
originality in the shaping of the skull-piece and of the vi.sor not wholly dis-
pleasing to armour enthusiasts, who find in them the same attraction that
Fig. 444. Armet
Spanish, about 1500. It has at some time been subject to alterations
Ex Murrietta Collection
they discover in the ordinary furniture and decoration of the English home
of the period, which was then being subjected to a but dimly appreciated
Renaissance influence. Let us now look at the English armet and note how
the form and construction vary from those of the Italian model. The most
important differences are in the formation of the protective plates for the cheek
and chin, and in the manner in which the helmet is opened, so as to place it upon
the head. Seldom, in the present writer's opinion, do we find on English
made armets the large whole cheek-pieces opening outwards on a separate
hinge below the visor pivots; but the chin and cheek defences are of one
whole piece like those seen on nearly all XVIth century close helmets.
Such chin-pieces were hinged on the visor pivot itself, with the result that
the helmet, when being adjusted on the head, had to be opened at the sides.
It can readily be understood that, with this arrangement for opening, the use
of the short chain camail so characteristic of the Italian armet became
91
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
impracticable, as it would have necessitated the division of the camail at the
side, with the conseijuent loss of its protective quality. The camail is therefore
nearly always rcplacetl on Ilnj^lish made armets by j^orget plates such as are
seen on helmets of a later period. A gotnl illustration of these is to be noted
on the Bur)' St. Edmunds armet (Fig. 445, a, h). It is difficult to explain
the characteristic contour of the b.'ick of the skull-piece to which we have
referred; but taken jjcnerally it will be found that the top of the skull-piece
is somewhat flattenetl, ami that from a point about half-way down the back a
concave outline is apparent. An examination of the illustrations of the armet
which can be seen in liye Church, Suffolk {\''\^. 446), a very characteristic
English example, will help the armour student to appreciate this particular
form of skull-piece. Another feature of the Iinglish made armet consists in
the circumstance that while the fore part of the skull-piece is reinforced with
a plate of the same form, as can be seen on those of Italian origin, the ocularium
is rarely formed by the sjjacc between this plate and the top of the visor. In
nearly all cases English made armets, when they jxjssess their original visors,
have sight-slits in the visor itself, as in the case of the earliest Italian forms
(see pages 81, 82, F'igs. 432 and 433) or as seen on the Spanish armets
(Figs. 443 and 444). Of the armourers who produced these ordinary early
XV'Ith centur)- fighting head-pieces, or indeed of any English made armour
of these times, we are wholly ignorant. The armets are as a rule unmarked;
and if by chance an armourer's mark is found it is sure to be one of which
no record exists. We think that many of the original visors of the English
armets shown in our illustrations, from English churches, must have been
altered or adapted when they were used for funerary purposes. We have
notcxl those which, in our opinion, are preserved in their original condition.
In the case of two other helmets (Figs. 445, i, j) we see a somewhat
different form of English armet, an armet in which the general proportions
of the head-piece appear to \)c evolved from the later bascinet helmets of the
middle of the Wth centur>'. They are the only two FInglish armets of this
type with which we are acquainted, and their general construction leaves
little doubt that they were made by the same armourer. Both skull-pieces
arc drawn out to an apex at the top, while the chin-pieces and the tails of the
skull-pieces, which are complete, splay outwards in the manner of gorgets;
but this formation of the lower part of the helmet is not brought about by
the addition of gorget plates, as seen in most English made armets, but by
the formation of the lower edge of the helmet, which is drawn or flanged
out of the back of the skull-picxe and from the chin-plate itself. The second
92
Fig. 445. The English armet
A and B. Profile and three-quarter view of a complete armet of about 1 5 lo, in the parish church of St. Mary, Bury St. Edmunds.
c, Armet, altered for funerary purposes, about 1515. The skull-piece may be Italian of about 1480. In the parish church
of St. Mary, Bury St. Edmunds. D. Armet, about 1520, the gorget plates are not the original. Tower of London. E. Armet,
about 1 525, the gorget plates wanting. Collection : Sir Edward Barry, Bart. F. Armet, probably of the Capel family, about
1520. From old Rayne Church, Essex (see page 155). It has the wrapper round the bevor. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby.
G. Armet, English, about 1520. The skull-piece might possibly be Italian. H. Armet, altered late in the XVIth century
for funerary purposes. Hanging above the Hastings tomb in Stoke Poges Church, i. Skull-piece of an armet of a different
type, about 1 500. Formerly belonging to the Dering family, Surrenden, Kent. Collection : Sir Edward Barry, Bart. J. Armet
apparently by the same armourer as the skull-piece I. This head-piece is complete and untouched. In St. Peter's Church,
Stourton, Wilts.
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
of these two helmets (Fig. 445 j) is still in St. Peter's Church, Stourton; but
the first (I'^ijj. 445 1), which lacks its visor, is now in the collection of
Sir Edward Harr)- of Ockwells Manor. The painted surface of this last-
mentioned helmet makes us confident that it must orijjinally have hung in
some English church.
I'inally. we will turn to the German make of the armct head-piece. These
helmets appear to have Ix-en characterized by no particular originality of form,
the great tierman armourers of the early years of the With century content-
ing themselves with copying the l)est nunlel of the head-piece procurable,
namely, the north Italian ty|x; of the closing years of the W'th century. As
we have said, the armct head-piece fiuind little favour in Germany, and though
(«) (*)
Fio. 446. A TvruAi- KN(ii.isii akmkt
About 1520-30. Kye Church, Suffolk
(«) Profile view, the visor raised ; (6) Profile view, the visor clo.sed
we are able to give illustrations of two which are the work of jxThaps the
most famous of all the German armourers, we know that both were made to
be sjnt to other countries, the first to England, the second to Spain.
The armet (1-ig. 447) made by Conrad Scusenhofer of InnsbrUck,
which goes with the suit (Tig. ioi6) given by the Emperor Maximilian to
King Henry V'lII, is a pr<x)f of the (ierman armourer's custom of producing
a faithful copy of the absolutely Milanese form of armet. Had the head-
piece lacked its Germanic enrichment and the armourer's mark acl()j)ted by
Seuscnhofcr, we should without hesitation have pronounced it to Ik,* Italian
Ixjih in form and workmanship, which latter is of the finest, even excelling
that of any Milanese armet with which we are acquainted. The large
wrap|x;r or buffe which reinforces the chin-piece is attached by a simple
strap. Of its surface enrichment wc have spoken when we described the suit
94
THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE
to which it belongs. The second German made armet is the work of
Koloman Kolman of Augsburg and originally formed part of a suit made
for the Emperor Charles V in 152 1, a suit now missing from the Royal
Fig. 447. Armet with its additional buffe
Made by Conrad Seusenhofer of Innsbruck and presented; together with the suit to which
it belongs, by the Emperor Maximilian I to King Henry VIII some time
between 1511 and 1514. Tower of London. Class II, No. 5
Armoury, Madrid. • The armet is numbered A 75 to A 83 in the official
catalogue (Fig. 448). Again the model is strictly Italian, though generally a
little later in style than that of the Seusenhofer armet. It is, however, one of
the most complete forms of this type of head-piece extant, possessing no fewer
than eight additional reinforcements for various purposes. A feature to be
95
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
nutcil on the rcinforcinj; piece over the forehead (Fijf. 448A) is that in place
of the semicircular fomis which the back outline of this plate usually follows,
the cdj^c on either side adapts itself to the forms of an iniiKjrial ea^le, of the
columns of Hercules, of a link of the order of the Golden Fleece, all of which
are emblematic of its royal wearer, an ornamentation which is further elabor-
ated by etchinjj and jjilding in the form of the jx)nicj^ranate, and by the
inscription of the motto, pi.ts oii.TRii.
In the siime way th.it the salade — especially that of German origin —
was occasionally surmounted with an elaborate crest, so was the armct
dcx'oratcd in its turn. For prtxjf one has only to consult once more the
L'cccllo picture in the National ("lallery, in which the crests are very much
in evidence. We hardly think that they could have had any heraldic sig-
nificance. They do not seem to be characterized by the heraldic spirit, but
the decoration is rather barbaric in character. Combinations of balls and
spikes, and curiously fashioned bats' wings or fans, arranged in all manner
of ways, and topped with red or green plumes or single feathers of silver and
gold, appear on the armcts of the most prominent knights. It is, however,
worth noticing that certain knights in the background on the left of the
picture are represented wearing armets which are not crested.
Flumes, lambrequins, and crests would seem to have run riot u|)on the
head-pieces of the Italian warriors of the XVth century. On the occasion
of the historic fight between Jean de Bonniface and the famous Jacques de
I^lain, (ieorges Chastelain states that the former entered the lists accom-
|unied by his mounted squire, Giovanni Hentivoglio, who had for head-
piece " //// armet, oh au pardessus avoii un piunias oil y avoit tin croissant
if or, et aux dt'honts plumes de paon ei au milieu une liouppe de plumes de
paon blanche et par-dessns tout, un couvrechef de piaisance." On another
occasion Olivier de la Marche relates how this same Honniface had upon his
armet as crest : ** le bras dune dame tenant un gand volet."
The splendid Italian medals of the Cinquccento give us further proof of
the eccentric cresting of the salade and armct. I'pon the armet represented
in the medal of Grati, Count of Bok^na, the work of Sperandio, there is
nothing more or less than .a small flagstaff, to which is attached a tiny flag
shown fluttering in the wind. Frecious materials, gold, silver, and jewels,
often formed part of the enrichment of the armet. The armet carried before
I^uis XI, on his state entry into Faris in 1461, was " con round et tymbre de
fleur de lys dor bien riche" \ while in the miniature |)aintcd by Jean Marot
(No. 5091 Bibliotheque Nationale, Faris) which represents Louis XII leaving
96
Fig. 448. Armet
Belonging to a suit made in 1521 by Koloman Kolman, called Helmschmied, of Augsburg, for
the Emperor Charles V. With the exception of the armet the suit is now missing
A. Complete armet.
I!. Reinforcement for the skull-piece known as the Escuffa.
c. Reinforcing plate for the front of the skull-piece.
D. Differently formed reinforcing plate also for the front of the skull-piece.
E. Complete fighting visor.
F. Reinforcing mesail with single open aperture on the dexter side.
G. A similar reinforcing mesail.
H. Tournament mentonniire, with screw holes for attaching it to the breastplate.
I. Wrapper or additional chin-piece with gorget plates attached.
A 75 to A 83 in the Royal Armoury, Madrid
II 97 o
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Alexandra in 1507 to chastise the city of (ieno;i, the Kinjj wears an arniet
with the rondel, and elaborated with a jKinache and plume of feathers. At
a later date Brantdmc states that the armet of Francis I, at Mari^nano, was
"otHif if line rose tfescarboMcie."
The armet. both of l«nglish and of Italian orij>:in, when it is found as
a knij^ht's achievement over his tomb, is often surmounted by a crest;
\vc illustrate the one now hanging over the tomb of Sir Cieorgc Brooke, K.G.,
in Cobham Church, Kent (I-ig. 442 n). These crests are all, however, made
for funerary purposes only, and are of carved and painted wood, which, from
their vcr)' weight, would have rendered their use on the helmet impossible
in fighting or even for ceremonial use. Other such funerary crests are to
be seen on the armet of the Hastings family in Stoke Poges Church (Fig.
445 h), and on the armet said to have belonged to Sir William Drury in
Hawstead Church, Suffolk (I'ig. 442 a and n).
In our account of the armet we have not alluded to the ilamaged condi-
tion of many Italian specimens, due to the cutting away of part of the anterior
portion of the skull-piece and the upper part of the check-piece or pieces.
This was due to the later use of these armets for the Giuoco del Ponte — the
opening produced by the cutting away being covered by a large roughly
made barred visor. Where these damaged armets have passed into the hands
of armour collectors they have often been restored. It is not without interest
to collec-tors to know that they may still have the gcK)d fortune to recognize
in an old Pisa helmet the remains of an Italian armet.
98
CHAPTER XIII
THE HELM OF THE XVtii CENTURY
P to the first years of the XVth century the hehii continued to be
the principal head defence of the knight both on the battle-field
and in the joust; but from this point onwards it lost popularity
in its double capacity, and was discarded as a war defence. It
was found that the visored bascinet, armet, and salade possessed
many more qualities fitting them for use in warfare, chief amongst them being
the fact that they were less cumbersome and equally protective. The helm
being now retained for the joust only, the weight was not of so much con-
sequence, and the opportunity was therefore taken of adding generally to the
thickness of the plates, especially in that part of the head-piece most likely
to receive the lance shock. Doubtless the most interesting tilting helm in
England, characteristic of the early years of the XVth century, is that credited
to the ownership of King Henry V, which hangs, with his saddle and shield,
upon a beam over his tomb in the Confessor's Chapel of the Abbey Church of
Westminster (Fig. 449, a, b). We have to admit, however, that this is no
battle-helm ; it was constructed especially for jousting and not for field wear,
and could not have been worn by the King on the field of Agincourt, as tradi-
tion would have us believe. That it was worn by him at all has of late years
been denied, but solely on account of an error made by Rymer in his printed
record of it contained in the entry of the Issue Roll of the funeral expenses
of the King in 1422. The Rymer printed record reads translated: "Also
to the same Thomas [Daunt] for making of a crest and helm for the King
33S ^d " \^^g have, however, to thank Sir St. John Hope, who contributed an
article to Archaeologia (vol. Ixv) on the subject, for discovering an error in
Rymer that puts a different complexion on the record. Sir St. John Hope
with his usual care turned to the original Latin account only to find that the
word printed by Rymer as fact lira is plainly //V/wr*?. ''Item eidem Thome
[Daunt] pro pictitra unius crest e et unius helme pro Rege xxxiijs iiijcl"
Thus it is a question of the painting and not of the making of a helm; and,
as Sir St. John Hope says, " since no other helm is mentioned in the
99
Fig. 449n. Hfxm
Finrt quarter of X Vlh ccntur>'. Hanging above the tomb of King I fcnry V in the
Abbey Church of Westminiiter. Profile view
lOO
Fig. 449/J. Helm
First quarter of XVth century. Hanging above the tomb of King Henry V in the
Abbe\- Church of Westminster. Front view
lOi
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
bill, this is really an old one after all, and if an old one why not King
Hcnr)*s?"
By the courtesy of Dr. Robinson, when Dean of Westminster, we were
allowed to remove this helm and the other interesting achievements from
their beam and to have them carefully photographed. On looking closely at
the illustration of this helm (I*'ig. 449, a, b), and comparing it with the
I'cmbridge helm (vol, i. Fig. 324), it will be seen that there are many points
of difference. As a piece of craftsmanship the W^estminster Abbey helm is
vastly superior. It is made of five pieces instead of three, and is of very
much greater weight. At the lower edge of the ocularia, the metal is a
full quarter of an inch in thickness; while the plate at the back is com-
paratively thin and light. The heads of all the rivets are flush on the
outside, so as to leave no projection against which the point of a lance could
catch. The skull-piece of the helm is moulded much on the lines of those
of the "great bascinet," and may be roughly called egg-shaped. At the
summit, a plate, nearly flat, is fastened from the inside. A band of brass,
engraved and once gilded, runs round the base of the helm, an addition
made probably to render it more ornamental at the funeral pageant of
the sovereign; but as there is in this band a series of twin holes for the
attachment of a lining, there is a possibility that this brass enrichment is
part of the original head-picxe. In the extreme front of the lower edge of
the helm is a clumsy and poorly fashioned ring for attaching the head-
piece to the breastplate; but so thin and light is it, that we imagine that
this poor substitute must have replaced the original ring at some early
date. At the back of the helm is a staple more substantial in make
and shaped to hold the strap that secured the helm to the backplate. It
is interesting to obserxe that the metal strip that retained the staple,
though now broken, once extended some distance up the back of the helm,
widening towards its top, where it finished in a "cut card" ornament.
This is obvious from the fact that the part of the helm once covered by
the ornamental metal strip is considerably less corrtxied than the rest of
the surface. The rivet holes, too, and certain of the rivets themselves that
originally retained this strip in position are still apparent. Immediately
above the mark left by the metal strip is riveted a down-turned hook. It
has been supposed that this hook was for hanging the helm at the saddle
Ix)w; but the shape of the hcxjk, its sharp point, and its position on the
helm all jxjint to its having l>cen added for the purpose of hanging the helm
to the wall over the tomb.
102
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
There are hvo fine helms in Cobham Church, Kent, associated respec-
tively with the name of Sir Nicholas Hawberk, who died in 1407, and with
that of Sir Reginald Braybrook, who died in 1405. Unlike most helmets
found in churches, both these head-pieces probably belonged to the knights
to whose ownership they are attributed; for the dates of their deaths corre-
spond with the fashions of the helms, and the helms resemble those engraved
Fig. 450. Helm
First quarter of XVth century. Hanging above the tomb of Sir Nicholas Hawberk,
Cobham Church, Kent
on their brasses. To many persons this general aspersion on the attribution
of church helmets may, at first sight, appear to be uncalled for; but it
must be remembered that helmets are frequently found placed over monu-
ments with which they have no rightful association whatsoever. The
explanation of these fallacious attributions seems fairly obvious. Ab-
stracted from the churches for various reasons during the troublous times
of the Civil Wars, or removed for their better protection when the fabric
of the building was undergoing repair, these head-pieces have been put
103
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
liack by ficrsuns who were cither ignorant or rq^^artllcss of their original
positions. The result has been that the subset juent sites of these helmets
have been more or less indiscriminately chosen, huieetl it will generally
be found that these church helmets are later than the monuments over which
they are hung. Occasionally, however, monument and helm are contem|H)rary,
in which case it is always jH)ssible they may then l)elong one to the other.
The Nicholas Ilawberk helm is almost identical with that of Henry V just
described. It is made of five pieces, the only noticeable difference being
that it has not the brass band added at its base. Here, too, the plates at
FiC. 451. IlKLM
First quarter of XVth century. Manginf; above the tomb of Sir Reginald Rraybrook,
Cobham Church, Kent
the bottom edge are rolled outwards. Just above this rollcti edge, round the
front and the right rear of the helmet, is a series of twin holes for .sewing
in the lining, which are not, however, continued round the left rear. There is,
too, as in the case of the Henry V head-piece, a jx)orly fashioned ring riveted
to the front of the helmet, which must also be condemned. About the skull-
piece of the crown are various holes intended for the aiglettes by which the
orle and lambrc(|uin. or more |K>ssibly the lining cap, was secured. Upon
the summit of the helm, in the flat plate inserted at the top, are riveted
four staples. To these were attached the crest (Fig. 450). The next of
the only three genuine helms of this perio<l which we are able to describe
is the second head-piece in Cobham Church, Kent, known as the Bray-
104
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
brook helm. It is practically the same in form and construction as that
just described, save that its original height was much less. Since it was
first made it has been lengthened, possibly for funerary purposes; as on the
lengthening rim there are no staples by which it could be attached to the
breastplate, neither are there holes by which any lining could be secured.
In the top of the helm is a round hole for fixing a crest (Fig. 451).
Having mentioned these three tilting helms, we dispose of the class of
helms that belong to the first quarter of the XVth century; for we are un-
acquainted with any others, English or foreign, that we dare ascribe to so
early a date. True, Graf von Trapp is said to have an early XVth century
helm in his wonderful collection in Schloss Churburg; but we have never
had an opportunity of seeing the original, and only know of its existence
from an old and faded photograph. There is likewise a helm purporting to
be of this date in the Zeughaus of Berlin; but we have not handled it and
remain therefore unconvinced of its authenticity.
As the century advances but slight alteration can be discerned in the
general form of the tilting helm, or in fact in tilting armour generally,
harness made for the specific purpose of the joust being much less variable
in its fashion than that made for use in war. The latter almost invariably
followed the civil dress of the day; while the former retained most of the
conventional defences of earlier generations. Before we proceed to classify
into distinct groups certain types of helms of the latter part of the XVth
century, we will briefly mention an individual helm known to us, which
from its Italian origin may possibly have a rightful claim to a somewhat
earlier date. It is the helm, doubtless of Italian form and workmanship,
which is now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, and which was
purchased by the authorities there with the remainder of the Due de
Dino's Collection. From its enormous weight, we consider that it was
worn in defence against the lance a rochet. It is forged in three pieces
held together by large rivets. The skull-piece is not unlike those of later
date, having a pronounced crest at the back part only, which is forged at
the side with two flaps that in turn are riveted over the visor plate of the
helm. The visor plate has at its base a strong hasp, pierced with three
square holes, in which were fastened the staples of the breastplate. The
edge of the ocularium is strengthened on the inside with a second plate of
metal, thus attaining a thickness of three-fifths of an inch. At the nape
of the neck is attached a buckle for fastening the helm to the backplate.
On the front of the head-piece on the left are numerous traces of lance
II 105 P
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
dents. This helm bears an Italian mark which appears to be comjiosed
of the letters I* A. surmounted by a crown. At some period this rare piece
of defensive annour seems to have been used as a target, as several musket
balls were found in it. as well as traces of lead on its surface (I'ig. 452, a, b, c).
We will now consider a series of tilting helms, apparently all of the
same style and English in form. We can enumerate five, all constructed
on the same plan, and ptissibly by the same maker, and all dating from
the third quarter of the X\'th century. In all these English made hehns
which are unmarked, but we think the work of the same armourer, we
notice a slight resemblance in their construction and outline to a fine
helm in the Porte de Hal, Brussels (Fig. 453). This helm, according to
the late Ilerr Wendelin Boeheim. Ix'ars a mark which he attributed to
Jacques X'oys, an armourer of Brussels who worked for Philip the Fair.
We only say that we sec a resemblance Ix'tween this helm and the English
made hehus. and d») not suggest that head-pieces so insular in style could
have |)»)ssibly come from the hand of Jac(|ues V'oys, or even from abroad.
It is |H)ssible. however, that a tournament head-piece from the hand of V'oys
might have constitutctl the original model for this particular group of English
made helms. The first of them, which was exhibiteil at the Society of
Antiquaries, is in the collection of Captain II. Lindsiiy, who received it
fron» a friend, with a history wonderful and inaccurate, in which its use as
an instrument of torture and the story of the Spanish Armada figured. The
second is in St. George's Cha|)el, Windsor, a helm hanging by the site of
the tomb of King Henry VI, though for no valid reason. The third, which
is in the Pyx ChajK-l of the Abbey Church of Westminster, is a helm di.s-
covcred in 1869 in the triforium of the Abbey, where it had probably re-
mained since the days when, as Hall and other chroniclers put it, .so many
" solemn justs '■ were held in the vicinity of Westminster. The fourth, the
helm of Sir John Eogge, is in Ashford Church, Kent. The fifth is included
in Mr. W. II. Riggs's bequest to the Metropolitan Museum of New York. In
describing one we describe all of the same family; for they vary very slightly.
So we cannot do better than quote Viscount Dillon's admirable account of
the Lind.say helm: "Like other helms of this class," says the Viscount,
"it was originally composed of three pieces; a flattish crown with a slight
ridge extending from the apex to the front; and with its hinder margin
riveted to the back piece by some eleven rivets. In front, on either side,
it was riveted to the front portion by three rivets — now lost. These rivets
fiassed through the top piece, and the two turned over side portions of the
106
Fig. 452. Helm
Italian, third quarter of XVth century. Metropolitan Museum of New York
(a) Profile view; (d) Front view; (c) Back view
107
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
front piece. The back piece was riveted at either side to the corresponding
parts of the front by four rivets on each side. These have also been lost.
The fn>nt pt>rtion is at the top. turned over and inwards, forming a ledge
about one inch broad. On the right side, and thus far away from any lance
stroke, is a squarish aperture, three inches by four, anti probably at one time
closed by a dtwr with a spring catch. Where the upper Ictlgc was turned down
inside the helm, a piece of metal has been fi.xed on the interior, thus prevent-
ing any sharp edge remaining opposite the wearer's face. This piece of metal
is about three inches deep ami then conforms to the general lines of the front."
Viscount Dillon proctx*ds to point out the very common error committed
by modern heraldic artists of showing openings for air on the sinister side of
helms. *• No real tilting helms would have these, as, in an encounter of left
arm to left arm. no such encouragement for a lance point to bite the surface
would ever have been given.' A hole, probably for hanging-up purposes, has
been made in the apex of the helm, and three pairs of holes, one pair on each
side and one pair behind the apex, are original, and were for points or laces
to keep in position the quilted cap worn inside the helm. On the back piece,
near its upper margin, are two pairs of holes which we may suppose .served
the purpose of fastening the helm to the wearer's backplate by means of
rings and rods. This plan, which is seen in some German helms, would
probably be quite as effective, if not more so, than the hasp or locket
attached to the lower part of the helm at the back. The lower part of the
back portion of the helm has been much corroded and broken, but was prob-
ably at no time very thick. At the neck there are sixteen holes for the
connection by rivets of the leather strap to which a lining might be attached.
At the lower part of the front piece, where the metal splays out for the
shoulder, are three holes, two on the sinister and two on the dexter side. To
these holes we may suppose were fixed the forelocks by which the helm was
braced to the breastplate. This splay extends about two inches, and in later
times a thinner plate, about two and a half inches deep, and with a wired
margin, has been added, probably for the purpose of suspending the helm in
♦.he church.
It is not ca.sy to say how, but it appears probable that some shock,
occasioned either by the helm having received a tremendous blow on its
top, or by its having fallen on its top with great violence, has thrown the
various plates out of position; likewise, certain of the rivets are missing,
especially those that connect the top piece with the front ixjrlion. The
unusual heaviness of this helm (it weighs 25 lb. 13 o/„) is due to the great
108
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
thickness of the top piece, which is as much as one-third of an inch
(Pig. 454). As we have said, so accurate and detailed is Viscount Dillon's
description of the Lindsay helm, that it would be superfluous to describe
the three others with which we are acquainted, and which are of the same
family; it will suffice to note their differences. Of the other three of this
Fig. 453. Helm
Late XVth century. It bears an armourer's mark attributed to Jacques Voys,
armourer to Philip the Fair. Collection: Porte de Hal, Brussels
group the one most like the Lindsay helm is that now hanging on a staple
by the site of the tomb of Henry VI in St. George's Chapel, Windsor
(Fig. 455). The backplate is a little more botnbd in form, and the edges
of the front plate are escalloped in their outline. For funerary purposes it
will be noticed that the front and back of the helm have been cut away at
the base, and that to the latter a deep pointed gorget-like plate has been
fastened. A spike has also been added to the top, and there are the remains
109
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
of heraldic bars that have been riveted at intervals over the oculariuin. As
in the case of the Lindsay helm, the door closing the rectangular opening
on the dexter side of the front plate is missing. Those reatlers who are
attracted by the romance of the armour collector will l)c interested to learn
that this helm and the one described on page 141 (Fig. 481) were said to
have been discovered in London by Mr. Pratt, the well-known dealer in
anuour and arms of the first half of the XLXth century, to whom we shall
have occasion to refer in a later volume of this work. The helms were
Fig. 454. Hki.m
Engliiih, about 1475-90. Collection: Captain H. Lindsay
purchascxl at the i>ersonal expense of the Prince Consort, who was informed
that they were the helms which originally belonged to the res|)cctive tombs of
Kings Henry \'I and lidward IV. It was Mr. Pratt's tale that they had
been missing from St. George's Chapel since the tombs in question were
demolished by the Parliamentarians. After the purcha.se of the two head-
picxes they were hung on staples near the spot where these kings were buried.
No possible credence, however, can be attached to the attribution of their
former Koyal ownership, or to Mr. Pratt's supposed history o( the helms;
for, on the face of it, they do not correspond in date to the reigns of the
1 10
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
monarchs in question. They are, however, genuine helms of the greatest
rarity, and most interesting possessions, though sadly mutilated. They have
certainly been adapted at some early date for hanging over tombs. But
over what tombs, and in what church, we shall never know.
The next of this family of English helms to be considered is that now
preserved in the Py.\ Chapel of the Abbey Church of Westminster (I^'ig.
Fig. 455. Helm ' '
English, about 1475-90. Erroneously supposed to have belonged to King Henry VI
St. George's Chapel, Windsor
456, a, b). For many years it was deposited on loan in the Rotunda, Woolwich.
There it remained until comparatively recent times, when it was once more
returned to W^estminster. It has been fully described in the Archaeological
Journal, vol. xxv, p. 224; so in this narrative it will suffice to mention the
points in which it differs from the other two helms of the class we have been
dealing with. On comparing the general outline and the construction of
the head-piece, it will be noticed that in the case of the Westminster helm
III
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the plate that forms the crown is shorter at the back, necessitating^ the
extension of the backplate of the skull-piece, thus jjivinjj it a more pleasing
Fig. 4560. Helm
English, about 1475-90. Found in the triforium of the Abbey Church of Westminster
Now in the I'yx Chapel, Westminster. Profile view
cr>ntour. The hinjje in front, the staples at the side, and the rinj^ at the back by
which the helm was attached to the backplate, are all in position. It will be
112
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
seen that the aperture in the dexter side of this helm takes the form of three
circular holes, two placed one above the other, the third a little to the left, in
Fig. 4s6d. Helm
English, about 1475-90. Found in the triforium of the Abbey Church of Westminster
Now in the Pyx Chapel, Westminster. Front view
the centre. Apparently there were never any means of closing them; for
there are no rivets or holes for the rivets, by which a cover or door of
any kind could be attached. The fourth of these helms is, in our opinion,
" 113 Q
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the most complete ami interestintj. even if a lilllc inclined to be clumsy in
workmanship. This is the hehn hanginj^ over the tomb of Sir John Foggc
in Ashford Church. Kent (Fig. 457)' The construction is precisely the same
as that of the other three; but not one of the edges of the plates is escallojicd.
It will also be observed that a band some three inches wide is firmly riveted
to the lower edge, splaying out to fit o\er the breastplate. Despite the great
thickness of this helm, a reinforcing plate, attached by staples and pins, covers
Fig. 457. Helm
Knglish, about 1475-90. Hanging over the tomb of Sir John Foggc, sometime
Treasurer to the Household of King Edward IV, Ashford Church, Kent
the sinister side of the front. This is hardly noticeable in the illustration, the
short return of the reinforcement around the front of the helm being alone
visible. The weight of this helm is 23 lb. 15 oz. The fifth (Tig. 458), the
New York example, certainly of the same school, is rough in make and now
sadly overcleaned on the wheel; it shows that curious flanged protection to
the dexter opening on its front plate which is .so pronounced in the Broad-
water head-piece (see page 148, I-ig. 487).
These helms link tf)gether the less known types, which we date between
1470-1490, with those on the continent of a slightly later date, the portrayal
114
Fig. 457A. Helm
German, or possibly English, about 149C-1500. Rotunda, Museum of Artillery, Woolwich
115
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
of which was the delight of Dtlrer. Fine and inassi\e, however, as are these
inrticular Hnglish hehns, their profile outline cannot comp;ire with those of
continental origin. We can show two only of the latter class in lingland, one
on a tilling suit in the Wallace Collection, the other in the Rotunda. Wool-
wich. Inasnuich as the Rotunda example, thouj^^h having all the elegance
of a (tcrinan made hehn, has l)een considered by some aullu)rities as
possibly of Hnglish workmanship, we will examine and describe it first.
Fig. 4S& Helm
En};Iish. about i47CM)a Collection:
Mr. W. H Riggv Mctro(K>litan
Mu!>cum, New York
Fig. 459. Helm
German, or possibly English, about 1490-1500.
Collection: Signor Rcssman, Hargcllo,
Florence
This helm (Fig. 457A), known as the Brocas helm, from having been pur-
chased at the Brocas sale in 1834, has Ijeen proclaimed by the Baron dc
Cosson to be " perhaps the grandest jousting helm in existence." As in the
case of other helms we have described, it is composed of three pieces of
diflferent thicknes.ses, varying according to their placement upon the head-
piece, fixed together by iron rivets with salient heads a good half inch in
diameter. In this case the heads are mostly covered by thin plates of
brass soldered on, which led the author of the excellent account of the helm
116
Fig. 460. Helm
German, or possibly English, about 1520. Hanging over the tomb of Sir John Dawtrey,
St. Mary's Church, Petworth, Sussex
(a) Profile view; (d) Front view; (c) Back view
117
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
given in the .-I nhaeohgical Journal, vol, xxi, p. 60, to say. "The rivets
are curiously composed of three metals, iron, white metal, and brass."
But it will be found that most armour of this epoch that is riveted with
what appear to be brass rivets is actually riveted with iron, over the heads
of which a thin covering of brass is soldered. The front plate of the helm,
under the opening that forms the ocularium, has been rolled back for
about one inch to give it additional strength; while the upper plate is
reinforced just alxne the opening by a strong piece riveted inside it. There
are four pairs of twin aiglette holes in the crown for holding up the lining,
which, at its lower edge, was secured by rivets which appear round the neck.
Two inches below the most salient point at the back of the helm is a hole
with a screw thread which probably served to secure the crest. There are
eight holes punched just lK*hind the line of rivets on each side of the helm.
These, which are most roughly executed, were probably made for ventilation
after the helm was finished. The arrangement for fixing the helm to the
breast- and back-plates by means of large pierced hinges is very complete,
showing a distinct advance on the other tilting helms described.
Ikforc we deal with the essentially German helm of the Wallace Collec-
tion we will allude to a splendid head-piece that has much in common with the
Hrocas helm. Formerly in the Meyrick Collection, it is now in the Hargello
at I'lorencc, having been be(|ueathed to that museum with other portions
of his collection by the late Signor Ressman (Fig. 459). When the Meyrick
Collection was sold, about 1875, certain of the finest pieces were disjxjsed of
privately, among others being the helm in question. It was purchased by the
famous antiquary, M. Louis Carrand, in whose collection it remained many
years. Signor Ressman coveted this superb helm, but could not give the
price asked. Eventually, however, he became possessed of it by exchanging
for it the English made tilting helm (see page 140, Fig. 480) now to be seen in
the Carrand Collection, Florence, and certain other objects. There is no record
of how and when Sir Samuel Meyrick purchased it. In our opinion, it is
possibly English made; though from the grandeur of its contour it must
undoubtedly be German in conception. It differs a little from the Hrocas
helm, being somewhat higher in the crown, and having down either side a
series of circular and oblong apertures for the purposes of hearing and for
attaching the straps that held the inside cap in position. It has lost the hinge
in front, the means of its attachment to the breastplate; but the seven rivet
holes by which it was secured are to lie seen.
The present writer thinks that the helm from Petworth Church, Sussex
118
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
(Fig. 460, a, b, c) should rank as one of these so-called Anglo-German helms,
German in conception but English in make. It now hangs over the tomb of
Sir John Davvtrey on the north wall of the chapel of St. Thomas a Beckett,
known as the Northumberland chapel. As Sir John Dawtrey died in 1527,
about the period when the helm was made, there is the possibility that it is
now hanging in its proper position above the tomb to which it belongs.
This helm closely resembles in contour the Brocas-Woolwich example; but
it is less fine in its lines and construction, not so ample in its proportions,
and lacking in general aspect that grandeur which makes the Woolwich helm
so remarkable. It has rather the inclination towards the form assumed by
that family of somewhat cylindrical English helms which are mentioned on
pages 1 06- 1 14; but it is more shapely, the almost S-shaped swing of the line
from the base of the recessed backplate to the front apex of the visor being
particularly effective. The fastenings in front and back are missing, and
nearly all the rivets that secured the plates together are also wanting, the
parts being only held together by three or four unclinched nails. On this
evidence it has been suggested that the helm was never finished, and that
it was bought for funerary- purposes only. But the present writer feels that
so far from the helm being unfinished, it is one which had been discarded;
for on the evidence of the numerous holes in the gorget of the helm it is
apparent that its original mode of attachment to the breastplate has been
several times altered, and that finally its lower edge has been cut away to
adapt it for funerary purposes. It has been painted brown— there are traces
of decoration upon it in some lighter colour. The weight of this helm is
21^ lb. The excellent photographs of the helm which we present have been
taken by kind permission of the Earl of Leconfield and through the courtesy
of the vicar of St. Mary's Church, Petworth, the Rev. Thomas Penrose.
We will now turn to that characteristic helm of German make in the
Wallace Collection, the first we describe of the real German series (Fig. 461).
It is on the suit of tilting armour. No. 327. We had better give a detailed
account both of the helm and of the body armour; for in describing this suit
and its parts, the only genuine harness of its kind in a British collection,
and allowing for certain variations, we are delineating the general construc-
tion of almost every German harness made for use in the German joust.
The Wallace helm weighs 20 lb., the whole suit, inclusive of the helm, 96 lb.
The surface of the helm and of the palettes of the body armour is in
many cases deeply grooved and indented, owing to lance thrusts, which
seem almost as if they had been dealt with the pointed lance aoutrance,2in6.
119
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
not with the corond or rebated lance-head customarily used in the jousts of
peace. The suit bears the Augsburjj jjuild mark and the letter S with an
indistinct bar, baton, or axe runninjj^ through it. This same mark, together
Fig. 461. Hri.m, with its acx omianyinc iiarnks.s
German, about 1 500-1 510. .Vo. 327, Wallace Collection
with the .Augsburg guild mark, is to be seen on two of the fine tilting
harnesses of the same nature at Vienna. Augsburg was famous at the end
of the XVth century for the production of these ponderous harnesses. In
the fine scries of such armour exhibited in the National Germanic Museum
of Nuremberg is a suit, a counterpart of the Wallace harness, made also at
120
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
Augsburg, and very possibly by the same armourer. At Nuremberg is to
be seen another suit very similar, but furnished with the tilting salade head-
piece. This latter suit is dated 1498.
Appended are the details of the Wallace helm and suit:
The helm is composed of three plates of varying thicknesses, which
plates we will call i, 2, and 3.
Plate I. The top of the skull-piece. Down the centre of this runs the
comb. It is of convex section, and on either side of it there is fluting, which
radiates from a point some gl inches from the base of Plate 2. The average
thickness of Plate i is /^ of an inch. In the centre of the comb is a screw
with a faceted, hemispherical head; which served for the attachment of the
crest. Further forward in the comb are twin holes, which are repeated at
4 inches from either side of the comb. These were for the passage of the
aiglettes, which secured the quilted lining cap in position.
Plate 2. The back of the skull-piece. Fastened beneath Plate i, it
extends a distance of j} inches below the level of the shoulders; the lower
edge is cut to four slightly curved facets. At the extreme base is a hinge,
detachable in the centre by a staple, the lower plate of which is pierced with
a circular hole, through which passes a screw attaching the helm to the
backplate.. Above this, a little to the left, is a buckle, with which the strap
that retained the small wooden tilting shield in position is connected. On
either side of Plate 2 is a group of eight perpendicular apertures, 1} inches
long. Above and below there is a second group of four circular holes, the
edges of which are fitted with latten eyelets, through which passed the
leathern thongs that again secured the quilted lining cap. An annular design
is engraved on either side of the back of the skull. The average thickness
of Plate 2 is about | of an inch.
Plate 3. The front of the helm. It fastens over both Plates i and 2.
In this, perhaps, is manifest the most skilful piece of forging in a head-piece
which, as a whole, is a toiir-de-force of the armourer's craft. The upper edge
is turned inwards, reinforcing the most vulnerable part of the tilting helm,
namely, the part beneath the opening of the ocularium. The lower edge of the
plate comes down to a distance corresponding to that at the back of the
skull-piece; but with this difference that it widens to 9I inches at its lower
part, along the border of which are three groups of twin holes | of an inch
in diameter. Through these pass the three screws that secure the front of the
helm to the breastplate. The ocularium is formed by the aperture between
Plates I and 3, the greatest actual width being 2| inches; but owing to the
II 121 R
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
position of the helm on the shoulders, when a course was to be run, an
opening of not more than half an inch would present itself to the adversary's
lance. The average thickness of Plate 3 is from p*^ to \ of an inch.
The three plates of the helm are fastened together by hemispherically-
headed rivets of iron, on which are soldered latten caps half an inch in
diameter.
The breastplate of this harness is of slightly globose form, the gussets
Fig. 462. Helm
German, about 1 50a National Germanic
Museum, Nuremberg
Fig. 463. Helm
German, about 1500. H 14, Mus^
d'Artilleric, Pari.s
flanged to a triangular .section. The right-hand side is forged to a rectangular
form, and has at its extreme corner a lance rest attached by a strong .screw
and two guiding staples. The lance rest itself is forged from one piece, and
is in the form of a bracket, at the end of which is a .semicircular arm, which
is supported in turn by a bar of moulded pilaster form. At right angles to
this, and passing beneath the. right arm, is the queue, under the end of
which rested the butt end of the lance. It is 2,\ inches wide, ,\ of an inch
thick, and 21 inches long, grooved for loi inches, no doubt with the object
of reducing its weight. This queue is attached to the breastplate by two
122
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
large screws. At the sides, as at the top of the breastplate, are hinged iron
straps, pierced with circular holes, which fitted over staples in the backplate,
and which, when united, were secured by rosette-headed nuts. On the left
hand of the breastplate are two circular holes, ~ of an inch in diameter, and |
of an inch apart; through these pass the plaited braids of flax, which in their
turn pass through the small wooden tilting shield {Stechtartsche), assisting
to hold it in position. The breastplate varies in thickness from \ to \ of an
Fig. 464. Helm
German, about 1500. Collection: Prince Ernest of Wtndisch- Graetz
inch. Attached to the bottom of the breastplate by a single screw is the
placate, the top edge of which is chamfered and finishes in a flattened point.
To this are riveted the taces, of four plates. Attached to these are the tassets
or tuilles, each of one plate, turned under on the inside to a strong flange
of triangular section. Down the centre is embossed a ridge, engraved with
a rope pattern. The "buckles are secured by brass rosette-headed rivets.
The backplate is composed of three parts. Plate i is a foundation
wedge-shaped plate, widening towards the top, along the edge of which is a
123
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
line of small holes for the attachment of a leather linini:^, which remains at
the side, where it is pierced with holes for the lacing. 'I'o the toj) of this
plate is secured, by five rtush-hcaded rivets, Plate 2, an inverted V-shaped
plate 2j inches wide. It is shaped to .vflat ridge across the apex, the edges of
Fic:. 465. HKLM, with its ACCOMPANVINd HARNESS
Made for the Emperor Maximilian I. Imperial Armour)', Vienna
which are flanged outwards, forming a slot, into which fits the third plate,
which is also of V form. Plate 3 is held in position by two screws, which
pass through Plates 2 and 3, fitting into any two of a series of eight holes
that arc in Plate 2, By this ingenious arrangement the angle at which the
tilting helm was worn is governed by the length of the backplate. At the
124
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
base of the backplate is the buttock defence {garde-de-reifi), of five plates,
fluted in a radiating manner, and attached by a single screw to Plate i of
the backplate.
The shoulder plates — the pauldrons — are of five plates, decorated with
*■ Fig. 466. Helm, with its ACcoMrANYiNG harness
German, about 1515. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg
radiating fluting, and attached by two rivets to two diamond sectioned projec-
tions, around which it is supposed were formerly wound the tails of the lambre-
quin. Attached to two pin holes, and suspended from the top of the pauldrons,
are the two large circular plates protecting the arm-pits, which are called the
palettes. Each is 9I inches in diameter, the right hollowed slightly at its
125
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
edge to allow a freer use of the lance. The arm jjuards consist of the plates
protecting the fore-arm (rerebraccs) and the elbow guards (coudes), each of
five plates. On the left arm the gauntlet is of the jX)uldermitton tyjie.
The bend of the arm is protected by an extra piece, finely Hutcd, which is
attachetl to the vambrace by three screws. This plate is stamped at the
border with the guild mark of the City of Augsburg. The extra piece on
the right arm differs somewhat in shape from that on the left; but it is also
stamped with the guild mark of the City of Augsburg. Attached to the
flaxen braids already mentioned is the wooden ^shoulder shield {Stechtartsclie).
It is of oak, shaped somewhat to the form of a steel grandguard, and is
covered with leather, parchment, and gesso, tooled and painted with a coat
of arms. Its dimensions are 14 inches wide by i \ inches deep.
Judging from the general fashion of this tilting harness, we may date
it as coming within the last quarter of the X\'th century. As we see it
to-day it has been subjected to certain small restorations.
Having examined the Wallace tilting helm and suit in detail, we will
content ourselves with mentioning where the three other fine German
helms and four German tilting suits illustrated may be seen; though we
may add that all have bcvn chosen for their representative character. The
first helm (Fig. 462) is in the National Germanic Museum of Nuremberg,
the second (Fig. 463) in the Mus<5e d'Artillerie of Paris, and the third
(Fig. 464) in the collection of Prince Ernest of W'indisch-Graetz. This
last splendid helm, though undoubtedly German, bears as armourer's mark
the letters R. N., which is curiously Italian in character. Of the tilting sets,
that made for the Kmperor Maximilian I, which is in the Imperial Armoury,
\"ienna, is the finest (I'ig. 465). The second (Fig. 466) is in the National
Germanic Museum of Nuremberg. The third and fourth (Figs. 467 and 468),
both splendid German harnesses, are in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris. If
space permitted, the national armouries of Dresden, and of Munich, and of
the Porte de Hal in Brussels, would afford us additional illustrations of
similar Cicrman tournament helms and harnesses. It must, however, be
borne in mind that though so full a list of the great German helms can
be made out, to say nothing of their complementary accoutrement, such
harnesses are, as a matter of fact, of the greatest rarity. Proof of this may
be found in the fact that within the last thirty years only two such equip-
ments have found their way into the market, and even those two cannot be
regarded as homogeneous. In other words, they were comj)osite, made up
of various pieces from different suits, although harmonizing admirably as
126
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
put together. One of the two tournament sets in question is one now in
the collection of Viscount Astor at Hever Castle, and the other in the Metro-
politan Museum, New York. The Astor helm and tilting pieces were pur-
chased some few years ago from a well-known Paris dealer, and may be
looked upon as fairly satisfactory. The set in the Metropolitan Museum,
New York (Fig. 469), was purchased with the Due de Dino's armoury, and
'SS^^^^^^I
\
r^^r '^^^1
\
L
^^Wl
111 '
^rafv^t 'i^ME
1
Fig. 467. Helm, with its accompanying
HARNESS
German, about 1515. No. G 163, Mus^e
d'Artillerie, Paris
P'iG. 468. Helm, with its accumianying
HARNESS
German, about 15 15. No. G 164, Mus^e
d'Artillerie, Paris
was made up in the following manner by the late Signor Ressman, in whose
collection it formerly was. The breastplate came from M. Bachereau, of
Paris, and is genuine; as are the arms and large tilting palettes which
came from the collection of the Baron de Cosson. The back part of the
helm is old; but Signor Ressman had the front constructed to complete
it, and also made several smaller additions to the suit. The appearance of
the whole married together is admirable; but owing to different degrees of
127
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
rust oxidization the surfaces of the x'aryinjj parts had to be placed upon the
burnishing wheel in order to make them harmonize in general efifect. Indi-
vidual helms of the German and
even of the Italian types are occa-
sionally met with in private collec-
tions: but, though many may be
interesting, the authenticity of the
majority is oj>en to suspicion.
Our next group of the great
tilting helms comprises those of
Italian and of Spanish make. Let
the Italian examples be consitlered
first. Looking at the illustrations
the reader will at once notice a
peculiarity in the almost cylindrical
form of the helm and in the flat-
ness of the skull-piece, features
which are more characteristic of
the group of Knglish helms than
of the essentially German group
just descriljed. As typically Italian
and as early of its kind as any
known to us is the helm in the
Muscc d'Artillerie of Paris, H ii
(rig. 470). Its date can safely be
assigned to the third quarter of
the XVth century. In the official
catalogue of the Musde d'Artillerie
it is described as German ; but there
can be no doubt of its Italian origin.
It is remarkably shallow, and only
a careful study of that scholarly
passage, in his DUtionnaire dii
Mobilier l'ranqais (vol. ii, page
391), in which M. Violiet-le-Duc
explains how this helm was set
Fit;. 469. Hei.m. with it.s acco.mi'anying
HARNESS
Oxnprchcnfivcly German, about 1515. Metro-
politan .MuMTum of New York
Upon the head, renders it possible to understand how it served as a defensive
head-piece (I-ig. 471).
128
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
Fig. 470. Helm
Italian, third quarter of the XVth
century. H 1 1, Musi^e
d'Artillerie, Paris
From this solitary Italian helm in Paris
we will turn to those two splendid helms which,
together with their tilting armour, are to be seen
in the Arsenal at Venice. It is not unlikely
that they were originally part of the armoury
of the Doges' Palace, most of the armour
and weapons now in the Arsenal having been
formerly there; but Signor Mario Mocenigo,
in his excellent work on the Venice Arsenal,
states that he
has found no
former refer-
ence to these
two wonderful
sets, unless the
simple entry of
"Ancient Helmets, 3, "inthe inventory of 1548,
is a note referring to these two helms and to
the-celebrated bascinet (see vol. i, Fig. 299).
Gravembroch gives a rough drawing of the
helm numbered C 5 in the Arsenal (Fig. 472),
the more important of the two sets, stating that
it is " a very heavy and large-sized iron helmet
found among the wonders of the Venetian
Arsenal." So much for what we know of its
history. As to its original owner, we can only
quote from Signor Mocenigo. He states that
at the back of the skull-piece " there are en-
graved three interlaced rings, obviously the
emblem of the Sforza family, and between
them can be read the initials A. M., which
leads one to surmise that this armour had
belonged to Cardinal Ascanio Maria Sforza, the " Grand Elector " ^ of
Pope Alexander VI (Borgia) at the end of the XVth century — a man
more apt for war and intrigue than for the exercise of his priestly office."
^ The term "Grand Elector" alludes to the fact that at the Conclave of 1492 the election of
Cardinal Borgia as Pope (Alexander VI) was secured by the transfer to him (for a monetary
consideration) of Cardinal Ascanio Maria Sforza's votes and those of his party.
II 129 S
Fig. 471. M. ViOLLET-LE-Duc's
DRAWING
Showing how the helm (Fig. 470)
was worn
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
The tilting set catalojjuctl in the X'enice Arsenal as C 5 comprises a helm,
preat placate, breastplate, and l>ackplate. The skull-piece of the helm is slightly
boutlk'. The visor is in one single picxe of nearly half-cylindrical shape, varying
in thickness according to the strength required in any particular section.
It is fixed with large bolts placet! on either side lx:neath the skull-piece
of the helm, and fitted also to the back part of the head-piece, which is
simply grooved in chevrons. On the dexter side it has a square opening.
As in the case of all tilting helms of this class, the ocularium occupies
the space between the front lower edge t)f the skull-piece and the top of the
visor. The helm is attached to the breastplate by two lateral hinges, and by
a central hinged strap of iron of oblong rectangular form in which are four
holes for receiving as many staples as are attached to the breastplate. These
staples, when fitted through the holes made to receive them in the hinged
strap on the helm, are rigidly secured by a single metal bolt passing through
the group. The great placate has in the front three large movable bolts by
which it is attached to the breastplate. The front and backplates are connected
at the sides with a hinge and movable bolts, and on the shoulders with two
broad strips of steel like a hinge, uhich contain various perforations to
enable their position to be regulated.
On the back arc six buckles to which were fastened the leather straps
which supported the espaliers which are missing. In the centre eight large
apertures are arranged vertically in pairs. All round the rims there arc
a number of small |x;rforations, intended for the attachment of leather lacings
and linings. The great placate carries the lance-rest, which is of the most
massive description; now hollow, it was originally filled with some sh(x:k-
resisting material.
The second Italian tilting set in the Venice Arsenal is numbered C 6.
It is much the same in sha|)e and in its parts as that just described, save
that it is rather smaller in its dimensions. As distinguished from the pre-
ceding suit, this one has the great placate attached to the breastplate merely
by means of the four pins near the lance-rest. At the back of the skull-piece
of the helm are etched three interlaced rings on a gilded ground with orna-
ments and initials A. M., as in the case of the preceding armour. This seems
to show that it l>elongcd to the same owner. An armourers mark of dis-
tinctly Milanese character also appears on the harness, a mark not unlike that
used by the Missaglia family, though the stamped initials are not the same.
The splendid armoury of V^ienna supplies us with an cxamj)le of just
such another helm and tilting set (Fig. 473); but in this case the helm, in
130
Fig. 472. Helm, with its apparel
Italian, late XVth century. Supposed to have been made for Ascanio Maria Sforza
Arsenal, Venice
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
actual formation, is more like the Italian head-piece describeti on paj^e 107
(Fig 452). and is probably of corresiK)nding date. The late Herr W'endclin
Roehcim slates that this tournament harness bears the mark of Antonio
Missaglia of Milan. It figures in the 1583 inventory of Castle Ambras, and
is there erroneously described as having belonged to the Duke of Milan.
There is now little doubt that it belonged to Gasparo Fracasso of Milan,
the ambassador of Ludovico Moro to the Court of Maximilian I. Heforc
Fk;. 473. IIei.m! with its aj'Parki.
tulun. third quarter uf ihc XVth century. Said to have belonged to Gasparo Fracasso t>f Milan
lm|)crial Armour>', Vienna
the death of Gasparo Fracasso there is a record in contemporary
accounts of its having l)een purchased by Ma.ximilian in 1502 for the sum of
seventy-two gulden, to be placed with his collection of armour in Castle
Ambras. The date of the make of the helm on this set might be as early
as 1465.
Wc will now consider a ty|X! of helm of Spanish origin, and worn with
the Spanish tilting harness; in Spain there was a sjK'cial joust |x;culiar to that
countr)'. Padilla. in his chronicle, says that the Catholic kings, in order to
132
THE HELM OF THE XVm CENTURY
celebrate at Toledo (1502) the confirmation of Princess Joanna and of
Prince Philip the Fair as heirs to the crown of Castile, among other public
rejoicings, arranged with Don Garcia of Toledo, son of the Duke of Alba,
to hold a royal tournament in Zocodover, and this " seemed very good to
the Prince and the foreign gentlemen who were with him " (Collection
of Docunientos indditos para la Historia de Espaita, vol. viii, page 87).
Some years later, the young king, Charles I, afterwards the Emperor
Charles V, held at Valladolid (15 18), according to his Flemish chronicler,
Laurent Vital, two kinds of tournaments, one of them being " that which
they call royal, where great shields and blunt lances are employed " (Gachard,
Chroniqiies Beiges, vol. ii, page 189). Both quotations go to show that this
form of joust was distinctly Spanish, that the Flemish witnessed it for
the first time, and that they afterwards practised it in Brussels, along with
the reed-spear games and other diversions of Spanish origin, in honour
of Philip II when he was heir-apparent (Calvete de Estrella, Viaje de
Felipe II). It is because of their connection with this particular form of
Spanish jousting that we select two helms from the Madrid Armoury, one
with its harness attached, which represent yet another different shape of
jousting helm. In the Count de Valencia's catalogue the numbers of these
two helms are A 16 and 17. Owing to a sketch which appears in the
Inventario de Carlos V, and to statements made in the Relacion de Valla-
dolid, the armour described as A 16 (Fig. 474) was formerly believed to have
actually belonged to the Emperor Charles ^/^ The armourer's marks indicate
that it was made in Valencia, about the time that the young husband of
Princess Joanna was seeking exercise in jousting, as his chronicler says,
"<-? la mode dEspaigne." However, the reference to it in the Relacion de
Valladolid is " Armour engraved and gilded as for Royalty," which we
may take it really means for royal tourriaments. So we have no direct
evidence that it was ever the personal property of the Emperor Charles V.
The helm on this jousting harness, to judge by the dimensions and general
outline of the visor, might easily be Italian; but before coming to a definite
opinion we must note that it bears an armourer's mark — a fleur-de-lis — very
similar to that seen on a Chapeau de Montaiiban, described on page 64
(P^ig. 415). The breastplate of the body harness is composed of two thick
plates of steel, which are placed one over the other, each being tinned to
prevent rust, while the exterior was covered with gold brocade. The lower
plate serves to protect the whole front down to the waist, the upper plate
reinforcing the chest only, as far as the horizontal line of gilded nails. The
133
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
one is joined to the other by a rotator)' hinge placed in the centre of a lai^e
circular n>se of j^ildetl and engraved metal. The breastplate is completed by
a third plate, which covers the shoulder-blades in place of the back piece, and
pnUecls the shoulders from the friction of the helmet. The l)ody armour is
covered throughout with the same brt>cade over strong canvas, and reaches
to the waist, where it is drawn in and fastened with cords and stay-like
Fi8. 474. Helm, with its APrAkEL
Spanish, early XVIth century. A 16, Royal Armoury, Madrid
fastenings. This jousting breastplate is clearly Spanish. Apart from the
Moorish character of the engraving and open metal work which constitute
the ornamentation of the large rose in the centre, it bears on the inner side
of the plates a mark which undoubtedly shows that it was made in Valencia.
This is the tetragon with the bars of Aragon, which Don Jaime gave as a
coat of arms to the city conquered by him. The lance rest, though massive,
is hollow, a fashion peculiar to Spain and Italy. It was originally filled with
cork, in order to deaden the shock of assault received from the vamplate of
>34
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
the lance. To the large iron ring fixed on the breastplate, just below the
lower left edge of the helm, an object not unlike an iron door-knocker is
fastened, with a nut at the end. This unscrews, in order to fasten on the
wooden shield, known in Germany as the Stechtartsche. This shield is miss-
ing from the harness. A ball of leather, stuffed with tow, as can be seen in
the illustration, was placed between the Stechtartsche and the breastplate,
which, performing the office of a fender to a ship, deadened the shock
of impact. The breastplate terminates in front in a skirt of three thin
plates or taces and two leather straps; these last, judging by the position
in which they are sketched in the luventario,
must have crossed below the buttocks of the
rider, thus serving to secure the breastplate.
Over the left hip is a single and delicately-
moulded tace in two pieces, decorated at the
edges with a punched design, after the Spanish
fashion of the time. The arm defences are sus-
pended, by means of leather aiglettes, from the
leather jacket, which generally was of buffalo
hide, worn under the mail hauberk. Each is
composed of three pieces only; but they are of
different shapes. The right is smooth, and has
a strong rerebrace flanged curiously outwards
at the top; the left, which is jointed at the
shoulder, has the fan-shaped elbow cop wing,
after the manner of a war harness of the time.
The gauntlets and vambraces, although of
the same period as the rest of the armour, do not form part of the
set.
The second tilting harness in the Madrid Armoury (No. A 17), which
figures with that just described in the Inventario de Carlos V, so much
resembles its companion suit, that it is unnecessary to describe it. But an
account of the helm, which more closely resembles those of English origin
which we have described, might perhaps prove interesting. It is bulkier than
that seen on the last suit; it has also no rim to rest on the shoulders of the
wearer. On the dexter side of the visor is a rectangular opening closed by
a door larger than those we have alluded to in other helms; this door
occupies, in fact, the entire side of the helm (Fig. 475)-
Before quitting the subject of the great tilting helm of the transitional
135
Fig. 475. Helm
Spanish, early XVIth century
No. 17, Royal Armoury, Madrid
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
years of the .\\'th-X\*Ith centuries, we will iwuse to consider the manner
in which it was worn, and the elaboration of detail necessary in order to
adjust it carefully upon the head of the wearer. If the reader will imagine a
muscular man in a set of tilting armour weighing often over loo lb., on a
heavy charjjer, carr)'ing also the great additional weight of the s.iddle, chan-
fron and thickly |>added caparisons, meeting a similarly armoureil combatant,
shtKk to shock, even at a slow gallop, he can form .some idea of the violence of
the encounter, and of the precautions that must have been taken to reduce
the dangers. The literature dealing with the etiquette of the tournament in
the closing years of the XVth century is voluminous, and admirable
illustrations of the joust and ceremonial are extant from the pen of Mans
Hurgkmair in the Freydal, and also in the drawings of the Swabian artist
Hans lialdung, sometimes called Baldung (irein or Griln. But the actual
adjustment of the armaments is somewhat lightly passed over, as is also
the description of the great precautions taken to catch an unhorsed knight
before he reached the ground. This office, which required great agility and
presence of mind, was performetl by the Grieswartel, and it was upon them
that the combatant depended for his escape from serious injury. It was a
most dangerous moment for the knight, and the greatest attention was
paid to the construction of the lining and padding of the helm, in order to
protect at least the most important part of the human body, the head, from
contact with the ground. As can be seen, the shape of the tilting helmet
was adapted to this purpose. It was .so large that neither the neck nor any
part of the head touched it on the inside. On the head itself was worn a cap
made of thick cloth lined with ordinary linen, and stuffed with tow. This,
when put on, was again secured to the helmet with leather laces and straps,
in fact, with the aiglettes. Of these padded caps, only some half-dozen
original sjK-cimens are in existence, which as far as we know are all in the
Imperial Collection, Vienna, whither they were brought from Castle Ambras.
A description of one of the padded caps given by the late Herr VVendelin
I^ichcim is accurate and most interesting. Although the caps varied a little
at different times and places, they were yet in the main similar. Herr
Ikiehcim states that this head-pad consisted of a close-fitting, thick cloth
cap, covering the head and the neck as far as the breast-bone, with a
small opening for the eyes and nose. To the upj^er and lower edges of
this ojKrning were attached narrow leathern straps, the ends of which, of
equal length, were left hanging free. On four, or sometimes only on
three, jiarls of the crown, and on the sides, leathern straps were sewn, also
136
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
in such a manner that the ends hung free. Just above the temples on both
sides were placed small cushions filled with cow-hair (Fig. 476). Before the
heavy helm was put on and fastened, the quilted cap had first to be adjusted
and carefully bound and buckled. Every precaution was taken to ensure
that no uncomfortable folds were formed, that the cap was not moved out of
the right position, and particularly that the small cushions referred to above
exactly covered the temples. Then, the straps and leather lacing which were
left hanging free from the padded cap, were, when the helm was finally
placed on the head, laced through the various
apertures in the head-piece, and fastened on the
outside so that the head was exactly in the centre
of the helm and lashed there by the even pull of
the straps and thongs in every direction; much in
the same manner as a delicate piece of glass or
porcelain is secured in a wooden case by experi-
enced packers for transit. The helm was then fixed
on to the body armour at the front and back by
means of easily movable screws and an arrange-
ment of staples, the details of which we have re-
ferred to, and which are to be seen on all complete
helms and tilting sets. From this it will easily
be realized on how many small and complicated
, details depended the equipment of a tilter, and
how indispensable were the services of a skilled
armourer and dresser. It must also be borne in
mind that there was no less difficulty in properly
adjusting the horse equipment. To explain in
words the elaboration of the final fastening of the inside cap to the helm
and of the latter to the breastplate is a difficult matter; but we call to our
assistance the splendid drawing made by Albrecht Diirer in 15 14, now in
the royal collection, Berlin, the most valuable pictorial evidence available
(Fig. 477).
Before describing the final form of the tilting or fighting helm, after
which its development into the armet or ordinary close helmet seems but
a step, we will take note of a family of helms which of late years has been
recognized as being of English workmanship and fashion, and which are
illustrated in the famous tournament roll in the College of Arms, London.
This roll is "A Description of the Solemn Justs held at Westminster the
II 137 T
Fig. 476. Quilted tourna-
ment CAP
Early XVIth century. Im-
perial Armoury, Vienna
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
13th day of Februaiy in the first year of King Henry ye VIII in honor
of his queen Katherin upon the Birth of their eldest son Prince Henry
A.D. 1510." These helms are of very simple construction; indeed, they show
no advance from the point of protection upon the English helms of nearly
half a century earlier. They certainly belong to the first quarter of the
XVIth century; and so reference to them now places them in their correct
chronological order. We can record four examples of such English helms
at present known to us: —
A helm in Haseley Church, Oxfordshire.
A helm in the Wallace Collection.
Fig. 477. Two drawings after Albrecht Durer
Showing the elaborate attachment of the interior quilted cap by means of straps
and aiglettes fastened on the exterior
A helm in the Bargello, Florence, and
A helm hanging -by the site of the tomb of King Edward IV in
St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
To Mr. Alfred Billson must be given the credit of the discovery of the
helm in Haseley Church, Oxfordshire, where it hangs over the tomb of
Sir William Barentyn, who was High Sheriff of that county in the reign of
King Henry VIII. In the present writer's opinion this is one of the cases in
which the head-piece may well have belonged to the owner of the tomb over
which it is now suspended. The Barentyn helm (Fig. 478) consists of four
plates, the front piece, the back piece, the domed crown piece, and a broad band
encircling the lower part. It has been fully described by Mr. Billson in the
138
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries (i6 January 1896). He accounts for
the broad band which runs round the base of the head-piece in the following
manner: "As regards the metal encircling band, I think there is reason to
suppose it was an addition specially supplied to suit the convenience of the
wearer. In a MS. describing the armour worn in the middle of the XVth
century, which is quoted by Rdnd de Belleval in his Costume Militaire, it
is laid down that the summit of a jousting helm shall be rounded and a
space the breadth of three fingers left between the top of the wearer's head
and the dome. Evidently, when Sir William tried on his new head-piece he
found, either that this condition had not been complied with or else that the
Fig. 478. Helm
English, early XVIth century. Now hanging over the tomb of Sir William Barentyn
Haseley Church, Oxfordshire
position of the ocularium did not suit the line of sight; for the band was
(presumably) added, and had the effect of lifting up the lower edge a good
inch and a half on either shoulder."
The Wallace helm, No. 78 (Fig. 479), differs a little in construction
from the Barentyn example, being formed of two plates only. The skull-
piece and back part are formed of one piece, and the front part of another
plate, the two being riveted together down the sides, and flanged over at the
top on either side for a distance of six inches, where the. fastening is made
with four more rivets. The ocularium is formed by the gap between the two
plates. Mr. Ellison's suggestion as to the origin of the band round the lower
edge of the Barentyn helm is greatly strengthened by a comparison of the
139
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
sizes of these two head-pieces, the Wallace helm being 14I inches high, and
the Barentyn helm 12^' inches high, as it was originally made previous to
the addition of the band of i\ inches.
The helm in the Bargello (Fig. 480) was bequeathed to that museum
by M. Louis Carrand with the remainder of his collection. It is certainly
the finest and most complete of this particular family of helm. It came
originally from Castle Hedingham, Essex, and is supposed to have belonged
to John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford. He fought at Bosworth Field in 1485,
against Lambert Simnel in 1488, and against Lord Audley and the Cornish-
FiG. 479. Helm
English, early XVIth century
No. 78, Wallace Collection
Fig. 480. Helm
English, early XVIth century
Bargello Museum, Florence
men in 1497. ^^ was Great Chamberlain of England on the accession of
Henry VIII in 1509, and died in 15 13. Hedingham Castle was the seat of
the de Vere family, and was granted by William the Conqueror to Aubrey de
Vere. The helm was at one time in the collection of the Rev. Brooke
Bicknell, an ardent armour lover and enthusiast, and was purchased from
him by Mr. Evelyn Wright, of Wardour Street, who disposed of it to
Signor Ressman, who in his turn gave it later to M. Carrand in part
exchange for the famous Meyrick helm (see page 1 16, Fig. 459). The Carrand
helm must originally have hung above a tomb, having at one time been
painted with scrolls, etc., by the undertaker, which fact has served to protect
parts of the surface of the metal ; so that to-day it presents the appearance
140
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
of having the surface decorated with scroll-work in brightened steel on a
russetted ground. This is the result of the paint added by the XVIth century
undertaker, which has protected that part of the surface that it covered against
the effect of the atmosphere, while the exposed parts of the surface have
rusted. We cannot be certain about the place from which it originally came,
but there is every reason to believe in the traditional attribution of ownership.
Fig. 481. Helm
English, early XVIth century. Erroneously supposed to have belonged to Edward IV
St. George's Chapel, Windsor
The helm hanging by the site of the tomb of lidward IV in St. George's
Chapel, Windsor (Fig. 481), owing to past ill-usage and to its transformation
into a helmet for funerary purposes, is in a very dilapidated condition.
Most of the rivets at the sides are gone, the lower edge is cut away and
jagged, a spike to hold a crest has been inserted in the crown; and worst
of all, the lower edge of the ocularium, with its skilfully reinforced thicken-
ing, has been roughly broken away in order to give greater space to the
141
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
sight opening, across which at intervals have been roughly riveted iron
hoops in the hope of lending to the helm the appearance of an heraldic
barred helmet. Doubtless it was in the latter years of the XVIth century
that the alterations were made — ruthless treatment to apply to so fine a
specimen of English tilting helm. On pages 109 and no we told the
story of its purchase, together with that of the other helm (Fig. 455) in
St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
All the four helms of this group are good and simple in workmanship.
Fig. 482. Drawings of two helms by the Author
In the fashion of the end of the XVth or commencement of the XVIth century
(a) Helm of English fashion and make
{/>) Helm of German fashion, but possibly of English make
and we have little doubt that they are from the hands of the same armourer,
whosoever he was; but they are all without an armourer's mark of any
description. We are reluctantly forced to admit that their general outline
is poor in comparison with the contour of the German helm of a decade
earlier. Their tops are flat and evenly proportioned; but the outward curving
of their back plates corresponds too closely with that of their front plates,
lending to them a chimney-pot appearance. They all have the same
character, and are recognizable at once as belonging to the same family; but
they are not grand or suggestive of the great art of the armourer of those
142
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
times. The period of their manufacture was probably between the years
1510 and 1530.
To ilhistrate what we mean when we speak of their weakness of contour,
we will give an outline drawing of one of this group of English made helms
and place beside it an outline drawing of a fine German helm (Fig. 482, a, b).
Through each drawing we mark a central vertical line, which very clearly
shows in the English-made helm the want of bulk in the back part of the
skull-piece and the tameness in the outward swing of the front visor plate, as
compared with the vigorous-contour of the German head-piece, which, it is
^ %
(")
('■)
Fig. 483. Helm
Probably Burgundian, late XVth century. Found in the neighbourhood of Bourg-en-Bresse
Metropolitan Museum of New York
{a) Front view; {b) Profile view; {c) Back view
obvious, would rest upon the shoulders with dignity, and which from its sound-
ness and feeling for construction creates a .sense of satisfaction and balance.
This feeling, to those who are accustomed to make a careful study of head-
pieces, is curiously lacking in all the helms of this particular English group.
Having given illustrations of the various forms of the rigid tilting helm
without movable visor, used when the opposing weapon was the lance alone,
we shall now endeavour to link together the various classes of helms which
formed a defence against all manner of weapons, including the lance, sword,
and mace, and which, as in the case of the helms of XlVth century date, did
double duty, being used in war as well as in joust. We may consider the
first helm of this kind that we take as contemporary (about 1460-80) with the
143
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
last of the complete bascinets mentioned on pages 260 et sqq., vol. i. Indeed,
we are confronted with no small difficulty in differentiating between the last of
the great bascinets we have described and the first of the general service
helms : so alike are they as head defences. We select the helm now in the
Metropolitan Museum of New York, and formerly in the collection of the
Due de Dino (Fig. 483, a, b, c), because it
illustrates a hybrid combination of the
fighting bascinet and of the tilting helm,
and also because it is the first of its
class to show the movable visor. The
helm in question was found in the neigh-
bourhood of Bourg-en-Bresse, which in
the XVth century was within the Bur-
gundian domain; so it is possibly of
French origin. It is of unusual shape, and
was used by mounted knights in con-
tests of both lance and sword ; but unlike
certain other helms of this same family,
it was not used for foot contests, head-
pieces for that purpose having numerous
small openings for breathing purposes.
F^oot contests required violent exertion,
and it was therefore necessary that re-
spiration should be as free as possible.
This helm has only one opening — that
for the sight, which is strongly protected
by the projection of the lower edge. The
skull-piece resembles in form the, large
bascinets already described, and is of one
piece, having the part which forms the pro-
tection for the back of the neck riveted to
it. The visor, which is extremely solid,
is fixed by hinges and pivots. The fully protective chin-piece riveted
to the skull-piece covers the base of the visor; but it is so attached as
to be immovable. It is probable that this helm, at the period at which
it was worn, was subjected to some alteration. The pivots show that
originally the visor could be raised; but the alteration has obviously
been made by the same armourer who made the helmet itself, his mark
144
Fig. 484. Helm-bascinet
About 1460-80. Mus6e Lorin, Bourg-en-
Bresse
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
being found on the visor as well as on the skull-piece. Strong buckles
were used to attach the helm to the breast- and backplates. It is inter-
esting to note that in the Musde Lorin of Bourg-en-Bresse there is
another helm bascinet of the same family, bearing the mark of the same
armourer, a large Gothic C, a circumstance which strengthens our belief
in the French or Burgundian origin of the Due de Dino head-piece. This
helm-bascinet (Fig. 484), though evidently the work of the same armourer,
was apparently made for a purpose different from that to which its com-
FiG. 485. Helm-bascinet
About 1470. Salle de Garde, Museum of Dijon
panion helm was put, and would, from its construction, rather suggest that
it was meant to be used by an unmounted knight; for the visor is very
salient, and in no way embarrasses the wearer's breathing. Yet another
helm-bascinet of the same family, meant seemingly for a knight's unmounted
use, and possibly the work of the same armourer, is to be seen in the Salle
de Garde in the Museum of Dijon (Fig. 485). This has been a helm of great
solidity; but some of its parts are missing. It is much corroded from having
been buried in the ground. Careful and judicious restoration has, however,
given it a new lease of life.
II 145 u.
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Placing the date of the three last mentioned helms at some time between
1460 and 1480, we are obliged to jump a quarter of a century before we can
produce our next example, the fine helm in Cobham Church, Kent, a head-piece
which more closely resembles the first helms of the last group described
than any Avith which we are acquainted. It is quite possible that this helm,
Fig. 486. IIi;lm accredited to Sir Thomas Broke, who died in 1522
■ Cobham Church, Kent
which is known as the helm of Sir Thomas Broke, 7th Lord Cobham, who
died in 1522, is perhaps like the " heaulmet " mentioned by Olivier de la
Marche, and in "Le Challange de Phillipe de Bouton " (see p. 72); for it
has the character of both the jousting helm and of the armet. The slit for the
sight is here cut out of the body of the visor; and above the slit is a rein-
forcing piece, which, overlapping the lower edge of it, may have been put
on to narrow the opening. The lower edge of the slit is turned inwards
146
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
to give strength. The pin and hinge device for this visor is similar to that
in use on visored bascinets and on Italian armets. It is quite possible
that different visors could be used with a helm of this kind, according
as it might be required for tilting, for foot combat, or for fighting in the
tourney. A short additional bevor is fastened below the visor to protect the
lower edge of it from an upward blow; but this has now been riveted on so
tightly that the visor can no longer be raised. The lower part of the helm
furnishes evidence that the mode of fixing it to the cuirass has been changed;
for a horizontal slot in the front, through
which a staple originally passed, is now
partly covered by one of the rough
hinged pieces of iron which are fixed
with clumsy rivtts to the front of the
helm, and which served to secure it to
the breastplate. The chiri-piece is con-
nected with the skull-piece somewhat
below the point where the visor is hinged
(Fig. 486).
There was sold in the collection
of Lord Londesborough in 1888 a helm
(Lot 440) that was said to have come
from Aylesbury Church. The present
writer has never seen the head-piece, so
is not in a position to give an opinion
on its authenticity ; but judging from
an illustration (Fig. 486A) of it, it would
appear to be a similarly constructed
helm to the last described, with aper-
tures for seeing and breathing in its
massive visor. It is now in the collection given by Mr. W. H. Riggs to the
Metropolitan Museum of New York.
Next on the list for consideration is that fine fighting helm in Broad-
water Church, Worthing (Fig. 487, a, b) known as the De la Warr helm. It
may be a head-piece of a rather later type, but it certainly belongs to the
same family as the helm just described. This helm was carefully described by
the late Mr. W. Burges in the "Archaeological Journal " (vol. xxxvi, p. 78).
In the outline of its skull-piece a very distinct improvement can be noted
as regards the modelling of the back, and also in the additions for the
147
{
i
y
Fig. 486A. Helm
Said to have come from Aylesbury Church.
Late XVth century. Collection : Mr. W. H.
Riggs,- Metropolitan Museum, New York
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
strengthening of the face defence. Planned on the lines of the closed helmets
of the XVI th century, it shows broad fluted decoration on its skull-piece.
Almost the entire front of the skull is protected by a reinforcing piece, which
in an attenuated elongation descends down its comb to the level of the visor
pivot. Over this again is a fullvisor, having the slit ocularium. This visor
from its most salient point descends at an angle to the chin-piece, and has,
as in the case of the two previously mentioned helmets, an additional plate
Fig. 487. Helm
Late XVth century. Placed over the De la Warr tomb, Broadwater Church, Worthing
{a) Profile view; {b) Front view
Strengthening it immediately above the sight aperture. The top of this plate,
like the top of the large visor, has an escalloped edge. On the visor's dexter
side is a triangular opening, which possibly was always coverless; for the
side is very strongly flanged outwards to prevent a lance blow delivered from
the front slipping into the aperture. Below this opening is the latch and bolt
fastening attached to keep the visor closed. The chin-piece of the helm
de.scends to cover the upper part of the breastplate, to which it must have
been attached by simple screws, a device similarly carried out at the back.
To it is now attached a length of chain, certainly of early make, added
J48
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
apparently for the purpose of securing the helm to the tomb. It proved, how-
ever, to be of little use; for the helm was stolen some seventy years ago, but
taken no farther than the town of Washington, at the foot of the Chancton-
bury ring, Sussex, to be subsequently recovered much in the same manner
as the two helms now in St. George's
Chapel, Windsor (see page no
and Figs. 455, 481). It is surmised,
and probably correctly, that this helm
belonged to the De la Warr family. •
Next in order of evolution, is
the helm from the tomb of Sir John
Gostwick in Willington Church, Bed-
fordshire (Fig. 488): The large bevor
and visor are in one piece with the
ocularia slits in it. It will be noticed
that the profile view of the visor
shows it almost in its final form; and
from this time onwards no further
alteration can be observed, except in
certain head-pieces which were for
some special use. On the dexter side
of the visor is a large square opening
with a protective flange. The frontal
reinforcing piece is continued down
the back of the helm, and has three
apertures into which fitted the staples
that must have been attached to the
backplate. The front of the helm
descends into a deep gorget plate, a
separate plate permanently fixed by
eight large rivets. Its upper edge
is escalloped, much in the manner
adopted by the armourer of the series of helms shown on pages 110-113
(Figs. 454, 455, and 456, a, b). On the sinister lower edge is riveted a
strong hinge, which must have fitted a corresponding hinge on the same
side of the breastplate over which it was worn. Tradition aflirms that
this helm was worn at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. On
the helm is now a wooden funeral crest of later date. This head-piece
149
Fig. 488. Helm
Said to be that of Sir John Gostwick,
with the funeral crest in position. •
Willington Church,
Bedfordshire
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
was exhibited at a meeting of the Archaeological Institute in November,
1880.
Other helms of the Gostvvick type, that is to say, half helm, half
bascinet, with an advance into the close helmet form, are to be seen in
Fig. 489. Helm of a member of the Nevill famh^y
Birling Church, Kent
various churches in England; take, for instance, that very fine and com-
plete helm in Birling Church, Kent (Fig. 489), which may have belonged to
either Sir George Nevill, who was summoned to Parliament in 1482, sub-
sequently commanded the English army at Calais, and died in 1492, or to
his second son, Sir Edward Nevill, who tilted at Abbeville and at the Field
of the Cloth of Gold. Sir George Nevill lived in Birling and Sir Edward
150
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
Nevill hard by. Mr. Cripps-Day can claim the honour of having re-discovered
this helm, and the reader is referred to his note upon this piece in his book
on "The Tournament" (page 105). The helm is very difficult to date
accurately; it is, however, distinctly English, and might be of any period
between 1480 and 1530. The skull-piece is beautifully modelled, and though
there is a separate plate welded on at its base, the whole of its great visor.
(a)
Fig. 490. Armet helm known as that of Sir Harry Sydney
English, early XVIth century. Collection: Lord de Lisle and Dudley, Penshurst Place, Kent
(a) Showing the visor raised. As now shown the mesail is wrongly riveted below the plate that
reinforces the skull-piece
(d) The same head-piece, the mesail closed, and the funeral crest in position
in which is the slit for the ocularium, is in one piece, and was originally
detachable on the hinge and pin principle. On the dexter side is a large
rectangular opening with a heavy tongue flange, such as can be noted on
the Gostwick and other English helms. Now attached to it is a carved
wooden crest of the Nevill family, which is of later date. A somewhat similar
head-piece is in the possession of Lord de Lisle and Dudley at Penshurst
Place, Kent, called the helm of Sir Harry Sydney. Here it will be seen
151
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
that the lower bevor and chin-piece are in two parts, after the manner of the
later arniets. The opening in the dexter side of the bevor has been riveted
up, an alteration made doubtless when the helm was used for funerary
purposes, and when the wooden crest of the family, a porcupine, was added.
It may be looked upon as an Eng-
lish armet-helm of the early years of
the XVIth century (Fig. 490, a, b).
A helm of a similar class to
that of the last three described, said
to have been worn at Flodden Field
in 15 13, used to hang over the
tomb of the third Duke of Norfolk
in Framlingham Church, Suffolk.
To the present writer it appears
that the skull- piece is of somewhat
earlier date, and might even have
been altered from one of the great
bascinets of the third quarter of
the XVth century; for the top of
its delicately moulded crest termin-
ates in a slightly pointed apex.
Otherwise it is much the same as
the Gostwick helm ; though its visor
and bevor appear to have been cut
about when it was used for funerary
purposes. Indeed, so difficult is it
to imagine its original form as it
now appears with the strange exist-
ing visor, even with other. visors
from helms of the same type before
us, that we came to the conclusion
after careful examination that the
visor was made up out of parts of two head-pieces, which have been some-
what clumsily riveted together (Fig. 491). For many years this helm, sur-
mounted by its wooden crest, was hung over the Norfolk tomb on the
south wall of Framlingham Church, as is recorded by the guide books; but
no opportunity for examining it closely had arisen until 1908, when, owing
to the dilapidated condition of that part of the church, it was removed by the
152
Fig. 491. Helm
Said to be that of the third Duke of Norfoll<
Framlingham Church, Suffolk
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
vicar to his house for safe keeping. Little store was set upon it, and it was
not until an offer of ;!^5oo was made for it to the present Duke, that its his-
torical importance and intrinsic value were appreciated. The Duke, very
properly, would not consent to its being sold; but he very generously
gave the sum of one hundred guineas to the fund being raised for the
(a) (/;)
Fig. 49 1 a. Helm
English, late XVth century : hanging above the Darell tomb, Little Chart Church, Kent
The funerary crest is of the latter part of the XVIth century
{a) Profile view, (d) Back view, showing its bascinet-like skull-piece
restoration of the church, the purpose for which the money was to have
been used had the helm been sold.
The third Duke of Norfolk, by his testament, proved the i8th day of
November 1554, directed that his body should be buried where his executors
should think most convenient, and thereupon they buried him in the south
side of Framlingham chancel on 2nd October 1554. Henry Machyn, a citizen
of London, records in his diary that he was present at the funeral, and says
" 153 . X
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
that there was " as goodly a hearse (? efifigy) of wax as he had seen in those
days, with a dozen banner-rods of his progenitors, twelve dozen pennoncels,
twelve dozen scutcheons with standard, three coats of arms, a banner of
damask and three banners of images, and many mourners, and a great dole
followed by a banquet." It may be imagined that this Norfolk helm was
borne in the-funeral cortege so graphically described by this observing citizen.
Green, in his guide book to Framlingham, states that a helm was carried by
the Windsor Herald at the funeral of the father of the third Duke.
id) {b)
Fig. 492. Helm
Said to be that of Sir Giles Capel, of Rayne Hall, Essex. Metropolitan Museum of New York
{a) Profile view; {b) Front view
Possibly a comparison with the helm in Little Chart Church, Kent
(Fig. 49 1 a) may help us to picture the original appearance of the Framlingham
helm. The Chart or Darell helm has the same form of skull-piece modelled
on the lines of the great bascinet. It has a powerful reinforcing plate covering
the forehead of the skull-piece, upon which is superimposed a second plate
immediately above the ocularia. The plate of the actual face defence is
precisely similar to those seen on the English made tilting helms (Figs. 454,
455. 456, and 457) and is riveted to the first reinforcing plate of the forehead.
On the dexter side is an upright rectangular opening with the anterior edge
flanged outwards to parry the lance. This helm appears to have been subjected
154
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
to several alterations, but taken generally it gives a good idea of the original
construction of the Framlingham helm.
We shall finally mention in this chapter what we term bascinet-helms,
that series of head-pieces the use of which was restricted to the knight fighting
on foot en champ clos. On examining the illustrations, it will become evident
how eminently their construction served their purpose. We vvill first take
what is known as the Capel helm, now in the Metropolitan Museum of
New York (Fig. 492, a, b). Very spacious, it allowed perfect freedom to the
head of the combatant. The large visor is pierced with more than two
hundred and fifty small apertures, which assisted the respiration of the
wearer and allowed him to see clearly. This egg-shaped helm, free from
any projections or indentations, offered but a smooth surface to the point of
an antagonist's sword or pole arm. The base of the head-piece and the visor
are extremely thick, and the remainder of the helm comparatively light. The
hinges and pivots were placed beneath the visor, sheltered from blows; when
the visor was lowered it was fixed by a spring button, which is now lacking,
though its position can still be seen. At the sides of the head-piece are
holes edged with brass, through which passed the aiglettes which held in
position the cap, alluded to on pages 136 and 137; the helmet was firmly
fixed to the breast- and backplates by means of holes which are found near
the base. This helm came from the collection of the Baron de Cosson, and
later was in that of Signor Ressman; it was engraved and described in
" Ancient Helmets and Examples of Mail " by dc Cosson and Burges
(London, 1881), in "The Capels of Rayne Hall," by de Cosson (London,
1883), and also in the "Archaeological Journal." In 1840 the old church of
Rayne, Essex, was demolished, and this helm, which up to that time had
rested over the monument erected in the church to Sir Giles Capel, was,
together with another helmet and some old iron work, sold to the builder of
the new church, in whose yard these specimens lay for many years, until a
lady of the neighbourhood, Madame Courtauld Arendrup, attracted by them,
purchased them, and so saved them from possible destruction. Madame
Arendrup presented the helm to the Baron de Cosson to be added to his
collection of arms and armour. The other helmet that came with this helm
was of Elizabethan type, of interest solely on account of its association with
the Capel family. The same church of Rayne used to contain two other
helmets in the belfry tower, which, however, were sold before the old church
was pulled down. One is now in the Saffron Walden Museum, and the other
is the armet now in the collection of Mr. W. G. Keasby (Fig. 445f). All
155
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
four of the helmets from Rayne Church doubtless belonged to various Capels
who lived at Rayne Hail, and were patrons of the living. None, however,
has the importance of the splendid helm of
Sir Giles Capel, a knight, who at the commence-
ment of the XVIth century was the lord of the
manor of Rayne, and one of the most celebrated
champions in all jousts of the reign of Henry
VHI. Born about 1485, he died in the year
1556, after a life full of adventure in war and
tournament.
There is yet another helm of this same
class, which can claim English provenance, a
fine head-piece which is also in the Metropolitan
Museum of New York. Like the Capel helm, it
used to be in the collection of Signor Ressman;
but it originally came from Lord Stafford's
armoury at Costessey Hall, which was dispersed
by public sale in 1885. It could be used either
in contests with blunted lances or in combats
on foot, judged by the number and size of the
apertures in the visor, and by the fact that the
number of these breath-
ing holes is the same on both sides. We should
imagine that the latter use was the one to which it
was most probably put. The form of the visor is
that called a soufflet, which, from "this time, the early
years of the XVIth century, replaced the hemi-
spherical convex visor fitted to helms used in the
lists. The paintings in the manuscript Cdrdmonies
des gages de Bataille, published by Crapelet in 1830,
show combatants with armet-helm head-pieces to
which both types of visor are adapted. This helmet
(Fig. 493), except the visor, is similar in style to that
of Sir Giles Capel. The visor is pierced with two
long horizontal apertures for the purpose of sight,
and shorter ones for the purpose of breathing;
throughout it is strong and heavy and has concealed hinges as in the case of
the preceding example.
156
Fig. 493. Helm
From Costessey Hall. Metropoli-
tan Mu.seum of New York
Fig. 494. Helm
Now hanging over the tomb
of John Beaufort, Duke
of Somerset
Wimborne Minster
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
Not unlike the Costessey helm, and of about the same date, furnished
also with a similar soiijffletw'xsov, is the splendid head-piece still to be seen in
Wimborne Minster (Fig. 494). It has hung for many years over the tomb
of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, who died in 1444, and is figured at
the end of the description of the tomb in Blore's " Monumental Remains,"
1826. Blore says of it: "An original helmet, so nearly of the date of the
monument, is placed above it, that we can scarcely doubt its connection with
our subject." The date of the Duke's death is, however, certainly too early
for the helm, and its present position in the Minster cannot be its original
one. In 1881, when it was exhibited at the Royal Archaeological Institute,
both Mr. Wentworth Huyshe and the Baron de Cosson described it in great
detail, extracts from which description we give. Mr. Huyshe stated at the
time that he had received a letter from the Vicar of Wimborne, the Rev.
E. Fiennes Trotman, to the effect that the helm had " no connection with
the tomb over which it hangs, and that the old sexton told him that in his
boyhood the helm had become unattached, and was lying about the church,
and was subsequently suspended over the tomb." The perforated and fluted
visor of this helm is movable, and can be detached from the hinges, to which
it is fixed by means of a pin on either side, as in the case of the Capel and
other helms of the same nature to which we have referred. These pins in the
Wimborne helm, it will be seen, finish above in small rings, and a small hole
appears near the edge of the visor on a line with its topmost rib. The well-
known statuette of St. George in wood on the retable now in the Dijon Museum
(Fig. 424A) helps to explain the use of this hole and the ring at the head of the
pin; for a small chain is there seen to connect the pin with the visor, so that
when the latter was removed the pin remained attached to it and could not
get lost. The spring catch, by which the visor, when lowered, was secured
to the chin-piece, is still in position and in a fine state of preservation. Few
helmets of this early date are provided with so elaborate an arrangement for
keeping the visor closed; but as an additional precaution against the possi-
bility of the visor being forced up by a thrust from below, there is a small
plate fixed to the chin-piece, behind which the edge of the visor falls when it
is lowered. When the helm was exhibited at the rooms of the Royal Archae-
ological Institute, the total absence of any traces of a means of fixing it to the
breastplate led to the supposition being entertained that the lower part of it
had been cut away. In many helms of this kind, however, two large holes
are found near the lower edge through which passed staples fixed to the
breastplate. The Astley MS. describes a similar helm as being " pynid
157
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
up on two greet staplis before the breste, with a dowbill bokill behynde
up on the bak." The Broadwater and Capel helms (Figs. 487 and 492) must
have been fixed in this way. If the Wimborne helm has actually lost some
part of its lower edge, it is now quite impossible to say whether it was
secured in front by staples or by a buckle; and if the present bottom edge
is the original one, the means of fixing it on the breastplate becomes a
greater mystery still. The weight of the helm is 14! lb.
Like the Wimborne helm, but provided with a grander type of visor,
is the one in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna. It will be noticed that the
Fig. 495. Helm
Early years of XVIth century. Imperial
Armoury, Vienna
Fig. 496. Helm
Early years of XVIth century. G 3,
Musee d'Artillerie, Paris
most salient point of the visor of this helm is higher than those of helms
previously described; indeed, its form is altogether more elegant, and has
the robust proportions of the fine closed helmets of the second quarter of
the XVIth century. The large visor is fluted vertically. These flutings are
crossed at right angles in the centre of the visor by three rows of apertures
for purposes of seeing; while between each row of fluting, above and below,
other rectangular apertures are ranged in a radiating manner. The visor
pivots are concealed (Fig. 495). On a helm in the Musee d'Artillerie, G 3,
(Fig. 496), the visor is, if possible, even more ample, and the sight and
breathing apertures on a larger scale, lending to it almost the appear-
ance of open basket work, and making it more akin to the class of helm
158
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
which was used only for protection against the blunted sword and mace.
Two fine examples of the salient-visored tournament helm, which we
have very good reason for believing were the personal property of King
Henry VHI, are to be seen in the Tower of London. One (Fig. 497) is
on the tonlet suit (Fig. 1020) partially decorated with etched bands, and
shaped very like the Vienna example. It bears an armourer's mark akin
to that used by Missaglia of Milan. It will be observed that the sight
and ventilation apertures of this helm are differently arranged, and that
Fig. 497. Helm
The work of one of the Missaglia of Milan
Made for King Henry VHI
Tower of London, Class H, No. 7
Fig. 498. Armet helm
Probably English, early XVIth century
Made for King Henry VHI
Tower of London, Class II, No. 6
when originally made they proved to be too large, as at a later date
they were filled in by the addition of plates riveted beneath them ; these
plates were drilled with circular holes that were large enough to serve
their purpose for sight and breathing, and at the same time to be proof
against a sword or lance. The other helm we speak of (Fig. 498) is on
the suit made for King Henry VIII for fighting on foot (see Fig. 1018).
It is fine in form, complete as a defence, and small in proportions.
Our list of large helms will conclude with the mention of two XVIth
century helms which exemplify the final form taken by these head-pieces.
159
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
They, too, are in the Tower of London Collection. The earlier and finer
specimen (Fig. 499) can safely be assigned to the end of the first quarter of
the XVIth century. Its workmanship is
excellent and its form good. It will be
noticed that the entire front portion of the
skull-piece is reinforced by a heavy addi-
tional plate, as in the case of XVth century
armets. Although the visor, unlike that of
the ordinary tilting helm, cannot be lifted,
it can be detached by means of the pin and
rivet fastening, as in the case of the Nevill
helm (see page 150, Fig. 489). There is a
separate gorget plate, which is of ample
proportions. At the base, in the centre, are
the four holes by which it was attached to
the breastplate. The history of this par-
ticular helm is unknown, save that it came
in 1848 from the Duke of Buckingham's
collection at Stowe; but, judged by the
condition of its surface, which is deeply
pitted with rust
in a fashion always
associated with the incrustations found upon helmets
that have been exposed in churches, we imagine
that it must at one time have been set up over a
tomb.
The other helm (Fig. 500) is also from an un-
known source, though it appears in the inventories
for the years 1660, 1676, and 1688. In the 161 1 in-
ventory it is perhaps the one noted as being at Green-
wich "In Mr. Pickering's workhouse," "one greate
Head-peece remayning of old." In the 1660 inventory
it figures as "Great Hearce of John of Gaunt's — one."
In 1676 it figures with the same fabulous attribution:
" Hearse or Large Headpece of John of Gauntes."
In the valuation and inventory of 1688 it is described
and valued " Hearse or Long Headpece of John a Gaunts...;^io." The
skull-piece is sound in construction and good in form; but its large bevor
160
Fig. 499. Helm
Early XVIth century. From Stowe;
Tower of London, Class IV, No. i
Fig. 500. Helm
Middle of XVIth century
Tower of London,
Class IV, No. 2
THE HELM OF THE XVm CENTURY
and visor are stunted in shape, and the workmanship is ragged and careless.
The breathing holes are unevenly placed and crudely fashioned. The chin-
piece somewhat redeems the helm ; but the large hemispherically-headed
brass rivets are probably not original. On the extending gorget plate on
either side are large circular holes, through which passed the staples that
attached the helm to the breastplate.
A rare form of tournament helmet or helm can be seen in those head-
pieces which can only have served as the defence against some blunt in-
FiG. 501. Hklm
For tournanient use against the mace or
wooden sword. I'robably German
(Saxon), early XVlth century
Formerly in the collection of Herr J. M Soyter,
Augsburg
Fig. 502. Helm
For tournament use against the mace or
wooden sword. German, early
XVIth century
• Imperial Armoury, Vienn.i
strument such as the mace or even the wooden sword. In the present writer's
opinion these particular tournament helms come almost within the category
of padded fencing apparel, and have not sufficient dignity to be classed
as armour in the true sense of the word; but as real examples are very rare,
and as countless forgeries exist, more especially in foreign collections, it is
our intention to illustrate two genuine examples. The first (Fig. 501) is
believed to be still in a private collection, and, being of iron, is more legitim-
ately a helm than the other example. At a first glance, the helmet of the diver
suggests itself, the skull-piece being spheroidal and the very salient visor
II 161 Y
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
beinj^ composed of iron bars, such as are generally associated with those
many helmets of various dates which, in the XVI Ith century, were filled with
makeshift bar visors for use in the famous games on the bridge at Pisa,
Giuoco del ponte di Pisa. The helm pictured is of sound, if somewhat coarse,
workmanship, its great visor lifting on a hinge above the forehead, as in the
case of the early bascinets. The skull-piece extends well down the back and
over the gorget to a corresponding depth. In these back and front parts are
large circular holes for the attachment of the helm to the breast- and back-
plate. In the case of this example the face defence is kept closed by a chain
passing round the neck of the skull-piece. We have never had an opportunity
of making a personal examination of this helm, but we have the Baron de
Cosson's assurance as to its genuineness. Having compared it with a similar
helm in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna which is said to have come from
Saxony, we claim for it the same nationality; but we hardly accept it as
belonging to the period assigned to the Vienna example by the late Herr
Boeheim, that is, to the middle of the XVth century, preferring to place it in
the first quarter of the XVIth century. M. Viollet-le-Duc, on page 354,
vol. ii, of his famous Dictionnaire du Mobilier Frangais, gives an illustration
of a knight, armed for a tournament with a fluted wooden sword and wooden
mace, who wears a helmet of somewhat similar construction. The Vienna
helm (Fig. 502) of this type is not entirely of iron; but is built up of leather
upon an iron framework. This example affords no better protection for the
face than can be given by a cross-hatched iron grill; while at its top is a
large tubular socket for the crest. The whole head-piece is indeed suggestive
of a very complete singlestick helmet of modern times; but from the excellence
of its workmanship, its charm of colour, and its curiously heraldic appearance,
it is, generally speaking, attractive. In the Schloss Museum of Sigmaringen,
in the fine collection of arms formed by one of the former Princes of Hohen-
zollern, are two very fine late XVth century leather tournament helms of this
same type, but with wirework over the opening for the face, helms quite
similar to large fencing masks. We have been unable to obtain photographs
of them.
THE CREST UPON THE HELM
The helmet of the Xlth century, which was pointed at the top, inter-
rupted for a while the ancient custom of cresting the head-piece with wings
or feathers, horns or masks of beasts. But as soon as the knight's shield
162
THE HELM OF THE XVm CENTURY
and coat and trapper took the new tints of armoury the crest came back
to a hehii, the round or flat top of which was ready to receive it.
Richard Coeur-de-Lion, the first of our kings to bear on his red shield
the three golden leopards, is seen on his last seal wearing a crested helm
(see vol. i, Fig. 145, a, b). It is an antiquity among crests, this of King
Richard. The helm, as it would seem, has a ridged comb rounded to a half-
circle, the edge set off with pen-feathers, the side bossed or painted with one
of the leopards of the king's arms. Yet the new fashion came slowly into
England, and Xlllth century seals and pictures have few crests to show us.
The knight is not yet sure that the crest is a part of his armorial devices, to
be inherited with his shield. The armourer will make a winged wyvern to sit
on the helm of the Earl of Winchester; but he, will make another of the
same brood for another earl. Of all those great lords who .seal in 1301 the
English magnates' letter to the Pope, only five give us examples of crested
helms, and two of these are the Earl of Lancaster and Henry his brother,
each with the wyvern. But John St. John of Halnaker put a leopard on his
helm between two palm branches; Ralph of Monthermer is crested with the
eagle of his arms, a like crest nodding between his horse's ears. These are
true crests for the heralds' books, which can take no account of those fan or
scallop-shell crests which might be made by the dozen before a tournament.
King Edward Ill's costly play of Round Tables and knightly feasts
soon gave a crest to the helm of every spendthrift knight who had the fancy
of the time for splendid toys. With cord or boiled leather, or moulded and
varnished parchment, with paint and gold leaf, the maker of crests set about
fashioning any strange device that might be to the taste of the warrior and
the jouster. The seal-engraver, then come to the height of his beautiful art,
took kindly to the new crests. He set the crest upon the great helm, below
which hung the shield of arms, flanked by the grotesque reptiles and the
like, which soon became counted, as supporters, a part of that armoury
which enriched all things from the lord's gate-tower to his bed and his
thumb-ring. To this day there are ancient English houses which have no
tradition of their use of any crest; even as, in the XVth century, there were
men who, though gentlemen born of free blood, had no care to take any
device for a shield. Yet crests were in plenty. Archbishops and bishops are
seen sealing with seals that have crested helms, the crests of which sometimes
lift themselves from the cleft of the mitre. A priest might not wear a helm.
Nor might a woman. There are mediaeval seals with helm and crest for
woman and for priest. But we may count this bad heraldry. At the end of
163
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the XlVth century, when the knight and his lady seal a deed, we look to sec
the one sealing with his crested helm above his own shield and the other
with a shield alone, a shield of her husband's arms impaling those of her
father's house.
A multitude of gay crests must have shone in 'the sunlight on helms
of war and helms of tournament-yard. Time and change cast that multitude
upon the rubbish-heap. A little remains, jetsam cast up into our own times.
Of XI\^th century crests the writer can speak but of that wonderful thing
on the Black Prince's helm (see vol. i. Fig. 322c), and of that on the helm
Fig. 503. Helm crest
Italian, Florentine, first half of XVth
century
Collection: Signor S. Bardini, Florence
Fk;. 504. Helm crest
Said to be that of King Martin I of
Aragon (1395-1410)
D II, Royal Armoury, Madrid
of the Pranck family (see vol. i. Fig. 328). He has handled no others of
that age; although others must surely lie in some dusty corners of Europe.
As a part of the warrior's gear the crest did not live out the middle
ages. We find it hard to believe that men ever fought under these towering
fantasies; yet there is good evidence. It was in time of war that English
knights brought the fashion of crests into Scotland. " Crakys of War" —
which are cannon and " tymmeris for helmys "-^were seen for the first time
in Scotland on one day: " twa noweltyis " they were, says the Scottish
poet. Also when the English knights went campaigning into vSpain, the
Spaniard saw and wondered at the heads of beasts and soldans, and all the
164
THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY
other strange shdpes that sat on the hehiis put out, for pride, before the
P2nglish tents. The Spaniards followed the English fashion: the Crdnica
of Don Alvaro de Lima tells us how the knights in the fight at Olmedo in
1445 were crested warriors: "nor was the number small of those who bore
trophies of wild beasts and plumes of divers colours." But we may well
doubt if any English knight of the York and Lancaster factions fought
under his crest. By that age the crest and the flowing helm-mantle that
tossed its tassels in the lists were gear for tournament and joust; the
XVI th century, an age of change, would not even joust under crests; they
were no more in the mode. Of XVIth century crests we have only those
belonging to the undertaker's heraldry, which are still to be seen on rusty
helms hung high up on church walls, the helms that were carried in the
pageant of the funeral. It is notable that not one of these funerary crests
is of great bulk or fantastic shape. They belong to the timid heraldry of
their time.
King Rene in his Livre des Toiirnois would have every knight show
his crested helm at an appointed place before the day of the tournament. Of
these XVth century crests two are known to the present writer; one is in the
collection of Signor Bardini of Florence and is remarkable for its size and
curious quality (Fig. 503). There can be no doubt of its authenticity. It is
built upon canvas in layers of gesso and of leather in the form of the head
and swan-like neck of an open-mouthed reptile monster, the scaly hide
modelled and painted by the hands of an artist. Set on the helm it would
rise to seventeen inches out of its torse or wreath, which is modelled, cable-
fashion, in twists of black, yellow, and red. Signor Bardini can only say of
it that it was the crest of a Florentine House. In consideration of its
character and of its Italian origin we should give it a date in the second
quarter of the XVth century.
The second of these crests is that in the Royal Armoury at Madrid,
D 1 1 (Fig. 504). Although not of such quality as the Florentine example
it has a pedigree of great historical interest. This is the crest which was borne
on the helm of King Martin I of Aragon (1409-10), and was carried as his
ensign at the Feast of the Standard held at Palma in Majorca early in the
XVth century. Again, we have a monster's head and arched neck, here ren-
dered more dragon-like by reason of the wings springing from either side of
the base. Such a device is said to have been worn by the princes of the royal
house of Aragon from the reign of Don Pedro IV (1343-69) to that of Don
Fernando II (1412-16). It is constructed in two parts, the crest itself being of
165
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
parchment moulded hollow and coloured, the wings gilded. The base splays
outward to fit the top of a helm. That disastrous fire which broke out in the
Royal Armoury in 1884 burned away the painted ornament of this crest; but,
thanks to careful drawings which remain, we know that the lower part was
enriched with blazons of a shield in which a quadrangular escutcheon bore the
arms of Aragon and the castle of L'Almudayna in Majorca. The late Conde
de Valencia de Don Juan heard the story of the crest from Don Jose Maria
Quadrado, curator of the archives of Majorca. When it became known that
this rare antiquity belonging to the Balearic domain of the Crown of Spain
was still extant, a royal decree of 1831 gave instructions that the Majorca
corporation should hand over this and other historical objects to the Crown
Bailiff. Since that year it has been in the
Royal Armoury of Spain, so rich in his-
torical pieces. Finally we must mention
the gilt metal crest now upon a late
bascinet-like head-piece in the Imperial
Armoury of Vienna (Fig. 505). This is
reputed to be that worn by Georg Cas-
triota, famous as Skanderbeg (1406-66).
We have always believed that in this case
crest and helmet have been brought to-
gether in a later age, and that the finely
modelled crest must have been made for
a conical bascinet head-piece of the earlier
XVth century like that in the Bargello,
Florence (vol. i, Fig. 297); for it is not
of the fashion of those worn on the great jousting-helm.
With this ends the short list of those mediaeval helm-crests which the
pre.sent writer has seen and examined. Yet many more must surely wait for
the collector in tho.se parts which lie out of the common track. Perhaps, in
the armouries of Hungarian and Bohemian castles, crests will yet be found
by the antiquary, when circumstances shall allow him again to take up his
search for the gear of old wars in such places.
The present writer has to make his grateful acknowledgements to his
friend, Mr. Oswald Barron, for the simple and yet concise manner in which
he has assisted him in dealing with the heraldic significance of the crest.
Mr. Barron's rare knowledge of the subject and admirable style are manifest
in this concluding part of the chapter.
166
Fig. 505. Helmet and crest
Reputed to have been worn by Georg
Castriota (1406- 1466)
Imperial Armoury, Vienna
CHAPTER XIV
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
H have from time to time discussed chain mail and similar
flexible armaments as we found them represented in pictorial and
sculptural art from the days of the Norman Conquest until the
middle of the XlVth century. Doubtless, apart from the early
Norse byrnie found at Vimosa and Thorsberg, to which we have
referred on page 6, vol. i, examples of chain mail may still be in existence
belonging to the Xllth, Xlllth, and even Xlth centuries, if but frag-
mentary, and we may have even seen them; but from the utter impossibility
of recognizing the period to which they belong, it is useless to mention them
individually. With perhaps one exception known to us, we believe, too, that
hardly a hauberk of mail is extant that has a pedigree reliable and substantial
enough to take it back even to the XVth century. The shape of a piece of
plate armour supplies the clue which enables us to assign to it, with fair
degree of accuracy, a definite period. But in the case of chain mail defences
of Xlllth and XlVth century date, this kind of evidence cannot be brought
to bear; for it must be borne in mind that as chain mail was in universal
demand throughout mediaeval times, a hauberk was of value, and was there-
fore constantly being repaired and altered in shape according to the require-
ments of the time, so the original "cut" of the shirt may have been
"subsequently altered on more than one occasion. We are therefore forced
to depend rather upon the make and form of the rings of which the hauberk *
is composed when we attempt to assign an approximate date to a hauberk
of chain mail.
Let us deal firs<^ with the only example of early chain mail with which
we are acquainted that has a history, and that might, though we do not
believe it, be as old as is supposed — the shirt preserved in the Treasury
of the Cathedral of Prague. The so-called Saint Wenceslaus shirt of mail
is first mentioned in the inventory of the Treasury of Prague Cathedral,
taken in the year 1354, where it figures as '' lorica sancti Wenceslaus^
Exactly the same entry is made in the ensuing inventories of 1365, 1368,
1 37 1, and 1387. We may therefore conclude that a hauberk bearing this
167
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
name was preserved there in the second half of the XlVth century; and
we are further justified in thinking that this hauberk, in part at least — for
it has been subjected to restorations — is the actual one mentioned in these
inventories and still to be seen in the Cathedral Treasury of Prague. But
Fig. 506. HAUiiERK of chain mail
Known as the shirt of Saint Wenceslaus. Its date is uncertain, but
part of it at least might be as early as the XII 1th century
Treasury of the Cathedral of Prague
inasmuch as Wenceslaus, Patron Saint of Bohemia, was Duke of Bohemia
about 928-936, it requires a very considerable amount of faith to accept
as fact all that tradition attaches to this hauberk; for, like afl relics of
distant mediaeval times, its history is extremely obscure. But we will
168
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
proceed to form an opinion by an actual examination of the hauberk. It is
a shirt reaching to the knee, with long, wide sleeves, open at the neck
both back and front. The rings are of circular iron wire, small in circum-
V^
<
',1
t '^JK
1^ '**«•
^^H
-^'J^, «
a^H
^^m^\'^^ '
^ i<
1
i
Fig. 507. Portion of the " Saint VVenceslaus" shirt of mail
Actual size of the links
ference and riveted. Portions of the left sleeve are badly torn. Now if we
were guided by its shape, we might assign it to some date within the first
half of the Xlllth century; but, as we have said, it is on the formation
of its rings that we prefer to rely for settling the date. Frankly it is difficult
II 169 ^'
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
to associate the form of ring employed in the manufacture of this hauberk
with the very early date to which it is ascribed; more especially as hauberks
somewhat shorter in length but with similar sleeves and a similar mesh of
ring are constantly found among the XVth century armament of the warriors
of the near East. We give an illustration of the hauberk as it now appears
(Fig. 506), and a portion of the mesh of the mail taken actual size (Fig. 507).
As we have often said, we are always unwilling to throw doubt upon
traditions that have been cherished for many centuries; but we feel bound
to assert that any ascription of this present shirt of mail to the first half of
Fig. 508. TiiTET of chain mail
Probably added late in the XVth or early in the XVIth century to the "Saint Wcnceslaus"
hauberk. Treasury of the Cathedral of Prague
the Xth century appears to us to be absolutely indefensible. There is the
possibility, that as was often the case, this Saint Wenceslaus shirt may
be a substitute hauberk of later date, put in place of the original which
was once known to have been preserved in the treasury; a substitution made
probably as early as the reign of Ottokar or that of his son Wenceslaus I,
King of Bohemia, in the first half of the Xlllth century, a period in
which the fashion of hauberk which this particular specimen follows was
popular, and in which the belief in the survival of relics of past heroes was
devoutly cherished. Whatever may be the history of this interesting mail
shirt, it certainly claims the right from the mention in the 1354 inventory to
170
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
be examined as perhaps one of the oldest mediaeval examples of which there
is actual record. We may add that the sword and helmet attributed to
Saint Wenceslaus are also to be seen in the Prague Treasury (vol. i,
Figs. 55, 170). There is a chance that the helmet may possibly be as old
as the date to which it is ascribed; indeed, it is interesting to note that
it bears Northern Runic ornamentation, a circumstance which might give
rise to yet another speculation as to the provenance of the Wenceslaus
achievements. The blade of the sword may be of early date; but the hilt
and scabbard have been adapted to it in the latter part of the XlVth
century. A tippet of chain mail has been placed upon the hauberk; this
appears from its make to be Austrian or Polish, and was no doubt added
in the early years of the XVIth century (Fig. 508).
Early mention of chain mail other than that we have alluded to in the
opening chapters of this work is constantly met with. In the admirable
article contributed by Mr. Francis Kelly to the " Burlington Magazine" for
March 1905, which deals \\^th the inventory of Raoul de Nesle, Constable of
France, and contains the description of a knight's wardrobe in the first years
of the XlVth century, several entries of chain mail appear. The original
inventory is now preserved with the archives of the town of Lille. In the
list of the Constable's apparel are the following mentions of chain mail:
The Old French English Translation
Item, i hauberiau et i camail Item, an haubergeon and a camail.
Item, vii hauberions que corses Item, vii haubergeons and corses.
Item, xlii pieche de causes Item, xlii chausses.
Item, pour viii que hauberions, que haubers et Item, to viii haubergeons and hauberks and
iii camaus iii camails.
Item, haubers a tournoier Item, a tourney hauberk (or hauberks).
Item, pluseurs menues pieches de hauberjons Item, several small fragments of hau-
bergeons.
Occasionally confusing allusions to chain mail hauberks are found: in
Chaucer's " Rhyme of Sir Thopas," for instance, the knight has a " hauberk
full fyn ... of plate." This can only be explained by the doubtless loose
nomenclature of the time, which allows iron chain mail to be spoken of as if
made " of plate." As in the case of most individual armaments, certain towns
were famous for their production of chain mail; of these, Chambly (Oise) in
France, and Milan in Lombardy, stand out pre-eminently. Thus, in the in-
ventory of Louis le Hutin we find reference to the names of these places:
Haultes gorgieres doubles de chambli
Un haubert entiere de lovibardie.
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Perhaps before we mention those complete hauberks and other portions
of chain mail that we can assign to the end of the XlVth century, we should
say a few words as to the construction of the apparently complicated mesh of
which they are composed. As in the case of many manufactured articles the
make of which seems difficult to understand, the process of chain mail
" weaving " once grasped is seen to be extremely simple. The actual medium of
the chain mail was iron wire, of varying thickness according to the need, either
Fig. 509. The manufacture of chain mail
According to the theory of the late Mr. A. Burge.s, A.R.A., from "Ancient Helmets and
Examples of Mail," reprinted from the " Archaeological Journal "
A. The foundation or rod on which the wire is wound, with wire in position
H. The wire in rings, the ends overlapping
c. The ends of the rings flattened by hammering
i). The flattened ends of the rings pierced by a punch
E. The triangular rivet in position
r, G. The joint finished off between two punches, an upper and lower
H. A ring of mail double riveted by a clamp
I, J, K. Method of making a ring when it was desired to thicken the rivet juncture and so
stiffen the mesh
L, M, N. Method of making an unjoined ring, the centre punched out, the outside trimmed off
drawn out mechanically, a process discovered, it. is maintained, in the early
years of the XlVth century, or formed of thin strips of metal rounded by
means of the hammer. This thread of iron of the requisite thickness had
then to be made into rings. This was accomplished by obtaining a
cylindrical bar of metal, a little smaller in diameter than that of the ring.
Round this was carefully wound the wire, each twist being afterwards
cut with a chi.sel; for the iron was worked cold. The cut ends were then
flattened with a hammer or strong pincers until they overlapped; and
172
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
were finally riveted together, either by the mechanical process of a small
rivet being inserted with strong pliers, or by an ordinary rivet and riveting
hammer (Fig. 509). Both these tools figure in use in a late XVth century
drawing of a chain mail maker that can be seen in the Town Library of
Nuremberg (Fig. 510). As to the form of the rivet used in connecting the
links, it has been suggested that its shape establishes the nationality of the
mail; for instance, rivets of triangular section are said to appear on European
mail, and circular upon that of Eastern origin; but experts are not agreed
upon the point. But in all cases, it was the endeavour to make the inner
side of the mail present as smooth a surface as
possible, and to take away any asperity from the
apex of the rivet. The linking of the rings together
was entirely a matter of practice, and might be
likened to the tatting of a fishing net; but it will
generally be found that a series of four rings are
fitted through a centre one. A very great many
variations in the arrangement of the rings pre-
vailed, according to the required thickness of the
mail. This is but the roughest description of
chain mail making; there were many ways of
forming the rings : some were stamped out, whilst
others had their ends not riveted, but forced or
butted together as in the case of the heavy fragment
shown in our illustration (Fig. 514).
Of the examples of chain mail on our list the next
in point of age are those two coifs of mail which
are to be found respectively in the Musee d'Artillerie
and in the collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby.
The Musee d'Artillerie example, H 5, is said to have been found in a tomb at
Epernay (Cote d'or), and that in the Keasby Collection (Fig. 51 1) has a similar
provenance ; both are of the same shape, roughly speaking that of a short
cylinder with dependent ear flaps. Although apparently they are genuine
riveted mail caps, the date that has been assigned to them — the Xlllth-
XlVth century — has been a subject of considerable controversy. We should
add that there is a very similar coif with rings of the same proportions in
the Porte de Hal, Brussels, which is assigned to the XIHth century
(Fig. 512). For our next information we may now turn to the examination
of certain fragments of Xlllth-XIVth century mail that have come under
173
Fig. 510. Chain MAIL MAKEK
From the Mendel and Lan-
dauer Zwolfbriiderstiftung
MS. in the Town Library,
Nuremberg
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
our own observation. The now almost famous piece of very large ringed
mail with double rivets, which used to be in the Meyrick Collection and
was subsequently in those of the late Mr. W. Burges and of the Baron
de Cosson, is now in our own possession. Mr. Burges gave the following
description of it : The history of this piece of mail, as told by Sir Samuel
Meyrick, is to be found in vol. i, p. 141, of the "Journal of the Archaeo-
logical Association." One of Sir Samuel's tenants procured this and another
piece, the latter much broken, from the son of a ropemaker, who has used
them for the purpose of rubbing down the projections in his work. The
account given was that the entire piece, before it was cut into two portions.
Fig. 511. Chain iMail cap
Attributed to the Xlll-XIVth (?) century. Said
to have been found in a tomb at Epernay (Cote d'or)
Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby
Fig. 512. Chain mail cap
Attributed to the XlII-XIVth(?)
century. Porte de Hal,
Brussels
came from a church in Gloucestershire. Sir Samuel Meyrick assigned it
to the early part of the XlVth century (Fig. 513). The iron wire from which
it is made is circular in section, and the points of junction of the rings are
flattened out very greatly. At the opposite side of the rings are also traces
of the hammer; but these are not by any means so perceptible as those
at the points of junction. The rivet has been formed in the shape of a
mason's cramp, viz., with two sides turning up (see Fig. 509 h). Next we
illustrate (Fig. 514) a fragment of chain mail with large heavy rings half an
inch across in the interior diameter. These are not flat but circular in section,
and are not riveted but simply butted together. This most massive piece of
chain mail was found some thirty years ago in the foundations of an old house
at Nottingham. It is very old, belonging probably to the XlVth century; but
174
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
its very great weight makes it seem almost impossible that it ever formed
part of a hauberk, and we would suggest as a possible theory that it must
originally have belonged to some horse apparel. This piece of chain mail is
now in the collection of the present writer. The Musde d'Artillerie, G 426,
exhibits ix genouil/cre of plate around the edging of which is attached chain
mail. We must confess that we have never handled or critically examined it;
but since it is the only extant example known to the present writer of reinforced
i
^
Wm-^^M
^
^
^
W^'
\
^^^^
1
i
4
i
/
1
^^V^B*
{f
^
j^
c
^
^^
TMfcJP^n. 'jjtrJi
/J^
^M^
1
0
0
^SSmSr^^
Wi
jSmm
►. jB^L
J&^^
Fig. 513. PiKCE OK CHAIN MAIL WITH CLAMI" RIVETS
Supposed to have come from a church in Gloucestershire. Assigned to the cariy part
of the XlVth century .
Ex Meyrick, Burges, de Cosson Collections. (Actual size of rings)
chain mail of supposed European provenance in the fashion of the early
part of the X I Vth century, we are inclined to be sceptical, and to consider it
Asiatic and of later date. It was presented to the Musee d'Artillerie by
M. Jouste, the famous antiquary. Another fragment of large linked chain
mail is worthy of illustration (Fig. 515)- It appears to be of late XlVth
century date, and was found in the cellar of a house pulled down during
the Aldwych improvements. It is now in the London Museum.
In the remarkable collection of Mr. W. Riggs of Paris, recently
presented by him to the Metropolitan Museum of New York, is the camail
175
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
from a bascinet helmet made of alternate rows of riveted and solid rings.
The representation of such a camail attached to a bascinet can be seen on the
famous Dijon statuette of Saint George (Fig. 424A); and even the fastening of
the edge of the camail to the jupon by means of the groups of laces, is clearly
^^^^m^ '^M
ai
iwivji
M
p^^^
^p^^^^*-^,^__ .
^^Bfl^^Efe
4
^
tif K:
1
. . _. ■■■■ '■n...-:- - -*«j»^ : ■'5.:
Fig. 514. Piece of chain mail
XlVth (?) century. Found in the foundation of an old house at Nottingham
Collection : Author. (Actual size of rings)
shown. These laces, according to Victor Gay, were known in France later
by the name oi clavel. The Riggs camail is an example of chain mail of the
third quarter of the XlVth century, without reproach and in its original form.
Mr. Riggs purchased it at the sale of the Baron de Cosson Collection in 1893.
Certainly foremost among these shirts of mail that have been preserved
complete and unaltered is that splendid late XlVth century hauberk,
176
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
formerly in the Meyrick and Noel Paton Collections, and now in the
Royal Scottish Museum (Fig. 516). It is certainly the finest with which we
are acquainted. Its condition leaves nothing to be desired, its manufacture
is of the highest order, and its shape of exceptional grace. To assign it to a par-
ticular nationality is difficult, and we must leave its origin to conjecture; though
the late Mr. Burges held that this is one of the few coats of mail which has any
decided history. The history, however, that Sir Samuel Meyrick gives of it
Fig. 515. I'iecp: of chain mail
With curiously widened ends to the ends of the rings ; these are not riveted but overlap
XlVth (.') century. From the foundation of a house pulled down during the
Aldwych improvements. London Museum. (.Actual size of rings)
in his "Critical Inquiry" takes it back but a comparatively few generations.
Sir Samuel stated that "it had been purchased by a Jew from an ancient
family at Sinigaglia, near Bologna, in whose possession it had been beyond
their records." He also goes on to relate that "the Jew bought it by the
ounce and paid for it forty guineas." The hauberk is of the simplest con-
struction, with no slits and no reinforcements. There are, however, two
gussets in the lower part in order to make it widen satisfactorily over the
hips. The sleeves are ten inches long from the armpits. The size of the
rings, which appear to have been made originally of wire of circular section,
II 177 AA
EUROPEAN'^ARMOUR AND ARMS
but which now through constant wear are somewhat flattened, average a
full half inch in their interior diameter. It will be noticed that the lower
edge of the shirt is vandyked, and that the links for a little distance up are
composed of brass riveted with iron, a fashion which is also followed in
the formation of the edge of the sleeves. This custom of vandyking the
lower edge of the hauberk dates, as is well known, from the third quarter
of the XlVth century to the first quarter of the next, which fact enables
ViC
c»s.
.-i^^^^'v -^
^AQ_o^»
sT^^'
Fig. 516. Chain MAIL HAUBERK
Late XlVth century. Ex Meyrick and Noel Paton Collections
Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh
US to assign this particular shirt to about that period. The equestrian
statue of Bernabo Visconti, erected in 1354, now preserved in the castle of
Milan, is habited in just such a hauberk (see Fig. 964); such a shirt also
figures in the brass of Sir Thomas Burton, 1382. In the early years of the
XVth century hauberks of this kind with the vandyked edge are represented
on brasses, of which that of Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, is a
good example, and on the efiigy of Sir Edmund de Thorpe, in Ashwel-
thorpe Church, Norfolk (Fig. 517) which may be dated about 1418.
178
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
A mail shirt of nearly equal importance to the Sinigaglia example is
now in the collection of the late Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant, U.S.A. This
hauberk, which was obtained from the collection of the Baron de Cosson,
and which dates from about 1400 (Fig. 518), presents a vandyked border at
the base of the shirt similar to that just described, but has no edging of
brass. The sleeves reach to the wrists. In many respects this shirt closely
resembles a fine early XVth century hauberk in the Musde d'Artillerie of
Paris, G 211 (Fig. 519), except that the latter is without the standing
collar. Another very heavy mail shirt of about this period is in our own
collection (Fig. 520). It weighs over 33 lb., and is indeed as heavy as any
we know of. The texture of the mail links at
the sides beneath the arms is of a stronger
nature than that of the remainder of the shirt,
suggesting that a plastron of plate was utilized
in protecting the more vulnerable regions above
the chest and abdomen, where in this case the
mail is weakest. The rings of the stronger part
average half an inch in diameter (Fig. 521).
From the very corroded condition of the surface
of the links it appears that this hauberk must
have been buried in the ground for a long period,
a circumstance which lends some weight to the
tradition that it was found while excavations
were being carried out on the site of an old
house in the Whitechapel Road.
We can mention many hauberks to which
we can assign a date within the early years of the XVth century: — for
instance, an example in the United Service Museum, Whitehall; part of
a hauberk which, together with an armorial badge of the O'Neills, now in
the collection of Mr. Starkie Gardiner, was found in Phoenix Park, Dublin;
the fine mail shirt in the Wallace Collection, No. 335 in the catalogue;
and a variety of hauberks with and without sleeves that are to be seen
in the Tower of London Armoury. In the Museum of Artillery, Woolwich,
is a sleeveless coat of mail edged with, brass rings which the late Mr. Burges
considered might date as early as the latter part of the XlVth century.
The present writer must confess that he always looks with suspicion on
extant examples of mail leggings or chausses when they are supposed to
be of very early date; for on careful examination they have generally the
179
Fig. 517. From the effigy of
Sir Edmund de Thorpe
About 141 8. Ashwelthorpe
Church, Norfolk. After
Stothard
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
appearance of having been fabricated to meet the mid-XIXth century de-
mand for early armaments, either from mail sleeves or from portions of
hauberks. Specimens of such alteration of mail can be seen in the Wallace
Collection, under No. 336. These specimens purport to be mail chausses
complete with sollerets. Made of riveted chain, but with links of various
Fig. 518. Chain mail hauberk
Late XlVth century. Collection: the late Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant, U.S.A.
sizes, they resemble in general appearance the form which it might be
imagined the chausses of the Xlllth century assumed ; but the actual chain
mail of which they are composed, though of European origin, does not
appear to be of an older type than that of the XVIth century. Most, indeed,
of the so-called chUusses that are found in museums can make no serious
claim to authenticity in their present form, unless of course they happen to
be of Eastern origin.
180
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
As may be supposed, chain mail was employed for many purposes
throughout the XlVth and XVth centuries: — in the armament of the horse,
in the secret linings of civil costume, and in the guarding of those parts
of the human body which cannot be effectively protected by plate armour.
In many cases the chain mail required fitting to that part of the body which
it was to protect. This was done by means of the insertion of gussets, etc.
Fig. 519. Chain mail hauberk
Early XVth century. G 211, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris
One of the most interesting examples of fitted chain mail is to be seen in the
Zeughaus of Berlin. It is a complete bevor to be worn beneath a salade or
chapel and is so reinforced in places as to render it almost stiff (Fig. 522).
In the many collections which we have visited we have never seen a finer
example of modelled chain mail, although a chain mail brayette in New York
is perhaps to be compared to it (Fig. 522A). A usual defence in chain mail
towards the second half of the XVth century was the haussecol gorget of
mail or haussecol standard as it was termed. It is frequently seen portrayed
181
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
on the brasses and efifigies of that period. Often the standard of chain mail,
which was worn like a small tippet with a reinforced stiff collar around
the neck, was edged with brass links riveted with iron. The fullness in
the mail that extends over the shoulder is obtained by gusseting, the
lower edge of the mail being made into four escallops like one half of a
hexagon with concave sides. The ends of the collar were either strapped
together at the back or fastened by a hinge with a movable pin. We illus-
trate three examples: — the first (Fig. 523), a remarkably fine standard in the
Artillery Museum, Rotunda, Woolwich, where the actual collar of reinforced
Fu;. 520. Chain mail hauherk
Early XVth century. Collection: Author
Fig. 521. Actual size of the rings
OF THE hauberk (FiG. 520)
mail is of unusual depth; the second (Fig. 524), formerly in the Roach
Smith Collection, now in the British Museum, and originally found near
Thames side; the third (Fig. 525), a specimen in the collection of Mr. W. H.
Fenton, found in Worship Street, and of rather later date than the two
others mentioned.
As plate armour became the vogue in the early part of the XVth century,
chain mail more than ever became an auxiliary defence of the fighter; though
in countries more distant from the centre of civilization it long remained the
principal one. In Hungary, Poland, Russia, and in semi-civilized states, for
example, it was the sole armament till well into the XVI Ith century. The
182
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
Irish were content with the protection of the mail hauberk alone until the
closing years of the XVth century. Indeed, in the reign of Elizabeth, we
find Spenser stating that the Irish chieftain still wore a shirt of mail over a
leathern-quilted jack which was long enough " to cover his trouse on horse-
backe," a fashion associated in English costume with the early years of the
Xlllth century. Even in the principal countries of Europe complete suits
of mail were in use until the early years of the XVIth century. But they were
only employed as a subsidiary defence to plate, though some of the finest
mail from the point of actual technical manufacture dates from these times.
Two beautiful shirts of fine riveted links, certainly of Pluropean origin, are
Fig. 522. Bevor of rivkted chain mail
Middle of the XVth century
To be worn with a salade-hke head-piece
Zeughaus, Berlin
Fig. S22A. Riveted chain mail brayette
I.ate XVth century
Collection : Mr. VV. .H. Riggs, Metropolitan
Museum, New York
to be seen in the Oriental Armoury of the Wallace Collection, Nos. 1509
and 1858, finding their place in that section of the armoury merely because
they were obtained with the Eastern armour. We illustrate a shirt of chain
mail in our own collection that might well date within the first quarter
of the XVIth century (Fig. 526). We also give a picture of an early
XVIth century mail gus.set, showing the actual size of its mesh. This
depicts an interesting feature, as the section of the wire of which the rings
are composed is seen to be practically triangular, with rivets that are
pyramidal (Fig. 527).
With the advance of the XVIth century,whole shirts of mail worn beneath
plate armour were mostly discarded, only the vulnerable parts of the body
183
Fig. 523. Standard of riveted mail
Second lialf XVth century. Artillery Museum, Rotunda, Woolwich
Fig. 524. Standard of riveted mail
Second half XVth century. Found in the Thames at Thames side
Roach Smith Collection. British Museum
Fig. 525. Standard of riveted mail
Second half XVth century. Found near Worship Street. Collection: Mr. W. H. Fenton
Fig. 526. Riveted chain mail hauberk
Early XVIth century. Collection: Author
II
Fig. 527. Part of a riveted mail gusset
Early XVIth century. Collection: Author. (Actual size of rings)
185
BB
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
which were insufificiently guarded by the covering of plate being protected by
chain mail. The armpits, the buttocks, and the cods alone depended upon
chain mail for their defence, the chain mail bag for the last-named being known
as Wv^faidde. The portions of chain mail which protected all these parts
Fig. 528. Portrait of a noi;leman
By Giovanni Moroni. Showing chain mail gussets attached by aiglettes
to a leathern doublet. National Gallery
were sewn or laced upon a foundation of leather. No better illustration
of this can be given than their representation in the famous picture by
Giovanni Moroni in the National Gallery, where an Italian nobleman
stands ready to be armed. He is habited in a leather coat with gussets
of mail laced beneath the armpits; while about him on the ground are
pieces of his armour of plate (Fig. 528). It would appear that the mail
186
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
defence for the buttocks and privy parts was stepped into like bathing
drawers, the undulations of the body being most carefully studied in the
formation of the mail. A most interesting armament in the nature of a
long tippet of chain mail reaching well over the shoulders is to be seen
Fig. 529. Landskneciit Fig. 530. Tippet of riveted chain mail of
CAPTAIN " Bishop's Mantle " tyfe
Wearing the tippet of chain mail Early XVIth century
By the engraver PD. 154S In the collection of the Author
in a defence much employed in central Europe — the true tippet of mail.
This had, as a rule, the reinforced collar and edging of brass rings as seen
on the haussecol of the previous century. These tippets seem to have been
rather peculiar to Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, though many came from
Venice, where they were termed " Bishop's Mantles." They mostly date from
the last years of the XVth century well into the first half of the next.
187
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
They are shown in Burgkmair's "Triumph of Maximilian"; they also fre-
quently figure on the armament of the landsknecht class depicted in the
Swiss stained glass of the first half of the XVIth century. A very excellent
illustration of the tippet of mail in use, together with a three-quarter suit of
armour, is given in- the woodcut of a landsknecht captain after the en-
graver PD. 1545 (Fig. 529). We illustrate two actual examples. One
(Fig.530) is in our own collection, a cape of the " Bishop's Mantle " type, so
Fig. 531. TuTET of riveted chain mail
Probably central Europe, early
XVIth century
Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert
Fig. 532. Duelling gauntlet
Gnanti di presa, with a lining of riveted chain
mail. Italian, middle of XVIIth century
Collection: Mr. W. H. Fenton, now in the
collection of Dr. Bashford Dean
possibly Venetian; the other (Fig. 531), in the collection of Mr. Felix Joubert,
is somewhat ampler and composed of rather larger links, a circumstance which
suggests that it is of Austrian fashion, and dates within the first half of the
XVIth century. Probably the latest instance of chain mail being used in
European military armament was its employment as a lining to the gitauti
di presa of the duellist. These were either ordinary left-hand gaurjtlets lined
with mail (Figs. 584, 585), or a leather glove, the palm of which was composed
of chain mail; the purpose they served being to enable the combatant to
188
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
close with his adversary and to grasp the blade of his rapier or sword
without risk of being hurt. Sometimes a pair of gauntlets are met with, of
which only the left-hand gauntlet is lined with mail. Leather gloves with
mail lining were in use until the third quarter of the XVIIth century. We
illustrate an example from the collection of Mr. W. H. Fenton (Fig. 532).
JAZARINES, BRIGANDINES, AND JACKS
Whkn we come to consider the flexible defensive apparel of our knightly
ancestors other than the true shirt of linked mail we are confronted by un
enibaryas de richesse; for from the early times at which we commenced
our chronicle such armaments existed in countless varieties. The quilted
hacketon, the gambeson, and all those semi-secret defences that were
part of the knight's military dress throughout the Xlllth and XlVth
centuries come under this heading. Some eminent writers have made a
considerable difference between what is now known as the jazarine, the
brigandine, and the jack. Yet there seems no real necessity for making
these subdivisions; for all these defences, into which plates of metal are
introduced, come under the general heading of flexible garments and only
vary in name according to the arrangement of the inserted metal parts. One is
accustomed to consider the terms jazarine and brigandine as more par-
ticularly belonging to the XlVth, XVth, and XVIth centuries garment; while
the jack seems associated with the commoner flexible apparel of late XVIth
and early XVIIth century date. This, however, is only a mental analysis of the
terms used, a contention which we can make good by reference to the arma-
ments of old Japan, for in no other country, probably, were such varied forms of
quilted defences known ; and yet, though these had many and elaborate sub-
divisions, they were all classed under the generic name of Kozane.
Meyrick speaks of the word "jazerant" as being derived from the
Italian ghiazzerino, a clinker-built ship; while Ducange suggests that
gJiiaszerino was an early Italian word meaning a coat of chain mail. The
word is probably of Saracenic origin. Both to a certain extent agree that in
the case of jazerant armour the plates of metal were exposed ; witness as an
example Martin and George Klausenburg's beautiful figure of St. George
(Fig. 533). The appearance of the actual ariiiour would, however, resemble
that of the XVIth century half suit to be seen in the next illustration. There
is record of defensive armour of the jazerant kind as early as 13 16 in the oft-
189
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
quoted inventory of the armaments of Louis X, le Hiitin, King of France;
for among the various apparel appears: —
I ton, uns pans et tins bras de jaseran deader.
Item, un jaseran dacicr.
Item, nne couvertiire de jazeran defer (horse armour).
Item, 3 paires de couveytures gamboisees des amies le roy et lines indes
jaseguende.
I'i'-'- 533- l''i<OM THE 1-TGL'Kli OF
St. George at Prague
Showing body armour that could be
classed as jazerant
Hradschin Palace, Prague
Fig. 534. Jazerant half armour
Made for Francesco Maria I della Rovere, Duke
of Urbino. The work of the brothers Negroli
of Milan, about 1530
Imperial Armoury, Vienna
The last item shows the use of the word as an adjective; for, though we have
the three pairs of horse housings, quilted in the manner of the gambeson, the
word Jazeguende indicates they were made after the fashion of the jazerant.
190
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
We are able at this point to illustrate a very beautiful armament strictly
jazerant in its make, which, now preserved in the Imperial Armoury,
Vienna, was made originally for Francesco Maria I dclla Rovere, Duke of
Urbino. As this famous general died in 1538 we may consider that this fine
jazerant was completed towards the close of the first quarter of the XVIth
Fk;. 535. From a picture hy Dirk Bouts
Third quarter of XVth century. Showing a brigandine of cloth of gold
and an armet head-piece in the foreground
Collection: Tlie late Mr. Charles T. D. Crews
century; although the helmet placed with it is dated 1532. Both the jazerant
coat and helmet are the work of the brothers Negroli of Milan. It will be
noted that the body armour is quite classical in its form, as are also the
espaliers with their small pendent straps of mail and plate. The condition
of this splendid harness leaves nothing to be desired. Its colour is now a
russet brown (Fig. 534).
What is now understood as the brigandine in Sir Samuel Meyrick's
191
Fig. 536. Bkigandine
Italian, about 1500. Collection: Mr. W. H. Riggs, Metropolitan Museum of New York
Fig. 537. Bkigandine
Early XVIth century
G 204, Mus^e d'Artillerie,
Paris
Fig. 538. Bkigandine
Turned inside out, showing its metal lining
Early XVIth century
G 205, Mus6e d'Artillerie, Paris
192
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
interpretation of the word, we imagine to be a protective garment in which
the metal plates are concealed beneath some textile — these plates taking
either the form of rectangular overlapping lames or even of scales. In 1352,
according to the description given in Douet-d'Arcq's Comptes de r Argent-
erie des rots de France, two suits of armour made for the Dauphin were
Fig. 539. Brigandine with the l.\nce rest
Late XVth century
Imperial Armoury, Vienna
Fig. 540. Brigandine
Italian, early XVIth century
Imperial Armoury, Vienna
fashioned in what we should term the brigandine manner. The silversmith,
Etienne de la Fontaine, describes them as being covered respectively with
blue and green velvet richly embroidered, and mentions the fact that while the
corselets alone required six thousand silver rivets for the attachment of the
metal plates, the rere- and vambraces, the cuisses, the jambs., and the sollerets
II 193 cc
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
made use of five thousand five hundred, irrespective of bosses and buckles.
Half the nails or rivets had heads of bright silver in the shape of crescents,
in other cases the rivets were round and gilt, doubtless in some allusion to
the sun and moon.
Though so different in type from the knightly plate armour that had by
this time made its almost complete appearance, these two suits of brigandine
so carefully described by Etienne de la Fontaine must have been of the
(«)
Fig. 541. Two Brigandines
{b)
Early XVIth century. Porte de Hal, Brussels
(rt) An example covered with crimson velvet and studded with gilt nails
{b) An interior view of another, showing the plate lining
greatest beauty. They doubtless fitted perfectly, and their workmanship is
beyond reproach.
In the collection of the late Mr. Charles T. D. Crews there used to
be a painting by Dirk Bouts (Fig. 535), the shutter or wing of an altar-piece,
which represents Gideon and the Fleece. It was executed, we may suppose,
about 1470. Gideon is wearing plate brassards over which hang the very ample
sleeves of a chain mail shirt. Over this again is a magnificent brigandine of
cloth of gold, studded with gilt rivets. Though this coat of defence fails
194
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
to show to advantage in our illustration, the care and detail of its repre-
sentation in the picture itself are astonishing.
It is not until we reach the latter part of the XVth century that we can
illustrate an actual example of the brigandine. In the Riggs Collection,
New York, there is a fine and intact suit of brigandine armour in splendid
condition, complete with its curious tasset plates fashioned in the classic
manner (Fig. 536). The date assigned to it by its late owner was the middle
of the XVth century; but it is doubtless somewhat later. In the Musde
Fig. 542. Brigandine
Possibly French, third quarter of the XVth century
In the Castle, Darmstadt. After Hewitt
d'Artillerie of Paris are three complete brigandine jackets ascribed to the
latter years of the XVth century, and portions of a good many others
numbered from G 204 to G 210, of which perhaps G 204 is the finest
specimen (Fig. 537). We give an illustration of a second brigandine, also in
the Musee d'Artillerie, G 205 (Fig. 538), turned inside out to show the
elaborate arrangement of iron plates which constitute its protective quality.
In the Imperial Armoury of Vienna can be noted another form of brigandine,
in which two larger rectangular plates replace the small metal lining
plates over the chest (Fig. 539); on the right plate is attached a lance
195
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
rest. This brigandine, which might easily date within the third quarter of
the XVth century, opens down the front; it has a covering of coloured
textile. A somewhat similar defence, and of about the same period, is to be
seen in the Castle of Milan; though it more closely resembles the textile
covered breastplate referred to on page 159 of vol. i. Again, in the Vienna
armoury is shown a very fine brigandine of crimson velvet studded with gilt
rivets, which in its classic simplicity of outline reminds one of the example
Fig. 543. From a i'ictuke by Nuno Gonsalvez
Showing the velvet covered brigandine in use, late XVth century
National Museum, Lisbon
illustrated in Fig. 536. This brigandine is probably Italian and of the early
years of the XVIth century (Fig. 540). There are also to be seen brigandines
of the same type in the arsenal of Venice, in the Porte de Hal, Brussels
(Fig. 541, a, b), and in the museums of Berlin, Munich, Sigmaringen, and
Darmstadt. The brigandine jacket in the last-named museum is remarkable,
as it might possibly date within the second quarter of the XVth century.
This Panzerjacke, as it is there called, has a covering of red velvet over its
steel scales, which are attached with gilt-headed rivets, forming a design
' 196 •
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
of radiating lines on the exterior. The scales are angular at the sides of the
garment and rounded at the back and breast, and each iron plate has been
tinned to preserve it from rust. From the fact that many of its scales have
impressed upon them a fleur-de-lis this jacket has been considered to be of
French origin (Fig. 542). We next give an illustration (Fig. 543) of a portion
of a XVth century Portuguese picture attributed to Nuno Gonsalvez, Court
painter to Alfonso of Portugal (i 438-1 481), and shown in the National
Museum, Lisbon, which depicts two kneeling figures of armed noblemen,
Fig. 544. Brigandine
Early XVIth century. This is one of the brigandines mentioned in the 1547 inventory
Tower of London. Class III, No. 47
each wearing velvet-covered and studded brigandines of the same form as
that of the Darmstadt example. In our Tower collection are the remains of
several brigandines of which there are records in the 1547 inventory. The
example we illustrate can be assigned to the early years of the XVIth
century (Fig. 544). In the Brander MS. inventory of the armour and arms
at Westminster, at the Tower, and at Greenwich, to which we have previously
referred, there are constant allusions to the " Briggendines," some complete,
having sleeves covered with crimson, some with sleeves covered with
cloth of gold, and some with sleeves covered with blue satin. Items, too,
in the same inventory described as "White lynnen clothe called millen
197
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
cottes," are the brigandines which Meyrick has called millers' coats.
But this is a case of careless transcription, for " millen cottes " mean
Milanese coats. They would be for foot soldiers, and the account of the
" Remaine of the Quenes Ma*'''^ armure," etc., in 1564, mentions at West-
minster " 15 Millen cotes called Brigendens." In the late Mr. W. Burgess
bequest to the British Museum can be seen a nearly complete brigandine
that might be as early as the closing years of the XVth century (Fig. 545).
In the case of this last-named harness, the plates of iron, which are roughly
rectangular, are fixed to the external covering of velvet and canvas by
Fig. 545. Brigandine
Possibly late XVth century
Burges Bequest, British Museum
Fig. 546. Portion of a brigandine
Early XVIth century
Burges Bequest, British Museum
means of a multitude of rivets with tinned heads; the plates themselves have
also been tinned to preserve them from rusting — a precaution taken also
with a view to preventing the iron from moulding the material upon
which it is sewn. The plates are placed downwards about the body, but
upwards to the waist. Although the plates of iron in this and other
brigandines appear to be thin, it should be remembered that, thanks to the
method of attaching the plates to one another, there were always two thick-
nesses of iron to .serve as a protection, and over certain vulnerable parts of
the body three. This brigandine, which was originally in the collection of
Sir Samuel Meyrick, was laced down the front; no less than 5,500 rivet
nails are employed in securing its plates. There is another example, though
198
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
incomplete, in the Burges Collection (Fig. 546), which shows a richer effect,
gained from the gilded heads of the rivets and the crimson velvet ground.
Here, however, the rivet heads are arranged in vertical groups of four, very
much in the manner of that fine crimson and gilt riveted brigandine that was
formerly in the collection of the late Herr Richard Zschille (Fig. 547). The
last two examples we have described and illustrated belong to the first half of
the XVIth century. It is on record that in somewhat earlier times there
existed in the civil dress of the day the counterpart or counterfeit of the
Fig. 547. Brigandine
Italian, early XVIth century. Ex Collection: Herr Richard Zschille
brigandine, that is, a studded garment without the additional lining plates
of metal; for, according to Philippe de Commines, " Les dues de Berry et
de Bretaigne chevauchoient sur petites hacquenees, a aise, armez de petites
brigandines fort legieres. Pour le plus encores disoient aulcuns qu'il n'y
avoit que petitz cloux dorez par dessus le .satin, pour moins leur peser."
One of the latest forms of brigandine armour may be seen in the Riggs
Collection, New York, in which there is a complete half suit made entirely
of this defence. The general lines suggest a plate armament of about 1560.
The formation of the trunk armour is slightly peascod in shape, and the tassets
199
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
are large and splaying towards their bases ; while the arm defences, although
fashioned in sleeve-like form, have coudes of plate, which are covered with
material resembling that of the brigandine. The taces are attached by aiglettes
(Fig- 548).
Among the various other types of later quilted defence we must
mention the " Jack of Defence," the poor man's substitute for armour.
In the Middle Ages every one could not afford to wear the hauberk of chain
mail, jazarine, or brigandine, to say nothing of plate armour; so the poor
Fig. 548. Brigandine with complete arm
defences and tassets
Late XVIth century. Collection : VV. H. Riggs
Metropolitan Museum, New York
Fig. 549. Jack of quilted linen
From the famous St. Ursula Chasse
by Hans Memlinc, painted in 1489
Hospital of St. John, Bruges
man or the common .soldier had to content himself with an alternative defence
of linen or leather stuffed with folds of linen, sometimes as many as thirty,
a deer's skin included. In the earlier times it was occasionally covered with
velvet, as we see in a will of 139 1 {Testamenta Eboracensia, vol. i, pp. 149-50) :
Item do et lego Petro Mawley, filio meo, . . . unum jak defencionis opertum nigro velveto.
Besides baser materials for stuffing, we find that silk was sometimes
used for this purpose, for we read in the chronicle of Bertrand du Guesclin:
" II fut bien armez de ce qu'il luy failli,
S'ot une jacque moult fort, de bonne sole empli."
200
CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES
Among the effects of Sir John Fastolf (temp. Henry VI) were "vj
jakkes stuffyd with home" and "j jakke of blakke lynen clothe stuffyd
with mayle."
We may accept the word "jack" as meaning in the latter part of the XVIth
century any defensive garment made with folds of materials, with occasional
introduction of metal plates. We see it in a late XVth century form, worn
over a shirt of mail by one of the soldiers depicted in Hans Memlinc's famous
"St. Ursula Chasse," painted in 1489 and preserved in the hospital of
St. John at Bruges (Fig. 549). Here it is shown as if made of some thickly
10
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Fig. 550. Jack OF coAR.SE WORKED LINEN Fig. 551. Jack
Second half of XVIth century Middle of XVIth century. Ex Meyrick Collection
Porte de Hal, Brussels Barges Bequest, British Museum
quilted material, with long sleeves, the surface broken into angular formation,
each angle apparently studded with a rivet; whilst for better protection to the
shoulders and running down the exterior of the arms is applied a length of
fairly heavy iron chain. The fir^t jack we illustrate (Fig. 550) is preserved
in the Porte de Hal, Brussels, and is quite free from metal reinforcements,
being made of coarse linen but of several thicknesses. It laces down
the sides and extends over the groin. The whole surface is evenly pierced
with multitudinous holes, each worked round with the button-hole stitch,
a process which not only secures a general thickening of the material
but also provides for the ventilation of the garment. This jack dates
from the middle of the XVIth century. The second example, which
II 201 i>n
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
is now in the British Museum but which was formerly in the Meyrick
and Burges Collections (Fig. 551), suggests in its general shape a doublet
of the period of Elizabeth laced down the front, with an upright collar
and tasset-like flaps below. It is made of a series of irregular octagonal
pieces of thin iron, or rather of square pieces with their angles cut off,
and a hole in the centre of each. These are arranged so that every part
presents three thicknesses, and are worked on the tile system, the parts
overlapping upwards, the only portions kept quite clear and of one thickness
being those immediately round the centre holes. These plates of iron, which
are very roughly made, and were most probably covered with pitch to
prevent them from rusting, are placed between two folds of coarse canvas,
and are sewn down by means of string, which passes through the centre
holes, forming a pattern of rough hexagons, with lines radiating from the
centres. The rudimentary sleeves are simply quilted; while the edge of the
garment is formed of an applied piece of canvas-covered rope. This jack
is represented in Skelton's Illustrations of the Meyrick Collection, plate
XXXIV, and is there described as being sky blue in colour. Of this colour
there is now no trace.
202
CHAPTER XV
THE GAUNTLET
HEN fighting was almost entirely hand-to-hand, the thorough
protection of the hand was necessarily of paramount importance.
Armour for the head and body was, after all, but a second line
of defence against the attack which penetrated the guard of
the weapon. Any damage to the hand which controlled all
offensive movements, as well as all parries, would place a combatant at the
mercy of his antagonist. But the armourer had not only to give his attention
Fig. 552.
From the brass of Sir Robert
DE SEPTVANS
Early XlVth century
Chartham Church, Kent. After Waller
Fig. 553. From the effigy of William
LoNGESPfiE, Earl of Salisbury
About 1227. Cathedral church of Salisbury
After Stothard
to the protective qualities of the covering which enclosed a part so vulnerable
and so likely to receive a wound, he had also to consider how he should
least interfere with the use of so complicated a piece of mechanism as the
human hand. It was on account of these very important considerations that
one finds the gauntlet always more complicated in the details of its con-
struction than the rest of the protective harness.
To deal fully with the subject of gauntlets we must go back once more
203
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
to the period of full chain armour, almost to the latter part of the Xllth
century, and from that point follow their development down to the end of
the XVth century ; after which time, until the final disuse of the gauntlet in the
XVI Ith century, they practically remained unaltered in their construction. At
Fig. 554. From the effigy of William de Valence -
About 1298. Abbey church of Westminster. After Stothard
first we have only the missal and effigy to assist us in illustrating the
different fashions and changes; and it is not until we reach the closing years
of the XlVth century that we are able to give illustrations of actual extant
examples. In the Bayeux needlework it will be noticed that in every case
the sleeve of the hauberk terminated at the elbow, the fore-arms being
Fig. 555. From an effigy of a knight
Early XlVth century. In the church
of Schutz, Alsace
Fig. 556. From a sculptural slab
Early XlVth century
Schonthal Church, Germany
covered by the under garment. The hands are always exposed and have
no defence except where they are protected by the quillons of the sword.
As the XI Ith century progresses the sleeves of the hauberk grow longer
until, towards its end, they were extended to form a covering for the hand.
This covering, which may be considered the first form of hand defence,
204
THE GAUNTLET
included the whole hand and fingers in a single pouch, with a separate com-
partment for the thumb, to facilitate the grasping of a weapon. An excellent
example of this early form of gauntlet is represented on the seal of Richard
Coeur de Lion. It is apparent from monuments and miniatures of the period
that the hand could be withdrawn from the mitten and thrust through an
aperture in the wrist, allowing the mitten to hang loose, as shown in the
brass of Sir Robert de Septvans in Chartham Church, Kent (Fig. 552). The
effigy of William Longespde, Earl of Salisbury, in Salisbury Cathedral, who
Fig. 557. From an unknown
EFFIGY
About 1335. Ash Church, Kent
After Stothard
Fig. 558. From the brass of Sir John
DE Saint Quintan
About 1397. Brandesburton Church,
Yorkshire. After Hewitt
died in 1226, affords another illustration of the sleeve gauntlet drawn over the
hand (Fig. 553), where it is fastened by a thong or strap round the wrist in
precisely the same manner as was formerly adopted by the Japanese in their
armour of nearly every period. Towards the end of the Xlllth century this
mitten mail defence gradually developed separate fingers, like the modern
glove. Of this style we can take a good illustration from the splendid
effigy in Westminster Abbey of William de Valence (Fig. 554), who died in
1296. We consider that it was about this time that the mail gauntlet, as
a separate armament not attached to the hauberk sleeve, appeared. In
the church of Schutz, in the Province of Alsace, there is a monument to
205
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
a knight, which we may assume dates from the first years of the XlVth
century. Behind him hangs his sword and detached gauntlets, which are
of chain mail and fingered. Although its conventional treatment of mail
is not very convincing, this sculpture furnishes a most interesting record
Fig. 559. The right-hand gauntlet of the pair
Hanging with other achievements of Edward, Prince of Wales, above his
tomb in the Cathedral church of Canterbury
{a) Back view; (d) Front view
from the fact that the back of one gauntlet and the palm, which appears to
be made of leather, of the other are shown, while the strap about the wrist
is very clearly defined (Fig. 555).
Early in the XlVth century the gauntlet can be seen developing
slightly ahead of the body armour; complete gauntlets of scale, and even of
206
THE GAUNTLET
plate, are to be found. On a slab in Schonthal Church (Germany), behind
the figure of Albrecht von Hohenlohe, who died in 1319, is represented a
cuffed and figured gauntlet of quite an advanced type (Fig. 556); while as
almost the counterpart of this type in England, we may mention the gaunt-
lets seen on an unknown effigy in the chancel of Ash Church, Kent, an effigy
which dates from about 1335 (Fig. 557). In the middle of the XlVth century an
almost stereotyped form of gauntlet is found in use, which, generally speak-
ing, may be said to have remained in fashion for close upon a century. The
special constructional feature of this gauntlet, in which the cuff and meta-
carpal guard bell out abruptly from the wrist, giving them the appearance
of an hour-glass, is that a single broad plate of metal almost envelops the
hand from the wrist to the knuckles, which it covers and protects. It is
Fig. 560. The gauntlets
As shown on the effigy of the
Black Prince
Cathedral church of
Canterbury
Fig. 561. One of the lions
The " gads " formerly on the knuckles
of the existing gauntlets
Cathedral church of
Canterbury
curved round the sides of the hand, but leaves part of the palm exposed.
Underneath the plate was worn a leather glove, to the fingers and thumb
of which small overlapping scales were attached to complete the defence
of the hand. An example of this type may be seen on the brass of Sir
John de Saint Quintan in Brandesburton Church, Yorkshire, which may
be dated at about 1397 (Fig. 558). The famous gauntlets of Edward,
Prince of Wales, known as the Black Prince, hanging with his other
achievements over his tomb in the cathedral church of Canterbury, afford an
excellent illustration of this kind of hand defence (Fig. 559, a, b). They are
fashioned of gilded latten. Their form is rather exaggerated, and their
protective qualities small, from which circumstances we have already argued
that they were not originally part of a war harness, but were supplied
207
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
for funerary purposes. The leather gloves still exist within them; and they
show the characteristic feature of the first metal gauntlets in having the
scales fixed to the fingers of the leather glove beneath and not to the broad
metacarpal plate, as was the case at a later date. In the effigy (Fig. 560)
the gauntlets of the Black Prince appear to be of the very simplest construc-
tion and free from ornamentation; but upon the existing gauntlets hanging
Fig. 562. Fragment of a gauntlet
Formerly covered with material and studded with metal disks. About 1370
Tower of London. Class III, No. 773
above the tomb small figures of lions have been riveted on to the knuckles
(Fig. 561) in place of the embossed or applied spikes called gads, or gad-
lings, which are usually found. The leather gloves have certain decoration
embroidered in silk.
We take it that like other body defences of this period the gauntlet was
often covered with velvet or some material studded with metal rivets, a
fashionable and protective combination applied to the actual metal founda-
208
THE GAUNTLET
tion, in accordance with the jazarine armaments of the time. Such gauntlets
often appear in contemporary illumination and sculpture. We are fortunate
in being able to give illustrations of fragments of two actual gauntlets of
this type; while we know of a third right-hand gauntlet of this make which
is in the collection of Graf Hans Wilczek at Schloss Kreuzenstein near
Vienna. The first fragment (Fig. 562) is a portion of a gauntlet in the
Tower of London collection, the provenance of which is unfortunately un-
known; while the other (Fig. 563) is part of a similar gauntlet of the same
I
Tt^
Fig. 563. Portion of a gauntlet
Formerly covered with textile material and studded with
metal disks. About 1370. Presented to the British
Museum by the late Herr Richard Zschille
Fig. 564. From the brass of
an unknown knight
About 1410. South Kelsey
Church, Lincolnshire
period, about 1370, which was given to the British Museum by the late
Herr Richard Zschille.
The hour-glass type of gauntlet continued in fashion until the early
years of the XVth century. On a brass in South Kelsey Church, Lincoln-
shire, dating from about 1410, it appears in a very elongated form
(Fig. 564). From the point of view of defence the great defect in these
gauntlets, which had the finger plates attached only to the leather fingers of
the glove inside, is, of course, that the point of a weapon could enter the
gauntlet between the scales on the fingers and the edge of the main metal
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210
THE GAUNTLET
plate. We regard certain fine gauntlets of this type that are extant as dating
from the end of the XlV'th or from the opening years of the XVth century.
Among these may be reckoned the superb gauntlets which are now in the
Museum of the Bargello, Florence (Fig. 565), and which form part of the
bequest of Signor Ressman who obtained them in Florence from the famous
Toscanelli Collection. These are the most wonderful pair of gauntlets of this
period in existence; for the richness of their latten trimming appears to
surpass in elaboration even that of some of the finest gauntlets sculptured on
effigies. Though they are of the same fashion and make as those shown in
Fig. 566. Pair of gauntlets with enrichments of brass
About 1 380-1400. Nos. 6 and 7, Wallace Collection
the Wallace Collection next to be described, they are more complete. We
think they are of Italian origin for they bear an armourer's mark, a mono-
gram, which seems to be that of a North Italian craftsman. At the same
time they are more elaborate ; for in between the grooves of the big metacarpal
plates are applied strips of latten with acorn-like finials. The cuff-borders
are also more solid and the engraved inscriptions in Latin upon them are
executed in a superior manner. These are interesting, being but a slight varia-
tion of the text /esus aiUeui transiens per medhim illoriun ibat (Luke iv, 30),
a motto which occurs on various English coins from 1343 to the end of the
XVIth century.
211
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Next in importance to the Ressman gauntlets is the pair formerly in the
Nieuwerkerke, and now in the Wallace Collection, Nos. 6 and 7 (Fig. 566).
M. Viollet-le-Duc gives an illustration of them in his Dictionnaire dii
Mobilier Franqais; but by an easy stretch of imagination he reproduces them
with the missing finger plates, which they must once have possessed, attached
to the metacarpal plate, and not to the lining glove as we personally imagine
they were (Fig. 567). It will be observed that, supplied with the finger plates
Fig. 567. The left gauntlet of
THE PAIR (Fig. 566)
With the finger plate as restored in
imagination by Viollet-le-Duc
Fig. 568. On the effigy of Sir
Thomas Cawne
About 1380. Ightham Church, Kent
After Stothard
they resemble the gauntlets seen on the effigy of Sir Thomas Cawne in
Ightham Church, Kent (Fig. 568). Inasmuch as this effigy has with some
certainty been dated at about 1380, it is possible that the Wallace gauntlets
may also be as early. They are fashioned with short bell-shaped cuffs with
three radiating flutings between the knuckle joints, which are continued down
the back of the hands. They are formed of one piece, with the exception of
the under part of the wrist protection, at which point a small plate, one and
a half inch wide, has been added, probably for the purpose of their enlargement
at some later date. A band of brass or latten, one and a quarter inch wide, is
212 t
THE GAUNTLET
applied round the upper edge of the cuffs. This is embossed with a fluted and
dotted moulding, in the middle of which is the word amor, twice repeated, on
a groundwork engraved with a matted ornamentation. A ragged staff with a
ribbon wound round it is also introduced into the decoration. On the cuff of
the left gauntlet, where the circumference of the wrist is smallest, is fastened
a cable pattern ornament also of latten — this is missing on the right gauntlet
— and round the finger edges of the gauntlets are bands of latten a quarter
of an inch wide, engraved with an interlaced design and riveted on.
Right gauntlet
Fig. 569.
About 1380
Tannenberg. Collection: Dr. Bashford- Dean
New York
Found among the ruins of the Castle of
Fig. 570. From the brass of
Sir George Felbrigge
About 1400. St. Mary's, Play-
ford, Suffolk
We venture to say that the Wallace gauntlets are, with the exception
of the Black Prince's, the only true examples of their kind in England.
There is, in the Tower Armoury, a gauntlet purporting to be a specimen
dating from the end of the XlVth century; but it is a forgery. Going farther
afield we may state that Dr. Bashford Dean, of New York, possesses a
gauntlet somewhat of this type, found among the ruins of the Castle of
Tannenberg, which came from the Hefner-Alteneck Collection (Fig. 569).
In the collection of the late Mr. Frederick Stibbert of Florence, is another
real example, while the Ressman Collection in the Bargello, Florence, besides
possessing the magnificent pair we have described, can show a left-hand
213
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
example, simply constructed, but of a representative type of about 1420. In
that wonderful and mysterious collection of Graf G. Trapp in Schloss
Churburg, near Innsbruck, is a pair of hour-glass gauntlets, edged with a
latten band, engraved, and bearing an inscription in Gothic letters, which are
actually shown in company with the original bascinet helmet of the suit for
which they were made. Unfortunately we have been unable to obtain a
photograph of these last-named specimens.
There was a type of gauntlet that appeared late in the XlVth century
which may be considered the forerunner
of the fingered gauntlet of the latter part
of the XVth century. Not a single speci-
men of this kind is extant ; but in the fine
brass of Sir George Felbrigge, which
dates from about 1400, an illustration of
a good example of the type (Fig. 570)
can be seen. The cuff is very short and
bell-like in form, although this feature
is not exaggerated. The fingers, the plates
of which are curved round to afford the
hand abetterprotection and are not merely
flat scales attached to the leather glove,
are here riveted to the top of the main
plate in the fashion of all later gauntlets.
On both finger joints are gads, which are
beautifully faceted and brought to a point.
The last plate of each finger is engraved
to represent a finger-nail, a practice that
at this period seems to have been not
uncommon and is frequently represented.
Although, as in the case of most armour of this period, the actual metal
field of the gauntlets was not worked upon, nevertheless a fine scheme of
decoration was often carried out by means of applied plates of enamel and
settings of jewels. Such enrichments are very clearly shown in the hand-
coloured engravings of the effigies of this period represented in the early
editions of Stothard's " Monumental Effigies " He has pictured the colours
of the enamel and of the jewels, etc., which he was able to do from the traces
of decoration which he found when he was engaged in examining the effigies
late in the XVIIIth century.
214
Fig. 571. From the brass of
Richard Dixton, Esq.
About 1430. Cirencester Church,
Gloucestershire
THE GAUNTLET
We will now discuss a more highly developed type of gauntlet, although
not of the fingered order, a gauntlet such as we see on the brass of Richard
Dixton in Cirencester Church, Gloucestershire, which may be dated at about
1430 (Fig. 571), and on the effigy of John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, who
died in 1434. The short bell-shaped cuff, characteristic of the earlier
types, is now drawn out to a greater length and is pointed, its bell-like
formation being at the same time far less exaggerated. Instead of each
finger being separately protected, a single plate is now hinged to the main,
or metacarpal, plate, broad enough to cover all the fingers; and to this again
is attached in a similar manner another plate, which formed an effective
protection to the ends of the fingers even when the hand was bent in grasp-
Fig. 572. From the effigy of John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, who died in 1434
Arundel Church. After Stothard
(a) Front view ; (l>) Profile view, showing the fluting over the metacarpal plate
ing a weapon. The gauntlet has now become of so advanced a type that
during the progress of the XVth and succeeding centuries, indeed until its
final disuse, its general construction remained unaltered. Actual gauntlets
of the kind just described are in existence, but to none of these would it be
safe to assign a date earlier than the middle of the XVth century.
The superb suit in the Royal Armoury, Vienna, made by Tommaso da
Missaglia between 1450 and 1460 for Frederick Count Palatine of the Rhine
(vol. i, Fig. 212), is furnished with these simple mitten gauntlets which,
though eminently protective, are severely plain if compared with the gracefully
fluted and elegantly finished hand defences of the latter years of the century.
Sir Edward Barry can show a pair of gauntlets of this type, small in pro-
portion though probably of rather later date (Fig. 573).
The next type of gauntlet, a type no further advanced as regards pro-
215
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
tective power, is the long and shapely metal glove seen on those flamboyant
Gothic harnesses which were in almost universal wear in civilized Europe,
excepting perhaps in Italy and Spain, towards the end of the XVth century.
Three fine gauntlets of this type are to be seen in the Wallace Collection
(Nos. 27, 28, and 29, Figs. 574, 575, and 576); while a pair of this kind is
on the suit No. 340. This pair is especially interesting, as upon the cuff
is an armourer's mark that might possibly be that of Adrian Treytz of
Miihlen, near Innsbruck, and so would date the gauntlets as having been
made between 1480 and 1500 (Fig. 577). On examining a gauntlet of this
type it will be noticed that the cuff has grown longer — indeed, in some cases
Fig. 573. Right gauntlet (one of a pair)
Italian, Milanese, about 1460
Collection : Sir Edward Barry, Bart.
Fig. 574. Left gauntlet
Possibly French, about 1470
No. 27, Wallace Collection
it extends almost to the coude plates — and ends in a point; it only widens
sufficiently to fit over the vambrace. The flat formation of these gauntlets
is also remarkable, as is also the fact of their being in many cases without
the under-plate of the cuff, in substitution of which they are strapped to the
vambrace in the oriental fashion. The metacarpal plates are carefully modelled,
occasionally delicately designed with tracery at the edge, and often enriched
with latten (Fig. 575). This type of hand defence sometimes terminated in
plates of the mitten type, as in the case of the specimen just described and
like an example in the author's collection (Fig. 578); but more often the
fashion of separate or of twin fingers was adopted, in which case gad-like
plates protected the finger joints. These pointed gads are shown in a
216
THE GAUNTLET
fragment of a German gauntlet of about 1470 which is in the author's
collection (Fig. 579). The gauntlets which form part of the equestrian suit
(No. 620, Fig. 580) in the Wallace Collection, though of comparatively
modern workmanship, afford a good illustration of what the fingered variety
of this type was like. The composite Gothic suits exhibited in the Tower of
London show certain gauntlets of this form that may be considered partly
old, but they have been subjected to modern restoration. The gauntlets of
ii
1
1
1
kmd
1
Fig. 575. Right gauntlet
Probably German,
about 1470
No. 28, Wallace Collection
Fig. 576. Right gauntlet
French, or made by Italian armourers in
the French fashion, about 1480
No. 29, Wallace Collection
the so-called "Gothic" suits in Windsor Castle are similar examples and
open to the same criticism.
To illustrate the extent to which decoration by tracery of Gothic character
was carried on certain specimens of late XVth century date we would point to
the wonderful gauntlets which are preserved in the Royal Armoury, Madrid,
E 88 and 89 (Fig. 581), and which used to be in the armoury of the Emperor
Charles V. From their early date and from the fact that they are described
in the Relacion de Valladolid as what we might translate "old stuff," it is
probable that they were never worn by Charles V; most likely they were part
of a fine suit, now lost, that may have belonged to his father, Philip I,
II 217 FF
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
or even to his grandfather, Maximilian I. They are of German workmanship,
and the present writer thinks that they may possibly have been the work of
Hans Grtinewalt of Nuremberg; for they bear close resemblance, though they
are more elaborate, to the gauntlets on the suit attributed to him and made
for Sigismund of Tyrol, which is in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna (vol. i,
Fig. 244). The Count de Valencia in describing them in his famous Madrid
catalogue, suggests they may be the work of Lorenz Kolman of Augsburg.
Fk;. 577. Pair of gauntlets
German, about 1460-80
Probably the work of Adrian Treytz of Miihlen
No. 340, Wallace Collection
Doubtless he had some good reason for this attribution ; but to us, though
we have had no opportunity of examining them, they appear much more
likely to have been the work of Hans Grtinewalt. Each gauntlet is com-
posed of twenty-seven separate plates; beyond the tracery to which we have
referred they are decorated with radiating fluting, and also with bands etched
by means of acid.
We have now traced the evolution of hand armour from the end of the
XHth century, when a covering for the hand was first found to be necessary,
and when the sleeve of the hauberk was lengthened to meet this necessity,
218
THE GAUNTLET
up to the end of the XVth century, when the gauntlet, developing far more
rapidly than the rest of the body armour, reached the zenith of its useful-
ness and beauty of form. From this time onwards its general construction
remained unaltered, and we may leave it at this point, though we propose
to give as a final illustration two mitten gauntlets of the early years of
the XVIth century. One (Fig. 582) is a very protective short-cuffed gauntlet
1
r
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1
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Fig. 578. Right
gauntlet
German, about 1490
From a castle in the
Bavarian Tyrol
Collection: Author
Fig. 579. Portion of a right
gauntlet
Showing in profile the pointed
gads upon the knuckle plate
German, about 1470
Collection: Author
Fig. 580. Right fingered
gauntlet
A modern production, but
of an interesting type, in the
French fashion of about 1470
No. 620, Wallace Collection
of five separate plates now in the collection of Sir Edward Barry. An
undecorated but thoroughly protective hand defence, it would appear to be
of North Italian origin of about 1500. The second (Fig. 583), which like a
previously mentioned specimen (Fig. 578) came from a castle in the Bavarian
Tyrol, is the typical broadly-proportioned mitten gauntlet with short cuffs and
of German make and of the fluted Maximilian style. Many kinds and indi-
vidual styles of gauntlets were made for purposes of the tournament and of the
219
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
tilt-yard — we may mention and shall describe later the " forbidden " gauntlet
and the large tilting gauntlets (" manefers "); while other vagaries of form and
varieties of fingered gauntlets will be seen on the full suits of XVIth century
date which we illustrate. But, as we have said, from the third quarter of the
XVth century until the final disuse of the metal gauntlet in the third quarter
of the XVI Ith century, no further protective qualities were evolved; and
Fig. s8i. Pair ok gauntlets from the armoury of the Emperor Charles V
In all probability they were part of a suit that belonged either to his father
Philip I, or to his grandfather Maximilian I. German, about 1490
Possibly the work of Hans Grlinewalt of Nuremberg
E 88 and 89, Royal Armoury, Madrid
henceforward it was surface decoration alone that influenced the style and
shape of this particular defence.
We must add to this chapter a brief reference to a particular form of left-
hand gauntlet, for without alluding to the type our list would be incomplete,
it not being our intention to refer again in detail to the defence of the hand.
The gauntlet in question is the duelling gauntlet. It was usually made
for the left hand only, and as a rule protected the fore-arm up to the elbow;
pairs of such gauntlets are, however, met with, only the left hand one being
220
THE GAUNTLET
lined with mail. The greater number of examples extant belong to the early
part of the XVI Ith century.
If we examine one of these gauntlets in question, three points in their
construction are noticeable; one is the cylindrical form of the cuff, and its
smallness in circumference; the second is the manner in which the scales that
protect the fingers and thumb are arranged so that they lap over one another
the reverse way to that seen on ordinary gauntlets, that is from the nails
towards the back of the hand, and the third is the mail lining to the left-
hand gauntlet.
Left gauntlet
Italian, probably Milanese, about 1500
Collection: Sir Edward Barry,
Bart.
Fig. 583. Right gauntlet
German, about 1510. From a
castle in the Bavarian Tyrol
Collection: Author
The explanation of these three peculiarities is, firstly, that the cylindrical
cuff of the gauntlet was not made to fit over a vambrace of plate, but over
a textile sleeve, secondly, that the unusual placing of the scales would cause
the thrust of a sword or rapier point to glance up and off them, and thirdly,
the mail lining protected the hand as used to parry the adversary's sword.
From these peculiarities we may judge that the use of this particular form
of gauntlet was relegated to the duel, and this type of gauntlet was almost
exclusively Italian, as it was in Italy that the duel with the rapier and
dagger was chiefly fought.
The intricate sword and rapier hilt of the latter part of the XVIth
221
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
and early years of the XVI Ith century was a sufificient guard for the right
hand; but the left hand grasping the dagger, the guard of which at that period
had not developed more than the ordinary quillons, was much exposed, and
therefore required a special duelling gauntlet. Such gauntlets were termed
giicmti di presa by Italian writers of the XVIth century; for not only did
they protect the left hand when holding a dagger, they also serv^ed to parry
a thrust, or to seize an adversary's blade, being often lined with chain mail,
like an example we have already pictured (Fig. 532).
Fig. 584. Duelling Gauntlet
Early XVI Ith century
Collection: Author
Fig. 585. Duelling Gauntlet
Late XVIth century
Collection: Author
We illustrate two gauntlets of this type. The first (Fig. 584), an example
with a short cuff and close arrangement of scales on the fingers, is a specimen
belonging to the early years of the XVI Ith century. The second (Fig. '585),
a gauntlet in which the cuff is much longer, and is enriched with embossing
and gilding, dates from the closing years of the XVIth century. This latter
duelling gauntlet was formerly in the collection of Sir Samuel Rush
Meyrick. It is figured in Skelton's Engraved Illustrations of that collection
(Plate LXXIX, Fig. 2).
222
CHAPTER XVI
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
N the earlier chapters of this work (chaps, ii and iii, vol. i) we
discussed at some length the shield of the knight, and described
in some detail the fine e.\ample which hangs over the tomb of
Edward the Black Prince in the Cathedral church of Canterbury
(vol. i, Fig. 1 88). We now propose to resume our account and to
trace the history of this important defence from the end of the XlVth century
onwards. Up to the period we have covered, the spade or " heater "-shaped
shield, to employ the name given it by English antiquaries, had, after its
development from the Norman kite, remained in favour for nigh upon two
hundred years; but with the advent of the XVth century old forms were
improved upon and new ones invented. In the Abbey Church of Westminster
the visitor is shown the shield of Edward III, together with the sword of
state (Fig. 707). But the question presents itself, is the shield of that
monarch's time? Or is it a shield of a type one is accustomed to associate
with the last quarter of the XVth century? We understand indeed that
little is known about either the sword or shield in question beyond the fact
that they have been in the Abbey Church many hundreds of years. We
give illustrations of the back and front views of the shield (Fig. 586,
<7, b). This relic is now in a dilapidated condition, a circumstance which,
though lending it an air of great antiquity, rather hinders us in our
endeavour to investigate its supposed provenance; indeed, to-day there re-
mains of it but an almost bare rectangular wooden foundation slightly convex
with a semicircular base. It is composed of five lengths of some close-
grained tough white wood, joined at the back by three thin iron bands;
while at some early date three plates of thin iron have been clamped around
its much-broken base. Around the whole of the exterior border of the shield
at 1 1 inch from the edge is a deep, incised groove; while a patch of metal
and strips of canvas have been plastered over the face of the shield by way
of restoration. Travellers, and we should imagine many Westminster boys,
have been careless enough to record their names upon the face of this poor
223
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224
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVm CENTURY
old relic; the Englishman always seems to want to carve his name some-
where. Originally the entire face of the shield was covered with stout canvas,
and over that was the outside covering of thick leather. This was secured
round the border by a series of hemisphcrically headed nails, the leather
being impressed wi-th a simple line on either side of them. A portion of this
Fig. 587. Italian siiiicld, painted wood
: Signor S
Florence
Collection : Signor S. Hardini,
Fig. 588. Italian shield, painted wood
Early XVth century. Collection:
Signor S. Bard in i, Florence
leather and canvas remains on the top right-hand corner, and for some
little distance around the border. On the present surface of this leather
is now no suggestion of colour. On the front face of the shield, about half
way up, and on the left-hand side, are two hemisphcrically headed rivets, one
above the other, which originally secured in position on the inside the left
arm sling. Although the rivets themselves that held the right arm sling in
II 225 GG
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
position are missing, the two holes through which they passed may be noted
on the right-hand side of the shield ; but these are placed nearer to the top
edge, so that when the arm was passed through the left arm sling and the
Fig. 5^9. Tomb of John of Gaunt
Formerly in St. Paul's Cathedral. From an engraving after Hollar published in
Sir William Dugdale's " History of St. Paul's " (1716)
hand grasped the right, the shield of necessity assumed an obtuse position
to the line of the shoulders. The interior of the shield shows us nearly all the
canvas lining and almost half the original leather covering still in existence.
About the centre we can follow a series of nail holes by which was attached
226
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
OFARMO'RIES.
the quilted pad against which the arm rested. So much for the description
of the shield, or at least of what remains of it. Now as to its probai)le
date. There is very little evidence to go by: unless indeed we accept it as a
pageant shield of some type concerning which we are almost in the dark. Let
us compare it, then, with a finely painted pageant shield in the collection of
Signor S. Bardini of Florence (Fig. 587), a beautiful heraldic achievement
of much the same proportions (36 inches high by 31 inches wide). Around
this shield runs the inscription : come consorto dalle mie radici i porto
EL CAPO Di NOi BONAMrcL Now we are able definitely to date this example
as belonging to the end of the XlVth century; for
painted upon it are the arms of the Buonamici sur-
mounted by a mantled helm bearing a crest which
takes the form of the three-quarter figure of Bien-
heureux Buonamici, the head of the family, who died
about 1405. Surely this shield and the so-called shield
of Edward III have something in common? Perhaps
the Bardini shield is a little more rectangular at the
base; but otherwise it is exactly the same type of
armament. Again, compare the Edward III shield
with a second shield in the same Bardini Collection
(Fig. 588); it will be seen that the latter, though
simpler in decoration, certainly belongs to the same
period, showing the rivets for the arm-straps put on
at the same angle as in the case of the Edward III
shield. So by comparison with two similar shields,
the age of one of which we can fairly accurately give,
it seems just possible to assign the Westminster shield
to its traditional date. But it can be assigned to this date only if it is
regarded as having been made purely for pageant purposes.
We will now consider another form which we find depicted in heraldry
and in sculpture of the early years of the XVth century, that is, the shield
of smaller dimensions, roughly rectangular, but strongly concave from the
top to the base, which contains on the right-hand side, either at the top or
just below it, an opening known in France as ''la bonche de la lance!' The
lost shield of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, formerly suspended over
his tomb in Old St. Paul's, was of this type. There are three old engravings
of it. That in Sandford's "Genealogical History" by R. Gaywood, dated
1664, shows the shield intact with its outer covering. This the author is
227
Ir is very conucx rowiKT-thebcjrcrjwhcihcf W
wjfpingthrouGhagCjOrnmidi; of p>rporc. It "
hatnindimrnluT more iKtn three qujrtvrt ofa
.yeardofUngth.&ibowehilfcayeariimbrciOthi
noKC 10 the body is a cinujt gkw'titfta boord,
Fig. 590. Shield of
John of Gaunt
From Bolton's " Elements
of Armouries," 1610
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
inclined to think is an imaginative reconstruction by the engraver, who
merely added this covering to Hollar's print used by Sir W. Dugdale in his
" History of St. Paul's" (171 6) in which drawing the shield is shown entirely
stripped of its outer covering (Fig. 589). It is, however, Bolton's illustration
in his " Elements of Armouries " (1610) which appears to be the most trust-
worthy representation of the shield (Fig. 590). As far as we can judge, the
construction of the shield differed a little from that of the later specimens of
the same type with which we are acquainted. Bolton goes on to say: " It
is very convex towards the bearer, whether by warping through age, or
Fk;. 591. Shield of wood covered
with gesso
Florentine, XVth century
Collection : Signor S. Bardini
Fig. 592. Shield of wood covered
with gesso
Florentine, XVth century
Collection: Signor S. Bardini
as made of purpose. It hath in dimensions more than three quarters of a
yeard of length, and fulle a yeard in breadth; next to the body is a canvas
glew'd to a boord, upon that thin board are broad thin axicles, slices, or
plates of home, nailed fast, and againe over them twenty and sixe thicke
peeces of the like, all meeting, or centring about a round plate of the same,
in the navell of the shield, and over all is a leather closed fast to them with
glew, or other holding stuffe, upon which his Armouries were painted, but
now they, with the leather it self, have very lately and very lewdly bin
utterly spoiled." The shield is roughly rectangular with rounded corners, and
on its top right-hand corner it has the botichede la lance strongly pronounced.
228
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
Bolton illustrates it so as to show its outside parchment in position and
curled back from the right side as with age, but representing clearly on the
left side the heraldic quarterings of John of Gaunt. Bolton's book was
published in 1610; so up to that date we can be sure that it was still in a
very fair state of preservation. Sandford's complete view of the John of Gaunt
tomb published in 1707, which reproduces an illustration engraved in 1664,
shows the shield completed, as we have said, in imagination, the lance and
the cap of maintenance hanging beside it ;
while Hollar in Sir William Dugdale's work
shows nothing but the curious sectioned
foundation of the shield. So this outside
covering must have been lost but shortly
after the appearance of Bolton's woodcut.
Of this family of shield, though a later
form of the type, are two fine examples
from the collection already mentioned of
Signor S. Bardini, which we now illustrate
(Figs. 591 and 592). They are of wood
covered with parchment and gesso — each
about 25 inches high by 20 inches wide —
and are splendidly enriched with heraldic
devices in the highest relief. Though they
appear to be Florentine of the middle of
the XVth century, they represent sufficiently
well the group to which the John of Gaunt
shield must have belonged. In the same
collection is another shield which though
somewhat differently curved and having a
pointed apex, also shows the suggestion
of"/« botiche de la lance." This also is Italian, of somewhat earlier date,
coming possibly within the first half of the century (Fig. 593). It is of
softwood made slightly convex to the body and covered with gesso; while on
its face has been painted a spirited heraldic eagle. Very clearly visible are the
iron rosette-headed rivets that retained the arm loops in position. These are
set across the shield so that when carried it was almost at right angles to the
wearer. In the bequest of the late Mr. W. Burges to the British Museum is
a shield made of the same medium, though more solidly fashioned than
those we have just dealt with (Fig. 594). Here the development of the
229
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Fig. 593. Shield ok i'ainted wood
■ Early XVth century. Collection:
Signor S. Bardini
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Fig. 594. Shield of wood covered with
gesso, painted in polychrome
central ridge and the elongation of
the form make the shield resemble
the kite-shaped specimens familiar
in nearly all Italian Renaissance
ornament. In its section it is lon-
gitudinally concave to the body;
while at its topj'ight-hand corner
we still note the boiicJie de la lance.
The painting upon the surface of
the shield we can safely assign to
the school of Cologne of the last
quarter of the XVth century. It
is a fine work of art, depicting a
knight kneeling before his lady
and the figure of Death creeping
stealthily behind. On a scroll in
the background is the French in-
scription: "VOVSOVLA JMORT." The
knight is in full armour, a bastard
sword hanging at his side; while
at his feet are his armet and pole-
axe. The composition is painted
in polychrome on a gilded ground.
We revert again to the heater-
shaped shield in reviewing that
historical document — the shield
hanging above the tomb of Henry V
in the Confessor's Chapel of the
Abbey church of Westminster
(Fig. 595, a, b). With the helm
(Fig. 449, a, b) and the saddle (Fig.
963, a, b, c) it hangs, dust covered,
high on a beam above the mon-
arch's tomb. Of proportions almost
exactly similar to those of the shield
of Edward the Black Prince, this
achievement still occupies the posi-
Between 1470-1490. Burges bequest, British Museum tion inwhich itwas originally placed
230
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231
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
after the funeral of the King in 1422. By the courtesy of the late Dean of
Westminster the present writer was permitted to have the helm, shield, and
saddle removed for the purpose of being illustrated for this work. It is no
more likely that the shield actually belonged to King Henry V than that the
saddle was his; it must be regarded as part of the arming for a man with one
"cote armor" {tot a aruiatiira pro j homine cum j cote Armur) that was
delivered to the sacrist of the abbey — all the more so, since as in the case
of the helm, there is the record of the payment of 205. to Thomas Daunt
" for beating of a shield of the King's arms":
Item eidem Thome pro vapiilacione uniiis
sciiti de armis Regis. xxs.
The shield is much more nearly spade-
shaped than that of the Black Prince, and in
its section more curved. The foundation, which
is visible at its extreme base, is of smooth oak,
covered on the front with a strong fibrous sub-
stance, which is overlaid with four thicknesses
of coarse linen. These coverings are, for the
most part, torn away towards the lower half of
the shield; but the larger portion at the top
remains in position. It is very obvious that
the original face was covered with thick plaster
or gesso, upon which was painted the blazonry.
Although a scaled portion of the plaster remains,
there is no trace of the original red and blue
coloured quarters. The interior of the shield
is, however, in a far better state of preservation, and tells us a more vivid
story of its past splendour. Here, again, immediately on the wooden founda-
tion are three layers of coarse linen, over which is placed a padding of
hair felt; over that again are two layers of strong linen, covered with silk,
once a rich blue colour, which is figured with a very small pattern of
delicate ivy leaf woven into the silk itself (Fig. 596). The whole of this
brocade is powdered with fleur-de-lis, hand-embroidered in yellow silk.
The arm pad is of crimson velvet, on which are worked in yellow silk the
arms of Navarre, viz.: — Gules, a cross saltire and double orle of chains
linked together Or — a charge which somewhat resembles an escarboucle. As
we have said, there is now no trace of colour on the face of the shield; but
in Dart's "History of Westminster Abbey," published in 1725, the illustration
232
Fig. 596.
An actual size reproduction of
the siil< damasl< with which the
" Henry V " shield is lined
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
represents it as if painted with the arms of France and England. The arms
of Navarre embroidered inside would seem to represent those of Henry IV's
queen, those, that is to say, of his second wife, Joan of Navarre, who quartered
France with Navarre, and Joan was step-mother to Henry V. Though in
the illustration the double rivets by which the arm loops were originally
Fig. 597. Shield of wood covered
with painted gesso
German, late XVth century. Imperial
Armoury, Vienna
Fig. 598. Shield of wood covered with
PAINTED gesso
German, late XVth century. Imperial
Armoury, Vienna
attached are rather difficult to distinguish, on actually handling the shield
they are quite apparent. It is interesting to note that they are applied at
a very slight obtuse angle to the top line of the shield, proving that when
in use the shield was not carried in a position quite parallel with the body.
The measurements of this shield are 24.^ inches high by 19 inches
broad. When illustrated in 1796 by Gough in his "Sepulchral Monuments
II 233 H H
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
in Great Britain," one of its interior armloops was then shown in position.
Gough describes it as follows: "The shield which is small, and has lost one
of its handfasts." Other shields of the XVth century that have resisted
the ravages of time show so many varieties of shape that they cannot
be classed together. Returning, however, once more to the rectangular
shapes we will give illustrations (Figs. 597 and 598) of two shields, now in the
Fig. 599. Ikon shield with etched
DECORATION, AFTER ALBRECHT DURER
Late XVth century
Imperial Armoury, Vienna
Fig. 600. Shield of wood covered with
GESSO, 1458- 1490
I 7, Mus^e d'Artilierie,
Paris
Imperial Armoury, Vienna, which showa distinct evolution in form from those
rectangular shields which we have already described. In the official guide
to the collection they are catalogued as having belonged to the Hungarian
Guard of the great Maximilian and as dating towards the close of the XVth
century. In the late XVIth century they were at the Schloss Ambras, and in
an inventory of that date they are quoted as being of Turkish fashion; but in
the present writer's opinion they appear to have been evolved from a form
234
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
in which the boiiche de la lance is the principal feature. Both are of the
usual medium of wood covered with parchment, gesso, etc. The more
important of the two has painted in the centre the figure of a girl seated
with scroll behind her, inscribed i-toim-r-t-n- {Ich wart im garten)
(Fig. 597). The second shield has a close arrangement of oak and other
foliage occupying the whole surface and rendered in slight relief (Fig. 598).
Fig. 601. Shield of tainted
WOOD
German, late XVth century
No. 338, Wallace Collection
Fig. 602. From an illuminated MS.
English, early XlVth century
A fabulous monster-man armed with a sword
and kite-shaped shield. Collection: Author
In both shields the rivets that hold the arm straps in position are put at an
obtuse angle to the top of the shield.
A shield of the same form but beautifully forged of bright steel is
also in the Imperial Armoury at Vienna (Fig. 599). The surface is enriched
with German etching of fine style, introducing among other subjects the
heads of children representing the winds, and a figure of death which is
235
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
strongly reminiscent of Plate IV in Albrecht Dtirer's famous " Apocalypse " of
1498. In the official catalogue this shield is also described as one belonging
to the Hungarian Guard of Maximilian I. Mention of the so-called Hungarian
Fig. 603. Shield of wood with gesso
decoration
North Italian, early XVth century
Collection : Signor S. Bardini
Fk;. 604. Shield of wood with gesso
decoration in high relief
Italian, middle of XVth century
Victoria and Albert Museum
shields of the latter part of the XVth century reminds us of that fine example
in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris, I 7 (Fig. 600), known as the shield of
Mathias Corvin, King of Hungary — 1458-1490. Here the shape is quite
rectangular with the exception of the rounded corners; but there is a strongly
developed convex central ridge, a ridge as pronounced as that seen upon
236
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
archers' pavises. This shield, which is in the medium of wood, parchment,
gesso, etc., we should imagine to have been the defence of a body guard, rather
than a personal armament of the King; for we recollect having seen two other
Fig. 605. Shield ok wood overlaid
with hide and gesso
Italian, 1450-1475
In a private collection, Venice
Fig. 606. Archer's shield — wood, covered
with canvas and gesso
Middle of XVth century
Tower of London. Class V, No. i
shields of the same design, both of which are unquestionably genuine.
On the face of the so-called Corvin shield are traced the arms of Hungary,
of Bohemia, of Dalmatia, and of Moravia, and finally of those of the
237
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
house of Mathias Corvin. Around the border is the inscription in Gothic
characters :
Alma Dei genitrix Maria, interpella pro rege Mathia
This particular shield before passing into the collection of the Musde
d'Artillerie was in the famous Durand Collection, and subsequently in that
of the Due d'Istre. Yet another development of the wooden shield of the
XVth century may be seen in the Wallace Collection, No. 338 (Fig. 601).
V
i
l^:
Fig. 607. LKOSSiiowMEN WITH pavois at the siege of Rouen
1450-1475. From the Pageant of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick
Here the shield is more elongated in form ; but the developed central ridge
is very pronounced. On its face is painted a castle in black on a buff ground.
Large numbers of this exact type of shield exist in the arsenals of Germany;
so it would appear that they must generally have been a company armament.
Let us now look at that form of shield which we have previously men-
tioned as playing so large a part in Italian Renaissance decoration, the
shield that marks the return to the old Norman kite shape. Throughout
the XlVth and XVth centuries this type of shield was in universal use,
238
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
but perhaps more especially so in Italy. Its construction and its medium
were the same as those of the Norman shield, the method of its carriage
was similar, and it is only in the character of its decoration that a change
has taken place. But before mentioning any actual shields we give the
illustration of the large kite-shape form in use, as portrayed in an English
illumination of the early part of the XlVth century (Fig. 602). The monster-
man figuring in the initial letter from the illumination holds his shield,
it will be noted, at an obtuse angle to his body, which it completely covers,
leaving only the upper part of his head exposed. Though not a few
fine examples of this XVth century Italian type are in existence, we
Fig. 608. Fortitude
Fig. 609. An unknown Virtue
From the frescoes formerly in the Painted Chamber,
Westminster Palace. After Crocker
will illustrate but three, all varieties of the type. Our first illustration
shows a shield in the collection of Signor S. Bardini of Florence (Fig. 603),
inscribed with the motto libertas on a bend upon a scroll pattern ground,
which was stated to be the motto of the republic of the town of
Luoques [sic], according to an XVIIIth century inventory of the collection
out of which it was purchased by Signor Bardini. This shield may be
regarded as belonging to the first quarter of the XVth century. The
arms of Lucca in Italy are a • bend charged with the word "Libertas";
it is therefore obvious that " Luoques " is an old galicized form of " Lucca."
Our second illustration (Fig. 604) represents a very fine shield in the Victoria
and Albert Museum, modelled in high relief, gilt and painted with the arms
of the Villani family of Florence; while our third (Fig. 605) depicts that
239
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
splendid pageant shield which was formerly one of the chief treasures of the
Edward Cheney Collection of Badger Hall, but is now in a private collection
in Venice. This last mentioned shield is composed of wood heavy in con-
struction overlaid with hide and gesso; the decoration is in the strongest relief.
Here one sees the wooden shield of the knight in the final form which such
a shield assumed in the closing years of the XVth century. It is kite-
shaped, forty-six inches high, curved almost to exaggeration, and concave
'VN-W')'.!
- %i
¥^^
I
Fig. 6io. Effigy in Great Malvern
Priory Church
Middle of Xlllth century
After Stothard
Fig. 6ii. From an illuminated MS.
Early XlVth century
A monster-man armed with sword and small
buckler. Collection: Author
to the body. On the exterior, modelled in the manner which is associated
with Antonio Pollaiuolo, is the figure of Milo of Crotona rending the
oak. The figure is gilt upon a black gro.und, on one side of which are
painted the arms of the Montauo family. The border has a double cabled
pattern edge, between the cables of which runs the following inscription: —
OB INVALIDO SAPIENTIS EST POST VICTORIAM QVIESCERE NIHIL
NIHIL TAM FIRMVM CVI NON PERICVLVM.
240
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
Yet another type of wood and parchment shield which the late XlVth
and the XVth century can claim as their own is the one which was
employed exclusively by the archer, to whom the shield, pavois, or pavis
was almost as important as the bow or arbalest. Large numbers are in
existence; but now they rarely come into the market. We illustrate a very
fine example in the Tower Armoury; others can be seen in the Wallace
Collection, in the private collection of Sir Edward Barry, in that of the late
Lord Zouche, and in that of Mr. Godfrey Williams, Although they vary in
size, these archers' shields are generally constructed in the same way. Roughly
rectangular they show from the back a flattened concave indentation run-
ning from the top and widening towards the base. Across this at intervals
Fig. 6i2. From a woodcut in Revelationes celestes sanctae Brigittae, 1492
Showing town foot soldiers with their leader
iron bands, or even bands of toughened hide, were usually stretched. The
manner of using the pavis was as follows. A strong stake was driven into the
ground and the pavis placed over it, the stake running up between the groove
and its cross bands. Behind such a target the archer could crouch and effect-
ively shelter himself. Some of these pavises are of large proportions, over
five feet high and proportionately wide; whilst others are small and can
only have served the purpose of the knight's ordinary shield. The Tower
pavis (Fig. 606), a representative example, was purchased by the authorities
at the famous Bernal Sale of 1855. It is of soft wood covered in layers
of canvas and gesso. The front surface is painted with the figure of
St. George and -the Dragon, the armour represented upon the saint dating
the shield at about 1440-60. His salade helmet and breast shield are most
II 241 II
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
clearly defined; the latter is charged with three signets. The border is
foliated. The nationality of this pavis would appear to be Northern
French. There is in the Pageant of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick,
commonly called the Warwick MS., an authority to which we have already
referred, an excellent drawing representing the siege of Rouen, in the left-
hand corner of which the crossbowmen can be seen firing from behind their
pavises (Fig. 607). This drawing, which dates towards the close of the
XVth century, gives an excellent idea of the actual use of the archer's shield
we have just described. Here then we complete a comprehensive but by no
means exhaustive examination of such shields as have any true significance
. in the science of heraldry. With the introduc-
tion of metal as the medium of construction, the
shield, save in the case of plain bucklers of various
diameters, finally ceases to be used as a defensive
armament. Splendid undoubtedly are the metal
shields of the XVIth century, with their glory of
embossing and damascening, and their association
with the names of great artists ; but they have lost
their utilitarian purpose, and we can only put them
in the category of pageant armour.
In dealing with the auxiliary defence furnished
by the shields in use during the XVth century, it
must be borne in mind that the circular shield,
rondache, rondel, boce, or buckler was still in
constant use, and had indeed continued to be used
from the Saxon times in which we have first taken
note of them. This kind of shield was to be seen
twice represented in the perished frescoes of the Painted Chamber, once the
glory of old W^estminster Palace, frescoes which date from the first half of the
Xlllth century. We give illustrations of two of the Virtues that figured in
the frescoes taken from Crocker's famous drawings; the one (Fig. 608)
christened " Fortitude " has her circular buckler charged with a cross crosslet
and four lions on a field vert, the other (Fig. 609), an unknown Virtue, holds
a buckler emblazoned with a cross gules on a field or. Of almost the same
period is a round buckler to be seen on the effigy of an unknown knight in
Great Malvern Church, Worcestershire (Fig. 610). In the smallformof " boce"
these shields figure continuously in the pictures and illuminations of the
XlVth and XVth centuries: for instance, the half human monster taken from
242
Fig. 613. Horn Buckler
OR Boce
1 5, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
the initial letter of an English manuscript of early XlVth century date (Fig.
6i i) is represented as armed with boce and sword. The size of the boce varied
according to the whim of the owner. Chaucer describes the Wife of Bath
wearing a hat " As brood as is a bokeler or a targe." In a woodcut (Fig. 612)
from Revela Hones celestes sanctae Brigittae of 1492 the town foot soldiers
can be seen with their leader, whose weapon is the bastard sword, and
whose auxiliary defence is a bokeler or boce. We are, however, unable to
Fig. 614. Buckler of wood and iron
Early XVIth century
I 6, Mus6e d'Artillerie, Paris
ascribe any existing example with which we are acquainted to an earlier
date than the second half of the XVth century. The earliest we know of
is the specimen numbered I 5 in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris (Fig. 613).
The medium of its manufacture is antelope horn bound with hoops of iron.
In the centre is an escutcheon once enamelled in proper colours, but now
much perished. The grip at the back is of wood.
The buckler was essentially the defence of the unmounted knight and
even of the man-at-arms. Early in the Xlllth century the " Eskirmye
243
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
de Bokyler" was taught in England. In hand to hand conflicts the buckler
was always popular; indeed it may safely be said that in the XVI Ith century
of all types of shields it alone survived. We know of no earlier work on
defence than the " Hans Talhoffer" manuscript, an illustrated volume now
in the library of the castle of Gotha, dating from 1467, where, in the combats
depicted, the sword and even the mace are to be seen used in combination
with the buckler. In these fights the defences used are apparently precisely
the same as their successors of mid-XVIIth century times. In the Musde
Fig. 615. Buckler OF WOOD AND IRON
English, eariy XVIth century
Tower of London, Class V, No. 21
d'Artillerie of Paris (Fig. 614) is a small buckler, I 6, of very considerable
interest, not only as being of early date, but from the fact of its having
some historical association with England. According to the Catalogue of
the Musde d'Artillerie, " it was probably the personal property of the
Earl of Richmond who in 1485 became King Henry VII." We, how-
ever, prefer to consider it part of the equipment of some personal guard of
King Henry VIII. It has etched around its central boss the arms of
England and France quartered, also a crowned rose, a portcullis, and a
pomegranate. It is an effective defence as a buckler, with its interior
grip of wood fitted directly across its back. The surface of the buckler
244
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
other than its central metal boss is covered with twenty-four concentric
rows of spherically headed nails. We are unable to find any record
which shows how the French National Collection became possessed of
it. It is of fine workmanship, and like a buckler of very similar con-
struction, but of larger proportions, in the Tower of London (Fig. 615) may
be considered to date from the first quarter of the XVIth century. Another
such buckler made its appearance a few years ago in some country sale, and
was catalogued as "Soudanese"; but it was, as the illustration shows
(Fig. 616), a fine English example of exactly the same type as the two just
Fig. 616. Buckler of wood and iron
English, early XVIth century
described. In the processions of knights and soldiers in the "Triumph of
Maximilian " (one of Burgkmair's woodcuts) are depicted foot fighters of the
early part of the XVth century armed with swords and bucklers, the latter of
very two types, some rectangular and of painted wood (Fig. 617) and others
small and circular, apparently made of metal and of the boce order (Fig. 618).
Of the small rectangular shield of this date, not of German but of Italian
origin, we illustrate an example (Fig. 619); we also picture a specimen of
the small round boce, taken from the collection of the Due de Dino, now in
the Metropolitan Museum of New York (Fig. 620).
Having already wandered from the century within which we proposed to
restrict ourselves we feel that little excuse is necessary for our making mention
245
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
at this point of that series of bucklers that were formerly to be seen in large
numbers in the Tower Collection. According to the inventory of the " Guarde-
robe of the Towre" taken in 1547, after the death of King Henry VIII
(Harleian MSS. 1419), originally eighty existed in the "Towre." To-day
these are represented by less than twenty. The Windsor Armoury is fortun-
ate in now possessing six of these bucklers, with "gonnes" in their centre.
This kind of shield may be described as a round convex buckler made in
sections, with a pistol barrel projecting from the centre, and a breech-loading
arrangement in the interior. Above the barrel is a small grating through
Fig. 617. Foot FiGHTER'*\vrrH sword
AND RECTANGULAR SHIELD
Fig. 618. Foot fighter with sword
AND BOCE
From Burgkmair's " Triumph of Maximilian," plates 37 and 38, showing the trained fencers of
Hans Hollywaks, the chief fencing master to the Court of Maximilian
which the bearer might watch his opponent. The pistol was discharged with a
match, in a holder fixed inside the buckler, and worked with the right hand.'
The breech-loading is ingenious; an iron cover comes down over and retains
in position the chamber, the diameter of which corresponds to that of a modern
1 2-bore cartridge. From a notice of another of these bucklers in the " Guarde-
robe of the Towre," it appears that they were originally fringed with green
silk and lined with green velvet. The one illustrated from the Windsor
Collection is as complete as any of those now extant (Fig. 621). Another
example, from the original Tower series, is a specimen which is shown in the
Great Hall at Hampton Court. There is yet another in the Hall at Edinburgh
246
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
Castle (Fig. 622); whither, no doubt, along with other arms and armour, it
was brought in comparatively recent times for purposes of decoration. A few
of these bucklers have found their way into private collections. An example
is also to be seen in the Armoury of Malta; though it is a little different
in construction, it is of the same circular convex form; but it is composed
of a central nimbus with a border of twelve plates. Each plate is fashioned
to the segment of a circle, and has in its centre an embossed ridge, all
the plates being laid down upon a foundation of oak, the joints of the plates
being concealed by applied framing of brass. In the centre is a hole
Fig. 619. Rectangular Buckler
Italian, early XVIth century
Collection: Author
Fig. 620. BocE ui' wood and iron
First half of XVIth century. Dino Collection,
Metropolitan Museum of New York
through which formerly passed the barrel of the pistol (Fig. 623); the
grated aperture for taking aim has been at some time filled in. Now' as
this particularly awkward combination was, it is supposed, the personal
invention of King Henry VIII, of which he was according to tradition
very proud, the present writer suggests that this buckler at Malta with
many others now lost, was sent, together with much -other artillery, in
redemption of a promise made by the King in 1526, to LTsle d'Adam, then
Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. LTsle d'Adam visited
England after his sojourn in Spain and France, to which countries he
had travelled in order to submit to their respective monarchs his project
247
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
for the recapture from the Turks of the Island of Rhodes, and to seek
their assistance either in replenishing the exhausted treasury of the Order,
or in providing artillery and troops. In support of this expedition against
. _
ssgiBimmm
^^■l^^r
r ^^1
$^^
E ^^^^^ni^:^ ^Sb^^^^^B
•^K
j^
. y^
Ifc^
A ,,— *s^
.^'■^'■■/^
^ \ 1
'bEk^I^
^^flP'^ ^^^Uks/ /
^Kf,A':r'\
.....iwBKf
^v' jl ijfe
■■M^^^^r
^i^ / "y-Ai^^MMM
W^
Fig. 621. Buckler of iron with
central pistol
English, early XVIth century
Windsor Castle
Fig. 622. Buckler of iron with
PISTOL
English, early XVIth century
Edinburgh Castle
Fig. 623. Buckler of iron which has had a central pistol
English, early XVIth century. Armoury of the Knights of Malta, Valetta
the Turks, King Henry VIII promised to provide 20,000 crowns. Five
years, elapsed, during which time the King failed to keep his promise;
but, in the end, instead of sending the money he despatched a gift of
artillery to the value named. In this present of artillery it is probable
248
THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY
that besides the larger pieces of ordnance, smaller arms, such as, for
instance, the target "gonnes" under discussion, were included. This is, we
venture to think, the only possible explanation of the presence of one
of these shields in the Malta Armoury.
There is in the Wallace Collection a small steel buckler dating from the
early years of the XVIth century that we think is of a type interesting
enough to illustrate, No. 50 (Fig. 624). It shows a border round the edge
about one inch wide, flanged outwards and sufficiently raised to catch the
point of an adversary's sword. In the centre is a deep boss, in the interior
of which was the fist grip. Of the common type of ordinary small bucklers
is the example in Lord Kenyon's Collection — a quaint little armament of
Fig. 624. Buckler of
IRON
Middle of XVIth century
No. 50, Wallace Collection
Fig. 625. Small buckler of
embossed iron
English, late XVIth century
Collection : Lord Kenyon
rough workmanship, embossed round the border with the inscription: —
Wisdom, Faith and Prowess Support Kingdoms. In the centre are the
rose, fleur-de-lis, harp, and portcullis of the city of Westminster. This buckler
is probably of London workmanship, and dates towards the close of the
XVIth century (Fig. 625).
Belonging to the tournament equipment of a knight is a whole series
of small wooden shoulder shields of various forms which have in some
instances a considerable likeness to the legitimate fighting shields of the
boiiche de la lance type, and in the past have not been recognized as be-
longing to a tilting equipment. The famous Meyrick shield, now in the
Wallace Collection, No. 324 (Fig. 626), is very representative of the
form in question. It is strongly convex in form and made of wood, covered
with canvas, parchment, and gesso. Three ridges run down the centre.
II 249 KK
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
The exterior surface is black, with an interlaced flowering design in gold. In
the centre is a ribbon, upon which is an inscription, in Gothic characters,
nearly obliterated and wholly illegible except the word ewig. On the interior
are an iron hook and two eyelets. Mr. Planchd, in his Cyclopaedia of
Costume, describes it as an ordinary fighting shield. But it assuredly
Fig. 626. Tilting shield of wood, hide, and ges.so
German, early XVIth century. No. 324, Wallace Collection
belongs to a tilting harness; for in Burgkmair's "Triumph of Maximilian"
certain of the knights are seen bearing a similar menfonnih'e shield. We
will refrain from giving further illustrations of such shields; for they are all
of the same order and show but little variety. Moreover, we have alluded
to and illustrated them on page 48 (Fig. 399), where they are shown in con-
junction with the tournament salade head-piece with which they were worn.
2!;o
CHAPTER XVII
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
N the first half of the century but little change is discernible in
the evolution of the sword ; the simple wheel pommel and
straight or curved quillon guard remained the predominating
features. Certainly more variations are noticeable in the shape
of the pommel; the elongated flattened pear-shaped pommel
appeared, with other forms, all maintaining their popularity in turn according
to fashion.
The sword most generally in favour in the XVth century was of that
simple hilted type which had its origin most probably in Germany early in
the XlVth century, and which, introduced into England about thirty years
later, continued in use concurrently with other swords of various sizes up to
the second quarter of the XVIth century, when nearly all simply constructed
hilts gave way to that of the more elaborate type associated with the rapier.
The particular sword to which we allude was in the later part of the XVth
century known as the "bastard" or " hand-and-a-half " sword; and these
names are used nowadays to specify the type. It was a weapon with a blade
from 36 to 50 inches in length, equally serviceable for cutting or thrusting,
its combined usefulness being made possible by the extra length of the grip.
This was oval in section, swelling considerably at a point two-thirds of the way
up from the quillons and then tapering suddenly to the pommel. Its name,
" hand-and-a-half," explains the peculiar make of the grip. It was a sword
sufficiently light to be used with one hand, but in a swinging downward cut
the extra length of grip enabled the left hand to be brought into play to add
force to the blow. Vulson de la Colombiere and Joseph Swetnan speak of
the " bastard " sword in the latter part of the XVIth and at the commence-
ment of the XVI Ith century. The former alludes to it, when describing
the weapons used in a particular duel, " Deux espdes bastardes, potivans
servir a tme mam et a deux, les gardes dicelles faites a une croisette
seulement, et pas dasne ouvert" \ while the latter refers to the bastard sword
as a " sword, the which sword is something shorter than a long sword (two-
251
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
hander), and yet longer than a short sword." Of almost the same family
and use are the Spadona, Espadon, and Montante.
Throughout the XVth century there is found in use at the same time,
though it must be said not in such common use, the true single-handed
sword. In gripping the weapon the first finger was generally placed over the
quillon, thus securing the hilt more firmly in the hand. Such a grip likewise
assisted to direct the edge of the sword in delivering a cut. Even in the XlVth
century the practice of such a hand-grip can be noted in the picture of the
" Coronation of the Virgin," by Andrea di Cione, called Orcagna, now in the
Fig. 627. Sword (bastard type), about 1430
Found in the Thames in the Zion reach. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby
National Gallery, a picture probably painted about the middle of the XlVth
century as the altar-piece for S. Pietro Maggiore, Florence. In this picture
St. Paul is represented as holding his sword with his forefinger over the
quillon; while the same hand-grip is seen in a fresco at the Campo Santo
at Pisa, painted between 1380 and 1390, which represents scenes from the
life of St. Ephesus; again the same grip is to be noted in the great naval
battle-piece by Luca Spinelli, which is shown in the Palazzo Pubblico
at Bologna, and belongs to the same epoch. In the picture by Paolo de
Dono, known as Uccello, in the National Gallery, which was probably
painted about 1446, the knight who is delivering a cut at his adversary.
252
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
has his forefinger on the quillon; while another, who is thrusting, holds
his sword in the usual manner (vol. i, Fig. 238). In all these examples the
sword is a plain cross-hilted one; but in a small painting by Bernardino di
Biagio, better known as Pinturicchio, in the same collection, dating from the
close of the XVth century, St. Catherine has a sword with a small semi-
circular guard, and her forefinger is passed through it. In this practice, and
in this guard, the first step is being taken^ towards the evolution of the
complicated rapier hilts of the XVIth century.
As a good and early example of the bastard sword we may mention the
fine weapon now in the collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby, which was
found in the Thames at a spot known as Old England, in the Zion reach of
the river. The pommel of this sword is fish-tailed in shape, the quillons
Fig. 628. Effigy of William Philipp, Lord Berdolf
Showing exactly the same type of sword as represented in Fig. 627
Bennington Church, Suffoll<. After Stothard
are long and straight, the blade slender, stiff, and tapering. Except that
it is somewhat larger, this weapon is the counterpart of that seen on an
effigy in Dennington Church, Suffolk, which has now been assigned, and
probably correctly, to William Philipp, Lord Berdolf. We may fix the
date of this efiigy at about 1430; so we can safely place the period of the
Keasby sword within the first quarter of the XVth century (Figs. 627
and 628). A similar type of hilt — attached, however, to a much more
powerful sword — can be seen in the Wallace Collection, No. 42 (Fig. 629).
The pommel of this sword is roughly fig-shaped, the quillons are straight
and swell to lobes at the ends, while the blade is 46 inches long and 2J inches
wide at the hilt. So robust are the proportions of this fine sword, which
is certainly Italian, and dates from the middle of the XVth century, that we
are bound to consider it as a weapon solely for double-handed use. In
253
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the collection of Mr. W. H. Redfern there is a remarkably fine bastard
sword of English origin, found in the bed of the river Cam, an example we
should date within the first quarter of the XVth century (Fig. 630). The
pommel is noteworthy for the decoration of ingenious faceting which does
not in the least affect the simplicity of its outline. The quillons are of
rectangular section and incline downwards at their ends. The tang of the
blade is of considerable width and of great strength.
It is deeply impressed with a bladesmith's mark;
while the blade, which is 34 inches long, and is in
perfect condition, even to its cutting edge, is inlaid
with the mark of a sword in gold. To the collector
the weapon has peculiar charm of colour, now pos-
sessing a black bronze-like patina, doubtless from
its long immersion in the peat soil of the river Cam.
There is in the Tower of London an early XVth
century bastard sword (Fig. 631) that was found in
the river Thames. It belongs to the same family of
sword as the last described ; but though graceful
from the possession of long, straight, rectangular
sectioned quillons and a faceted pear-shaped pommel,
it is altogether a poorer make of weapon. A sword,
remarkable both by reason of its graceful lines and
of its splendid balance, is to be seen in Mr. Godfrey
Williams' Collection at St. Donat's Castle, Wales.
In the sale of the Bernal Collection in 1855 it figured
as Lot 2305 in the catalogue and fetched six guineas.
It then passed into the Londesborough Collection, at
the sale of which, in 1888, it appeared as Lot 39
and was disposed of for _;j^i4i 155-. At both sales an
English origin was ascribed to this sword, an as-
cription no doubt due to the Tudor rose-like orna-
ment that is etched some little distance up the blade. That its workmanship
is, however, Italian there is little room for doubt; the quillons, straight and
widening to rounded ends, are characteristically Italian, as also is its kite-
shaped pommel. The theory of its Italian provenance is further strengthened
by the etching of trophies and scroll-work, once gilt in the manner of northern
Italy, that appears on the upper part of the blade. The presence of the rose-
like ornament on the blade has no particular significance, as this was a
254
Fig. 629. SwoKD (Bast.aku
TYPE)
First half of XVth century
No. 42, Wallace Collection
Fig. 631. Sword (bastard type)
First quarter of XVth century. Found
in tiie Thames, London
Tower of London, Class IX, No. 16
Fig. 630. Sword (bastard
TYPE)
First quarter of XVth century
Found in the river Cam
Collection : Mr. W. H. Redfern
Fig. 632. Sword (b.astard
type)
Italian, second half of XVth
century
Collection : Mr. Godfrey Williams
255
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
universally employed decoration in the latter part of the XVth century. It
is interesting to note that the pommel on the sword was made hollow and
brazed down the side The grip is a comparatively modern addition. The
sword (Fig. 632) can be assigned to about 1450-70, and, like the two
swords just described, is of large proportions.
A large and varying family of swords of the " bastard " proportions
owes its origin to Germany ; though, curiously enough, certain of the
accepted German forms found great favour in Italy. The first of this type
Fig. 633. SwoKD (dastard tyte)
German, end of the first half of XVth century. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby
that we illustrate is of the simplest form — the pommel octagonal, the
quillons straight and of square-shaped section, the blade wide at the hilt, but
tapering to a point, eminently suitable for thrusting and so forcing an
opening between the joints of a plate suit. The probable date of this
weapon, which came from the collection of the late Herr Max Kuppelmayr
(Fig. 633), and is now in that of Mr. Henry G. Keasby, is about 1440
to 1460. In the same collection is a splendid thrusting weapon with an
exceptionally long grip, fig-shaped pommel, and simple quillons, the ends of
which curve downwards. The blade has a deep ricasso. This is probably an
256 .
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
Italian weapon, but designed on German lines, and dates from about the
third quarter of the XVth century (Fig. 634). A sword not unlike it, but
assuredly German and of smaller proportions, is in the collection of the
Fig. 634. Slender sword (bastard type)
Probably Italian, but produced under German influence. Middle of XVth century
Collection: Mr. Henry G. Kea.sby
Baron de Cosson. This weapon we are also bound to place at a fairly
late date in the XVth century (Fig. 635); while a similar sword, in the
Wallace Collection (No. 33, Gallery VII) is so late as to exhibit Maximilian
influences (Fig. 636). The numerals 141 5 are engraved upon the ricasso of
II 257 LL
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the blade of this sword, but unfortunately they cannot be seen in the illustra-
tion. These figures bear, however, no reference to the year 14 15, but merely
prove that the hilt was rebladed early in the XVIIth century by the Austrian
bladesmith Steyen. It was his common practice to engrave either this group of
figures or" i4i4"oreven " 1515 " in combination with the running wolf mark
upon blades of his make in order that his work might not be mistaken for that
of the city of Passau, which had already adopted the running wolf mark as its
Fig. 635. Sword (bastard type)
German, late XVth century
Collection: Baron de Cosson
Fig. 636. Sword (ba.stard type)
German, late XVth or early XVIth century
No. 33, Wallace Collection
stamp. In the National Bavarian Museum of Munich are some remarkable
bastard swords, very Gothic in their general sentiment, but mostly of late XVth
century date. We illustrate six of them. The first {Fig. 637A) shows the
flattened pear-shaped pommel and plain drooping quillons. Unscrupulous
foreign dealers have palmed off on armour collectors hundreds of copies of this
type; and this particular sword is probably the original which served as the
model of the forgeries. The moulded grip is of cuir botiilli, extending over
ihe centre of the quillons, almost in an inverted cup form, and fitting over the
top of the scabbard; a grip formation popular in the latter part of the
258
%
Fig. 637. Swords (bastard type)
German, late XVth century. National Bavarian Museum, Munich
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
XVth century as more fully protecting the blade from corrosion when
sheathed. This same idea is carried out on the second of the swords (Fig.
637B); here, it must be pointed out that the whole hilt, that is to say,
quillons and grip, are of gilded brass, inset in the latter case with plaques
of horn. The third sword (Fig. 637c) is a superb fighting weapon with an
exceptionally long and delicately moulded grip, ahd very slender quillons;
its original sheath is preserved and is of cuir boiiilli. This beautiful sword
might be dated as early as about 1460, weapons of this kind being certainly
in use at that time; but a sword of identical formation is seen in Durer's
famous plate, "The Knight, Death and the Devil," which is dated 1513, a
circumstance that affords us an excellent illustration of the difficulty of
assigning a specific date to an individual sword of a given type. There is a
sword very similar to this in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris (J 24). The
fourth sword (Fig. 6370) has a finely moulded grip similar to that seen on the
first of these series of weapons, but with a wheel pommel of rock crystal.
The quillons are unusual in character, and their flimsiness suggests that they
have been added in the latter part of the XVIth century, possibly for proces-
sional purposes. The pictorial representation of pommels of rock crystal may
be seen in a picture painted in 1467 by Dirk Bouts now in the old Pinakothek
of Munich. The fifth sword (Fig. 637E) has a hilt simply constructed, the
spiral twist of the gadroon-shaped pommel being continued in the twist of the
grip; the quillons droop slightly and are decorated on the exterior side only.
On the next sword (Fig. 637F) the exaggerated spiral fluting of the pommel
is even more conspicuously continued in the formation of the grip, which in
its lower half is pierced a jour, showing the encased tang of the blade. The
hold obtained on such a grip must have been very secure. From the type
of the blade, which is of triangular section, it may be assumed that the sword
was for foining, that is, for thrusting and guarding alone. The " estoc," as
this type of sword was called, was of much the same proportions as the
bastard sword. The blade in nearly all cases is triangular in section, and
tapers to a fine point. There is mention of the use of the estoc as
early as 1268 in a judgment of the Parliament of Paris: '' Sufficient er in-
ventum est quod diet us Bo so dictum Ademarum percussit cum Ense a estoc
in dextro latere propria manu, et de ipso ictu cecidit dictus Ademarus."
It was chiefly employed in the XVth and XVIth centuries for single combats
on foot in the Champ C/os, which were often combats "to be decided by
the judgment of God," the stiff penetrating blade being intended to force
apart the plates of the special armour in which such foot combats were
260
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
nearly always fought. A hafted weapon formed on nearly the same for-
midable principle as the estoc is the ahlspiess. This was an Austrian arm,
chiefly for yeoman use. But the practice of it must also have been familiar
to the nobles; since the Emperor Maximilian in the "Freydal" is seen
employing it. Although we could mention and illustrate many more XVth
century swords which retain the simple Gothic influence, we have perhaps
enumerated a sufficient number for our purpose.
* » *
We are now compelled to retrace our steps; for the true single-handed
sword is worthy of attention, and there are many examples which we must
specify as being thoroughly representative. The first that we shall men-
tion belongs to the early part of the XVth century, and is now in the Metro-
politan Museum of New York, having been formerly in the Dino and Carrand
Collections (Fig. 638). It has been suggested, and on good authority, that
the sword, as we now see it, is composite in its parts, and that M. Carrand
was responsible for its present complete state; but as this theory contradicts
Baron de Cosson's description of it in the famous Due de Dino Catalogue,
we must on the weight of such an authority accept the sword as wholly
authentic. The hilt is of copper gilt and cruciform, with a wheel pommel of
XlV^th century formation, drooping quillons, and tapering grip. These are all
engraved with conventional Gothic foliage. In the pommel are silver
medallions engraved and enamelled with coats of arms which the late
M. Carrand construed as being those of Sire de Gaucourt, a brilliant
courtier attached to the household of King Charles VII of France. The
blade is long and tapering, almost too long to balance the comparative
lightness of the hilt. The point is reinforced; while near the hilt is inlaid in
brass an armourer's mark, a cross within a circle. It is stated that this
sword was discovered in Normandy in the year 1838. Thoroughly repre-
sentative of the period, both in respect of form and of decoration, is the
weapon which was perhaps the principal treasure of Sir Noel Baton's Collec-
tion and which is now in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh (Fig. 639).
"The Sword of Battle Abbey," as it is called, was made for the abbey in
Sussex, which was endowed by William the Conqueror with exclusive rights.
The existing sword was made during the abbacy of Thomas de Lodelowe,
abbot from 14 17 to 1434. Sir John Gage, K.G., received this sword into his
keeping when he was acting as one of King Henry VIII's commissioners for
accepting the surrender of religious houses. It remained in the possession
of his family at Firle Place in the same county, until it was presented to
261
Fig. 638. Single-handed
SWQRD
First half of XVth century
Metropolitan Museum,
New York
P'iG. 640. Sword
First quarter of XVth century.
Found in the Chapter House,
Abbey church of Westminster,
now in the Pyx Chapel
262
P^iG. 639. The "Battle Abbey"
SWORD
First quarter of XVth century
Royal Scottish Museum,
Edinburgh
I
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
Sir Samuel Meyrick in 1834 by Henry Hall, 4th Viscount Gage. Apart
from its historical association, the attraction of the sword lies in its extreme
simplicity and severe beauty. The quillons are straight and taper somewhat
to either end; the pommel is of the pronounced wheel type, of great depth
and of vigorous section. The medium of the pommel and quillons is iron
overlaid with sheet silver, once gilt. This method of decorating the hilt was
in common practice in the XlVth and XVth centuries; it can be seen in the
civil swords of certain corporations, notably in the so-called "King John
sword " of King's Lynn (Fig. 706). The thick silver sheeting was applied to
the iron core by means of solder. It was an effective and rich adornment;
for it could be easily engraved, gilded, and enamelled, as will be seen on
looking at the Battle Abbey sword. The engraving upon the quillons of
this sword consists in a scheme of Gothic leafage. This is simplified on
the pommel, which has on either side of it, in its recessed panels, the
shield and arms of Battle Abbey, viz., a cross; in the first and fourth
quarters, a coronet of strawberry leaves; in the second and third, a sword
the point in chief; the whole coat being placed between the initials " t. L."
(Thomas de Lodelowe). These arms w£re possibly enamelled in proper
colours; but no traces of heraldic colours are now discernible. Sir Samuel
Meyrick, writing of this sword at the time it was in his collection, de-
scribed it most accurately as " A war sword used as one of State " ; for
it is eminently a fighting weapon as distinct from a regular sword of
State. It will be noticed that the blade in section is of flattened diamond
shape, and that when new it must have tapered to an acute point in the
fashion of the generality of blades of the first years of the XVth century.
But from constant cleaning and, what is more unusual, from constant
sharpening, the outline of the blade some few inches below the hilt is lost
in a curved irregular edge that terminates in a rounded thrusting point.
As the section and original outline of the blade have now practically dis-
appeared owing to the severe treatment they have received in the past, and
as their disappearance lends to the blade the look of one with almost parallel
edges, as seen in the case of swords of the Xlth and Xllth centuries, sug-
gestions have been made that the blade itself is of considerably earlier date
and that the hilt was adapted to it in the XVth century. But on examina-
tion it can be proved from certain technicalities that this is not the case, and
that the blade was actually made for the hilt to which it is fitted. It appears
evident, therefore, from the details we have given that this sword was
manufactured in toto in the XVth century, and that it is not the actual
263
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
weapon which, according to tradition, William the Conqueror presented
to the favoured Abbey. In the chronicles of the Monastery of Battle Abbey
which record, under the date 1087- 1095, the presentation to the Monastery
by William II after his coronation (in accordance with the wish of his father)
of his Royal Pall and Feretory or Feretrum, no mention is made of his
sword. It is, however, more than probable that with the pallium regale a
sword was included. If such a sword once existed, its later history is un-
known. It is said to have been taken in the middle of the XVIIIth century,
along with the pallium and the original document known as the Roll of
Battle Abbey, to Cowdray House, Mid-
hurst, by Lord Montagu, a descendant of
Sir Anthony Browne, into whose hands
these precious relics fell at the dissolution
of the monasteries. In the year 1793 a
disastrous fire occurred which destroyed
Cowdray House, and presumably the Roll,
the pallium, and the sword.
This then may be the history of the
original sword presented to Battle Abbey;
but it now becomes necessary to account
for the sword which is shown in the Scottish
collection, and which may be supposed to be
the second sword possessed by the Abbey.
The truth as to its origin can only be sur-
mised. Possibly the precious .sword of Wil-
liam I was considered almost in the light of
a " Tenure Sword." The abbots, whose
sole use for it in that capacity was on cere-
monial occasions, may have considered the
original weapon from hard wear and the passage of many centuries to
have become a mere relic, hardly in keeping with the pomp and circum-
stance of the early years of the XVth century, and may have had a new
sword made to take its place. There is no reason why they should have
considered it necessary to copy the original weapon in their possession.
Battle Abbey was luckily not afflicted with an archaeologist who could
commit such a blunder. Doubtless, therefore, an order for a fine new sword
for pageant purposes was dispatched to some renowned swordsmith of the
time, which he executed by sending an enriched fighting sword such as he
264
Fig. 641. Sword
Middle of XVth century. Royal
Armoury, Madrid
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
was accustomed to make: following his true instinct of the artist he decorated
the pommel with the coat of arms and the initials of the abbot. Despite the
poor condition of the blade and the late addition of a
very unsuitable velvet-covered grip, this is certainly
the finest sword of its kind we are acquainted with,
not only in Great Britain, but even in foreign collec-
tions.
An interesting sword (Fig. 640), which can be
safely assigned to the first quarter of the XVth
century, is now to be seen in the Pyx Chapel, in
the Abbey church of Westminster. It was found
when alterations were being made in the chapter-
house in 1840. The blade is broad and tapering,
the quillons flat and drooping slightly downwards;
while the pommel is heavily proportioned and of
wheel form. From the place of its discovery it is not
unreasonable to attribute it to English manufacture;
but just such another hilt, though of finer workman-
ship, is in the Royal Armoury, Madrid. The blade
of the Madrid example, which is of different type,
having the central ridge, is also finely etched with
inscriptions. The hilt also retains part of the original
grip (Fig. 641).
A type of sword somewhat different, but still
exhibiting great simplicity in form, is to be seen
in the Wallace Collection, No. 36 (Fig. 642). The
pommel and quillons are of gilded bronze, the
former being of fish-tail form. The section of the
base of the pommel is continued in the formation
of the grip. The blade is 35 inches long, being
of flattened diamond shaped section and tapering
acutely towards the point. M. Viollet-le-Duc illus-
trates this sword in his Dictionnaire Raisonnd du
Mobilier FraiK^ais, but assigns to it a rather too early
date. It doubtless belongs to the middle of the XVth
century and is probably Italian. Among the beautiful swords left to the
Musee de Cluny by M. Edouard de Beaumont, is one which is almost the
companion to the Wallace sword in its general form; but it must be con-
II 265 MM
^nS f
Fig. 642. Sword
Middle of XVth century
No. 36, Wallace Collection
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
sidered the finer weapon of the two. On the blade are engraved the arms of
the Visconti family (Fig. 643).
A very fine sword, complete too (Fig. 644), inasmuch as it possesses its
original scabbard, is in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris (T 26). It is known
Fig. 643. Sword
Middle of XVth century. Collection: M. Edouard de Beaumont, Mus6e Cluny, Paris
as the sword of the Constables of France and belongs to the second half of
the XVth century. It has the conventional flat wheel pommel and straight
quillons drooping at their extreme ends. In the centre of the pommel there
was formerly a coat of arms, but this is now missing. The blade is wide
at the hilt and tapers to the point. The hilt, a portion of the blade near
266
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
the hilt, and a circular panel half way down the blade is semd de lis; but
these emblems are so placed that only when the blade is carried point upwards
are they in their correct position, an
arrangement which shows the sword to
be one of ceremony. The proportions of
the sword are, however, those of a fine
single-handed fighting weapon, a circum-
stance which furnishes the reason for
its being described here and not among
those grouped together under the heading
of swords of ceremony. The scabbard is
of leather upon which are applied fleurs-
de-lis; it has a ferrule and deep locket
mount which are also decorated with
fleurs-de-lis and supplied with six rings at
the sides, for the purpose of attaching it
to the belt. The method of wearing the
sword throughout the XVth century was
naturally influenced by the fashion of the
costume with which it was worn. Vagaries
and eccentricities in the nature of belts
and hangers are seen in association with
civil costume; but when it was a question
of arming a knight clad in full steel,
the simplest methods of slinging on the
sword were employed. M. Viollet-le-Duc,
in his Dictiomiaire, vol. v, pp. 189-207,
gives, under Baiidrier, some admirable
drawings and details of sword belts and
hangers.
* * *
Before we turn to those swords in
the outline and decoration of which the
Renaissance of classical art and taste
began to make itself felt, we will allude
briefly to the curved and falchion bladed swords of the XVth century which
are extant, and which find a rightful place in this chapter. There can be but
little doubt that it was the intercourse with the Orient which led to the
267
Fig. 644. Sword and scabbard
Second half of XVth century. Known as
the sword of the Constables of France
T 26, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Fig. 645. Curved sword
Northern French, first quarter
of XVth century
Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert
swordsmith forging a curved blade after the fashion
of the scimitar. We have already alluded to the
curved sword known as that of Charlemagne in
the Vienna Treasury (vol. i, Fig. 116), and to the
only other three of early date that are known to us
(vol. i, Figs. 157, 158, and 160), but swords of this
type are constantly found appearing in the missals,
illuminations, and paintings of the XVth century.
It is, however, instructive to note that in these
pictures the curved sword appears generally to be
girded on personages who are in some way associ-
ated with the East or who belong to an unknown
country. The Magi in adoration as often as not
wear the curved sword. In " Christ, the Light of
the World," the famous Hans Memlinc picture of
the Munich Gallery, the curved sword is many
times represented in the various small groups of
figures, but especially noticeable as being worn by
the Magi and their attendants. We can, however,
obtain ample evidence as to the character of these
swords from extant examples, without being under
the necessity of having to derive it solely from the
testimony of pictures. Of an actual falchion or
scimitar which may be legitimately assigned to
the early years of the XVth century we give an
illustration. This scimitar is in the collection of
Mr. Felix Joubert (Fig. 645), and was discovered
some years ago in a house in Lorraine, at no great
distance from Domremy; a circumstance which
gave birth to the tale that it was the original sword
of Joan of Arc — a statement without foundation
and without reason other than that it is of her
period and of French origin. The metal parts of the
hilt are of gilded bronze, and viewed roughly are in
the style of a Persian abbdsi scimitar; with the
exception that the pistol-shaped grip and pommel,
nearly always seen on the scimitar, are here replaced
by a grip with a curved bifurcated pommel. The
268
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
quillons are straight and of diamond-shaped section, and the grip of chestnut
wood is secured to the blade tang by hemispherically headed rivets. The whole
of the surface of the pommel and quillons is finely engraved with the figure of
the Virgin and Child, and with arrangements of leafage and twisted riband
panels, upon which Biblical inscriptions appear. The blade is now short,
Fig. 646. Curved sword with
falchion blade
Italian, latter part of XVth century
Collection: M. Edmond Foulc,
Paris
Fig. 646A. Curved sword with
FALCHION BLADE
Milanese, first third of the #
XVIth century
Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell
doubtless part of it has been ground off; but it is back-edged, widening
somewhat towards the point, and has a section that suggests a direct copy
of some of the early Persian scimitar blades. No finer falchion sword of the
latter part of the XVth century can be seen than the superb weapon shown
in the collection of the late M. Edmond Foulc in Paris. It was in both the
Bernal Sale (No. 2309) in 1855, when it sold for ;^i5 los., and in the
269
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Londesborough Sale (1888), when ^^315 was paid for it, though for some
unknown reason in the catalogues of both collections it is called " an execu-
tioner's sword." The steel grip is indented for the grasp of the fingers;
while the knuckle-guard, single quillon, 2ind pas-d' dne may roughly be said
to resemble a snake or monster. The whole hilt is engraved with guilloche
patterns and gilt. The blade is back-edged and scimitar-shaped, splendidly
etched and gilt for part of its distance with arrangements of scroll-work,
introducing the following inscription in Lombardic characters: IHS. avtem
TRANSiENS PER iMEDiUM ILLORUM IBAT. It bears three fleurs-de-lis as an
armourer's mark, and is probably North Italian of the last quarter of the
XVth century (Fig. 646).
The last and rather late curved sword with falchion blade we illustrate
(Fig. 646A) is of Milanese workmanship of the first third of the XVIth cen-
tury. The pommel and grip are in one piece and the ends of the quillons
are fashioned with gargoyle heads. The shell of the guard is chased and
pierced, the entire hilt being richly damascened. The blade is decorated with
intersected recessments. This piece was formerly in the collection of the
Count of Valencia and is now in that of Mr. S. J. Whawell.
With the advent of the second half of the XVth century comes the earliest
influence of the classical Renaissance, which makes itself apparent at first
rather in weapons than in armour. The beautiful simplicity of the Gothic
form has hardly as yet been affected; but evidence is already forthcoming,
particularly in Italy, of the growing appreciation of classical ornament as
applied to weapons. Classical decorations, and even the actual shapes are
being borrowed from Greek and Roman originals. Germany and northern
Europe generally resisted the introduction of this new fashion effectively for
another half-century; but by then, with perhaps the exception of the German,
all styles were thoroughly permeated by its influence.
« The great artist-sculptors of Italy turned their attention to the designing
of sword hilts, among whom we may cite Andrea del Verrocchio, Donatello,
Polidoro Caldara, and, in the next generation, Leonardo da Vinci; while in
other countries such masters as Hans Holbein, Pierre Woeiriot, and in the
next generation Antoine de Jacquart, are all to be found responding to the
demand for enriched weapons.
Although we leap over a few years by so doing, we will turn to the hilt
of a cruciform-hilted sword, now adapted to classical decoration, as the first
example of the utter banishment of all previous principles of decoration.
270
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
We refer to the beautiful weapon of the Turin Armoury known as the "Dona-
tello " sword (Fig. 647). The hilt of the sword in question is copper gilt,
and has a grip of horn. The hollow circular pommel is formed to the
outline of two dolphins, their tails joining at the top; astride their backs
sit amorini, who support between them a gorgon's head. The quillons are
straight and of oblong section, issu-
ing from an oblong central block,
which is cast and chased in low
relief with allegorical figures and
cupids. The ends of the quillons
have caryatid figures in low relief.
The blade, which is flat and broad,
gradually tapering to a point, is en-
graved with a composition of scroll-
work, introducing a winged figure
of victory; the general treatment
of this decorative theme leads the
author to think that it is possible
the blade was added to the hilt at
some later date. Marcel Reymond,
in La Sailpture Florentine, de-
scribes the Turin sword and states
that it is signed in full with the
artist's name, Opvs Donatei.li Flo
(rentini), and from the character of
the decoration must have been made
at a late period in his lifetime. Now
the Turin sword is signed, but upon
the lower ferrule of the grip. Of
late years, however, the genuineness
of this particular part of the hilt has
been openly debated, and it is now generally agreed that the signature of
Donatello is a forgery. The quillons and pommel, however, remain a triumph
of Renaissance design, and furnish an admirable illustration of some great
Italian master's power and skill in utilizing the then new art of the Renais-
sance on the most conservative form of sword hilt extant. In the Wallace
Collection (No. 34) is an admirable reproduction of the Donatello sword;
it has, however, an old blade from some other sword associated with it.
271
Fig. 647. The so-called " Donatello" sword
Italian, late XVth century. Royal
■ Armoury, Turin, G 79 bis
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Less original in its outline, with a simple wheel pommel and strongly
drooping quillons, but exquisite in the delicacy of its enrichment, is the
famous sword of Caesar Borgia, Duke of Romagna and Valentinois, which is
Fig. 648. The famous sword of
Caesar Borgia
Italian, late XVth century. Collec-
tion: Prince Teano, Duke of Sermoneta
Fig. 649. Leather scabhard made for
THE Caesar Borgia sword
Cbverse and reverse of the upper part
Victoria and Albert Museum
now preserved in the family of Prince Teano, Duke of Sermoneta (Fig. 648);
its superb scabbard of cuir bouilli is separated from it and is in the Victoria
and Albert Museum (Fig. 649). The enrichment of the hilt is carried out
272
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
in the most delicate cloisonne enamel, in translucent colours, on a gilded
copper foundation. Though magnificent in its richness, its pure and simple
outline is maintained. The design of the filigree enamel work is what may
be termed Venetian Gothic; but the Renaissance influence is strongly in
evidence. The blade is superb, being etched and gilded in the finest possible
manner with a pure Renaissance ornamentation which we should have
ascribed to Hercule de Fideli, even if the signature, Opus Here, had not
been present. The ir>scriptions upon the blade, beyond the name of the
engraver, consist in the monogram of Caesar Borgia, and four abbreviations:
Ces. Bokg. Car. Valen., meaning, Caesar Borgia, Cardinal Valentin ; associ-
..-^
Fig. 651. Sword
Italian, late XVth century
Collection : M. Edouard de Beau-
mont, Musee Cluny
Fig. 650. The Pucci sword
North Italian, late XVth
century. Now in an
English collection
Fig. 652. Sword
Italian, late XVth century
Collection: Baron de
Cosson 15- O'*^!. A •
l aJvL*^ /^ ih
ated are also the following Latin phrases and quotations: Jacta est alea;
Cum NO.MiNE Cesarls, amen; Fides prevalet armis; and Bene merent.
M. Edouard de Beaumont, in his Fleiir des Belles Epces, speaking of this
sword, gives an interesting transcription of a letter, dated Naples, 2 Oct. 1773,
written by the Abbd Galiani, in whose possession the sword then was, to a
Madame d'Epinay. It goes on to say:
" I possess a most curious piece, the sword of Cdsar Borgia, Duke of
Valentinois, son of the Pope Alexander VI, who had it made specially with
emblems referring to his future greatness and his ambition. It is not
necessary to tell you how I obtained possession of it; it is enough to say
II 273 N N
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
that I wanted to make a lucrative present to the pope, and intended to accom-
pany it with a learned discussion, explaining the emblems. I took the pen
and started to write: ' Cdsar Borgia was born.' ... I stopped there, as not
for the life of me could I find out
in my library or in those of my
friends when that fellow was born."
"Galiani"(says M.de Beaumont)
" left the sword to a friend, a cleric,
Monseigneur Honore Gaetani, with
a clause in the will stipulating that he
should pay to his heirs loo ounces of
gold in compensation. If he refused
the legacy or made any difficulty
about paying the money, the Em-
press Catherine of Russia was sub-
stituted as legatee." As we have
said, the scabbard of this most pre-
cious sword is now preserved in the
Victoria and Albert Museum, hav-
ing been wisely purchased by the
authorities as far back as 1869. It
is certainly one of the finest ex-
amples of ctiir bonilli known, and
was at one time said to have come
from the hand of Antonio del Pol-
laiuolo. On the front is a group of
figures in relief, gathered together
under the arch of a temple to offer
sacrifice to Venus, whose statue is
raised on a pedestal. The grouping
of the figures, and their admirable
modelling in so homely a material,
fully justify the unknown artist in
inscribing on his work the motto
MATERIAM SVPERABIT opvs — " labour will triumph over material." The back
shows decoration of tongues of flame and a monogram of the name Caesar,
the devices of Caesar Borgia. It is, however, most interesting to note that
the scabbard was apparently never finished, its extremity having only the
274
Fig. 653. Sword
Italian, late XVth century
Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
design suggested upon it by a few deft lines; whereas at the top the
subjects are elaborately embossed and worked to the highest degree of
perfection. From the Caesar Borgia sword we turn to one which is
assuredly the work of the same hand, somewhat less rich in its decoration
but none the less beautiful, we mean the Pucci sword (Fig. 650). Here the
quillons have a similar formation, but are a little less depressed; the
pommel is simikir both in size and in shape. The grip is now of the
same type, and the blade is of precisely similar make, although unhappily
some few inches of its original length have been ground away. The
slight difference that exists between the two swords extends indeed no
farther than the matter of their enrichment. The pom-
mel of the Pucci sword is bronze gilt, cast with a
Renaissance arrangement of formal leafage that, were
it found upon a piece of oak furniture in England,
would be known as Holbeinesque in style. The grip
is of wood now overlaid with plates of silver; while
the quillons are of simple iron, gilt. The blade is
superb, finer indeed than that of the Caesar Borgia
sword; it is graven and gilt in the same manner,
with compositions of figures and with a coat of arms,
which curiously enough is not that of the Pucci family,
and which up to the present has not been identified.
This sword, which has now passed into an English
collection, was in the possession of the Pucci family
until late in the XlXth century. The last time it was
used at a public ceremony was on the occasion of a
festival procession organized to celebrate the opening of the new facade of
the Duomo of Florence in 1888. It then suffered from some rather rough
handling, from which it required time and careful attention to recover. Next
we will mention three beautiful late XVth century Italian weapons, respec-
tively in the Beaumont Collection, Musee de Cluny (Fig. 651), in the collection
of the Baron de Cosson (Fig. 652), and in the collection of Mr. Felix Joubert
(Fig. 653), which, if they are not actually the work of the same swordsmith
are, at any rate, of the same family of swords. Of the cruciform-hilted Italian
swords of the Renaissance type there are very many varieties in shape; but
after those just described none possibly are more beautiful than that par-
ticular group of which the example in the Louvre is a very representative
specimen (Fig. 654). Here the formation of the quillons and of the grip is
275
Fig. 654. Sword
North Italian, late XVth
century
Mus^e de Louvre
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
practically the same as those seen upon the family of hilts just alluded
to; though in this case the former are of rectangular section. For em-
bellishment these hilts depend entirely on the graceful composition of
interlaced scrollwork of the acanthus design; and, with few exceptions,
they are fashioned of cast bronze, boldly chased and gilt. The blades
made for these swords are very wide at the hilt, tapering to a point; while
in the region of the hilt they afforded scope for the richest etching and
Fig. 655. Sword
North Italian, late XVth century
Collection : M. Edouard de
Beaumont, Mus^e
de Cluny
Fig. 656. Sword
North Italian workmanship, but made for
Germany. Late XVth century
Collection: M. Edouard de Beaumont,
Mus6e de Cluny
gilding. Another sword with a hilt similar to that of the Louvre weapon,
but with differences in the details, is in the Beaumont Collection, Musde
de Cluny (Fig. 655); whilst another is in the collection of Miss Alice de
Rothschild at Waddesdon Manor. In the case of this last-mentioned sword,
the grip has been replaced by one of a later date.
The most noticeable variations in these beautiful Italian swords are
generally in the formation of their pommels. These are nearly always of
gilded bronze and are of appropriate sizes to balance the weight of the blades;
276
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
while the quillons — necessary guards to the hand — are, in a few cases,
fashioned of tougher material, iron gilded or overlaid with silver. A very
graceful sword with riband pattern quillons diagonally curved at the ends is
in the Beaumont Collection, Musde de Cluny (Fig. 656). With the exception
of the wire-bound grip, which is a modern addition, it is a weapon of great
•1
1
4
1
Fig. 657. Sword of small
proportions
Italian workmanship, "late XVth
century. Collection: Ressman,
Bargello Museum, Florence
Fig. 658. Sword with a hilt ov
BRONZE
Attributed to Andrea Briosco. Early
XVIth century. Musce
de Louvre
beauty. Here the pommel is of bronze; while the quillons are of iron, though
thickly gilded. Though we regard it as essentially an Italian made weapon,
it appears from the arms and emblems etched upon its blade to have been
made for one of the Governors of Nuremberg at the very end of the XVth
or at the commencement of the XVIth century. On the blade are the arms of
277
Fig. 659. Six Italian bronze sword pommels
Late XVth and early XVIth centuries. British Museum
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
Kress of Kressestein, an ancient patrician family of that town. This sword
was brought from Germany in 1861 by M. Tross, nifid. With it came other
arms from the castle of Kressenstein. Two other existing swords known
to the present writer are much like it. One is in the Imperial Armoury
of Vienna; the other, formerly in the Basilewski Collection, is now in the
Hermitage, Petrograd. This latter was formerly in the Meyrick Collection,
and is described in Skelton's famous catalogue of that collection (vol. ii,
fig. 6). These same riband pattern quillons, though in a more exaggerated
form, are found on a beautiful little sword in the Ressman Collection in the
Bargello Museum, Florence (Fig. 657), the chief attraction of the weapon
being the superb quality of the blade enrichment. The field of the blade is
darkly blued, and the decoration here takes the form of an elongated cartouche
containing a figure subject executed in gold azziminia damascening; while
the modelling of the figures is cleverly rendered by exaggerating the high
lights and leaving the darkened side of the subject somewhat to the imagina-
tion. This little sword belongs to the last years of the XVth century.
The tendency of the flamboyant Renaissance to grotesque forms, which
to modern taste appear perhaps rather unsuitable for the enrichment of arms
and armour, made itself very apparent at the close of the XVth century.
There is in the Louvre a curved sword of large proportions, the bronze hilt of
which is a striking instance of this feeling (Fig. 658). It has been accepted
as being based on a design by Andrea Briosco, known as Riccio, the famous
Florentine sculptor of the latter part of the XVth century. Bearded masks in
profile constitute the contour of its pommel and the ends to the recurved
quillons ; while designs of satyrs, masks, trophies of arms, and fruit enrich
the scabbard mounts. The true proportions of the hilt are, however, now some-
what obscured by the unsuitable modern grip attached to it. A pommel
from just such another sword is in the Salting Collection in the Victoria
and Albert Museum. If space permitted, we could describe and illustrate
quite a large number of fine Italian weapons showing the divers themes em-
ployed by the great artists of the early Renaissance in their efforts to elaborate
sword hilts. Suffice it to say that the splendid armouries of Vienna, Madrid,
Turin, Dresden, and Paris possess fine examples; while in the collec-
tions of Mr. W. Riggs, of Mr. Reubell, and of the late M. fidmond Foulc
of Paris, of Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi of Rome, and of Major Dreger of
Berlin, there are individual swords of this period that will repay the closest
scrutiny. The vagaries of form which the Italian bronze sword pommels of
these times assumed can be seen in the accompanying illustration (Fig. 659)
279
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
of six examples chosen from the British Museum. The influence of the
East upon the weapons of Italy and Spain in the latter half of the XVth
century was very marked. Spain, through its long partial occupation by the
Fig. 660. SwoKD
Venetian, late XVth century. Showing a Near Eastern influence in its shape
Collection : Signor Ressman, Bargello Museum, Florence
Moors, originated a form of sword almost entirely its own, of which we will
speak later. Italy, through its trading port of Venice, accepted readily the
innovation of Eastern forms and decoration. Possibly they appealed as the
introduction of a new fashion generally does when it is to be applied to
280
1
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
personal adornment. The application of semi-oriental decoration to the hilt of
a sword is very apparent in the case of that most beautiful sword which is the
gem of the Ressman Collection in the Bargello Museum, Florence (Fig. 660).
Not only is its enrichment semi-Arabic, but the actual formation of its
pommel and its unusual grip protection are wholly oriental; indeed, it is the ('^<i^|j.«.
only sword hilt of this particular shape known to us, a shape which appears
to be founded on the lines of those fine "ear pommel" daggers (Figs. 824
to 836) that were so readily received into use throughout Southern P2urope
towards the closing years of the XVth century. So high an authority as
Baron de Cosson has declared that in his opinion this Ressman sword is
the finest weapon from the points of usefulness, perfect balance, and appro-
priate and restrained decoration that he has ever examined and handled.
The pommel consists in two discs set on the top of the grip at an angle, a
formation which, though reversed, constitutes the guard drooping over the
quillons. The latter are rectangular in section, and slightly curved in a
diagonal direction. The blade is of the very finest type — broad, with a
central groove, tapering to the point, etched and gilt at the hilt with a
beautiful design essentially North Italian in character. The entire surface
of the hilt is plated with silver and partly gilt, engraved with a form of
ornamentation which, if met with upon some household vessel, would
unhesitatingly be accepted as Hispano-Arabian, or even truly Moorish in
origin. The vicissitudes in the former history of this most splendid sword
are worth recording. It was discovered by a French infantry officer after the
Lombardy campaign of 1859 and brought back by him to Versailles where
his regiment was quartered. It remained in his possession until his death
in 1867. His effects having been sold by auction, the sword was purchased
by an art dealer for the sum of one hundred francs. It was almost imme-
diately resold to M. Louis Carrand for the sum of ten thousand francs.
Then partly by payment in money, and partly by exchange, it passed into the
collection of Signor Ressman. It is now, as we have said, in the Bargello
Museum of Florence, to which Signor Ressman bequeathed it with the
remainder of his collection.
We give an illustration of another sword of Venetian origin (Fig. 674),
which depends upon a similar quasi-oriental theme for its enrichment, but
which possesses counter guards. It is dealt with later, on page 297.
5^ *- *
That distinctive type of Hispano-Moorish sword, in which both de-
coration and shape are essentially Eastern, appeared in its earliest form
11 281 00
Fig. 66i. Sword of Boabdil, the last
Moorish King of Granada
Collection: Dowager Marquise deViana, Madrid
Photograph by Laurent y Cia, Madrid
282
Fig. 662. Sword
Hispano- Moorish, late XVth century
Presented to the l^ibliotheque Nationale
of Paris by tlie Due de Luynes
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
towards the close of the middle of the XVth century, and was known in
contemporary vSpain as Espada d la gindta. Such swords are to-day
of excessiv^e rarity, and not more than nine complete examples are known.
Of those that survive, certainly the finest in existence is that captured in
1483 from Boabdil, the last Moorish King of Granada, after his fall at
Lucena. It was taken by an ancestor of the Marquis of Villaseca, who
took Boabdil prisoner. In accordance with the code of chivalry of the
time, the arms of the conquered king went to the conqueror, and in this
case have been kept as heirlooms in the family ever since. The sword
which, together with the dagger and velvet robe of the Moorish King,
now belong by inheritance to the Dowager Marquise de Viana of Madrid,
is a real triumph of exuberant decoration — gold, silver, and translucent
enamels all playing their part in its enrichment (Fig. 661). We should
not err perhaps if we suggested that the elaborateness of its ornamentation
renders it less attractive than some of the simpler specimens of the same
type. As a weapon it must assuredly have been of uncomfortable balance;
for the grip and pommel appear diminutive in comparison with the width of
the blade and with the heaviness of the quillons, which latter droop directly
over the blade, their extreme ends curving upw^ards again and terminating
in monster heads. On some of the swords of this type quillons are met with
which in their primitive form were fashioned as elephant heads with trunks,
but which by degrees, thanks to the fancy of the swordsmith, afterwards
took a form in which only the bare suggestion of the elephant shape is
discernible. The method of enamelling the sheath and hilt of this famous
sword shows a combined process oi cloisonne and chanipleve vjork; the gold
groundwork is minutely applied with formal foliage and geometrical designs
in filigree.
The sword of Villaseca, for so it is known, is 39 inches long — this
includes 12 inches for the hilt. It has been suggested that the blade is not
contemporary with the hilt and has been added early in the XVIIth century;
for it is of Toledo make, and bears as bladesmith's mark the letter S, a
poingon very similar to that used by Alonso Sahagun the elder. VVe, how-
ever, are of the opinion that it may be the original blade; for the other
sword, of the same kind, which still exists at Granada, has likewise a blade
marked T, denoting the city of Toledo. This coincidence appears to
suggest that blades made in that city were preferred by Spaniards; in any
case both swords exactly fit their sheaths, which are undoubtedly original.
To resume, the hilt of the Villaseca sword is of solid gold, enamelled in
283
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
blue, white, and red. The decoration runs along the pommel and quillons.
The o-rip is fashioned of ivory carved with great minuteness. Two octagons
Fig. 664. Sword
Hispano- Moorish, late
XVth century. Metro-
politan Museum of
New York
Fig. 663. Sword
Hispano-Moorish, late XVth
century
Royal Armoury,
Madrid
Fig. 665. Sword
Hispano-Moorish style, but
now recognized to
be a forgery
Royal Armoury, Madrid
are on each side, with an inscription in semi-Cufic letters, which may be
translated, " (May you) obtain your object" on one side; and on the other:
' ' in saving his life."
28d
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
Four shields surround the upper parts of the grip, which contain the
following inscription in rather illegible characters:
" In the name of God, power belongs to Him; there is no other divinity
but He; happiness proceeds from God alone."
In the lower part, in similar shields, is inscribed:
" Miracles belong to God, for certainly the ignorant do not know God
at first, for it is their habit to err."
On the pommel is the following inscrip-
tion:
" Say He alone is God, Eternal God,
who was neither created nor was engen-
dered."
Under the pommel, on green enamel,
appear the following:
"The only God, Eternal, not . . ."
On the other side:
" Was neither created, nor engendered,
and has no equal."
On a band which appears under the grip,
in enamel, is the following:
"God is clement and merciful" on one
side, and, on the other side: "God is gifted
with the best memory."
The learned archaeologist and orient-
alist, Don Pascual de Gayangos, is of
opinion that this sword was worn hanging
round the neck between the shoulder blades.
To the leather girdle, which is still in
existence, was probably attached a small
bag, tahali.
For the admirable description of the hilt
of this superb sword, together with the translation of the inscriptions, the
present writer is indebted to Sefior Juan F. Riafio's work, "The Industrial
Arts in Spain," published for the Committee of Council on Education.
The next most important of this Hispano-Moorish group of swords is
that now exhibited in the Bibliotheque Nationale of Paris, to which institution
it was presented in 1862 by the Due de Luynes (Fig. 662). The Due de
Luynes purchased it from a shoemaker in Granada. It bears the motto of
285
Fig. 666. Sword, back-edged
Spanish, early XVth century
Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the Moorish kings of that town, "There is no conqueror but God," so that
it is probably a royal weapon. In the Royal Armoury of Madrid is a
sword of the same type, but simpler in its enrichment (Fig. 663), which,
formerly attributed to Don Juan of Austria, seems actually to have belonged
to Cardinal Don Fernando, brother of Philip IV, King of Spain; for at
his death it was sent from Milan to Madrid with other armour and weapons
that were his property. The mounting of the hilt bears a variation of the
text quoted above, "There is no other divinity but God"; the blade, how-
ever, is engraved with the arms of John, Duke of Brabant and Limburg,
who died in 1427. It is quite possible that the blade may be the original
blade made for the hilt, its section and form being quite in keeping with
it; but if that is so, the engraved and gilt arms must have been added
commemoratively at Brabant late in the XVth century. Another of these
swords is now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, having been
acquired as part of the Dino Collection (Fig. 664). It used to belong to the
Marquis de las Dos Aguas of V^alencia, in Spain, and attached to it was the
tradition that originally it was the property of Aben-Achmet, the last of the
Abencerrages, a family or faction which is said to have held a prominent
position in the Moorish kingdom of Granada during the XVth century, and
which gave its name to the celebrated hall in the Palace of the Alhambra,
this hall being the actual scene of the massacre of the last of the race by
their feudal rivals the Zegris. The decoration of the sword is admirable,
the whole scheme, though subdued in colour, being rich in effect. There
is a sword of the same type in the collection of the Marquis de Pallavicino
in Granada; another belonged until recently to Baron de Sangarren ; another,
which is now in Germany, used to be in the collection of M. Sanchez
Toscano, to whom it is supposed to have descended as a heritage from
Ferdinand the Catholic. The Archaeological Museum of Madrid owns an
example which formerly belonged to the Moor, Aliatar, Alcade of Loja, and
which used to be preserved in the church of that town. A similar sw^ord
was formerly exhibited in the Museum, Cassel, but now only its mounts
are to be seen in the National Bavarian Museum of Munich. There is yet
another sword of the same type in the Madrid Armoury, but showing the
primitive elephant-head quillons (Fig. 665). This at one time was attri-
buted to Boabdil; but it has been pronounced to be a forgery, made probably
in the first half of the XlXth century to replace the genuine sword which
it must be supposed was stolen from the royal collection. An unusual little
back-edged sword, which we illustrate (Fig. 666), is interesting; inasmuch as it
286
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
shows the ordinary Northern European wheel pommel of the
early years of the XlVth century in combination with the
strongly drooping quillons of the Hispano-Moorish type.
This sword was dug up near Granada. It is now in the
collection of Mr. Felix Joubert
* 0 *
In the third quarter of the XVth century the plain
cruciform hilted sword, which has retained its position per-
sistently throughout the centuries we have traversed, com-
mences to acquire counter guards, which, simple at first,
become, with the advance of the XVIth century and the
development in the science of sword play, more and more
Fu;. 668. Sword
Probably German, second half of XVth
century. Showing a double-grooved
back-edged blade. Collection: Author
complicated as necessity Fig. 667. Sword
required. In the earlier ^""'^'- "^^"^ °^ ^"^^^
r 1 • century. With single
part of this chapter we finger-ring beneath
have alluded to the intro- 'hequiiions. coiiec
tion: Baron deCosson
duction of the single ring
through which the forefinger passed which
directed the blow or thrust, merely men-
tioning the date of its first appearance
in a picture; but at this stage we think it
well to give illustrations of a few actual
swords on which the first counter guards
figure. The formation of the hilt of the
first sword of the kind we illustrate (Fig.
667) would indicate the first half of the
XVth century as its date. The pommel,
which is hollow, made of four pieces
brazed together, is of wheel form, very
thin and slightly convex; the quillons
are short and straight, widening slightly
towards the ends, but showing the intro-
duction of the semicircular guard for the
forefinger — in fact the very first counter
guard. The type of blade in the hilt, to
which it undoubtedly belongs, is also note-
worthy; for it has the ricasso, a most
unusual feature at this epoch. Now
287
as
Fk;. 669. Sword
I-ate XVth century. With single finger-ring beneath the quiilons
Collection: H.M. the King,
Windsor Castle
288
Fig. 670. Sword
Late XVth century. With the .single
finger-ring below the guard
Collection: M. Edmond Foulc, Paris
Fig. 67o.\. Sword
Early XVIth century
Collection: Mr. W. H. Riggs, Metropolitan
Museum, New York
II
Fig. 671. Sword
Italian, late XVth century. Showing the development of the primitive pas-d'ei fie
Collection: Mr. Godfrey Williams, St. Donat's Castle
289 PP
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS •
this sword is dated in Turkish numerals on the blade a.h. 836, which
corresponds to a.u. 1432, it is, judged by the Arabic inscription recorded on
it, apparently part of the spoil which the Egyptian Sultan El-Melik El-Ashraf
(Barsabay) won in Cyprus c. 1424. The period of the actual manufacture of
the blade must, of course, be reckoned somewhat earlier than the inscribed
Turkish date, a circumstance which makes us assign it to the first quarter of
Fig. 672. The so-called battle sworu of Ferdinand the Catholic
Royal Armoury, Madrid
the XVth century; whereas if the blade had been found without the in-
scription and the hilt, we should have been compelled to ascribe it to some
date within the XVIth century. This .sword then is a highly important
piece of evidence showing that this type of blade, grooved and furnished
with a ricasso, has a much earlier origin than is commonly attributed to it.
The fact that such a blade has been found upon some XVth century
weapon has often given rise to doubts as to the genuineness of the whole'
sword ; and the same atmosphere of suspicion is created when the blade (not
290
Fig. 671. SwoKD
Spanish, late XVth century
(«) General proportions; {b) Details of the hilt
Collection: Signor Osma, Madrid
291
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
of the falchion order) is back-edged, as in the case of the light little sword
(Fig. 668) we illustrate.
There are only five other swords of early date known to us which show
this ring as the sole protection for the forefinger: — the first from the Armoury
of Constantinople, the second in the Royal Armoury, Turin, the third, of
later date, in the Royal Armoury, Windsor (No. 28), the fourth in the
collection of the late M. Edmond Foulc of Paris, and the fifth in the Riggs
collection in the Metropolitan Museum of New York. The hilt of the Windsor
" Fig. 674. SvvoKD
Italian (Venetian), closing years of the XVth or commencement of
the XVith century
Collection: Mr. W. H. Riggs, Metropolitan Museum, New York
sword is probably Spanish and of the second half of the XVth century;
the blade, or possibly the etching and gilding upon it, is the work of the
XVIth or XVIIth century (Fig. 669). The hilt is entirely of gilt iron. The
pommel is fashioned as a short, flattened cylinder, as also is the central
portion of the quillons, which are straight, widening slightly towards the
ends^ and of oblong section; to one quillon is attached a semicircular guard
for the forefinger, or single pas-d'dne. The XVIth century grip is of plain
wood, but was formerly bound with copper wire; the plaited silver wire and
" Turk's " heads, still remain at either end of it. The blade, 35 inches
long and i§ inches wide at the hilt, is back-edged in its entire length and
292
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
etched and gilt at the hilt with the arms of Lopez de Zuniga, and the
inscription, marchio * rodericvs . de bivar (the Cid Campeador) on a
field etched with small spiral scrolls. There is an unsupported tradition,
noted in the Carlton House Inventory, that this sword belonged to Don
Diego Ynigo Lopez de Zuniga, the famous warrior and leader against
the Moors in the early part of the Xlllth century. Lopez de Zuniga fought
in "the service of his uncle Don Sancho, King of Navarre, at the battle of
the Navas de Tolosa. It was he who broke the iron chains behind which
Miramamolin (i 194-1234) had entrenched himself, in memory of which feat
his shield of arms was augmented by the addition of eight links of a chain,
which links are to the present day borne in the arms of the lords of the
house of Bexar. It may seem strange that this sword, though bearing
the arms of Lopez de Zuniga, should have the name of the Cid Campeador
engraved upon it; but sword blades bearing allegorically, so to say, the
names of historical personages and heroes of romance are not uncommon.
In England in the early part of the XVI Ith century the name of Edward the
Black Prince was one for the bladesmith to conjure with, and blades inscribed
EDWARDVS PRiNs: ANGLIC are occasionally seen in collections. They of course
have no connection whatever with the prince of that name; but are forgeries
made in the first part of the XVI Ith century to meet the fashionable demand
for historical blades. Several blades inscribed robertvs brvschivs scotorvm
REX. are also known in collections; but they again are of XVI Ith century
make, and like the " Black Prince" blades are pure fabrications. At Hertford
House, in the European Armoury of the Wallace Collection, a scimitar
(No. 1266) is inlaid in brass with the inscription edwardvs: prins:
ANGLiVE. But far more ambitious is the engraved inscription rodericvs
DE BIVAR upon the blade of the Windsor Castle sword; for the legendary
hero of the Spaniards fills the same place in Spanish history that King
Arthur occupies in our own, — with this exception, that mahy facts in the
history of the Cid Campeador are fully established. The year of his birth
is variously stated, but was probably about a.d. 1040. He died in 1099.
The sword (Fig. 670) mentioned as being in the collection of M. Edmond
Foulc is a very splendid but late form of the type of hilt seen on the
Windsor Armoury sword, with quillons and single ring below the guard. It
is of French origin and has inset in the pommel a medallion portrait of
Louis XII, the blade, like that of the Windsor sword, being back-edged
though trebly grooved. The Riggs' sword (Fig 670y\) is simpler in con-
struction but a fine weapon of about 1500-1510.
293
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
The next development that can be noticed in the evolution of counter
guards is the placing of the half hoop at the base of either quillon so
as to form what is known in the XVIth century as the pas-d'dne, a de-
velopment to which we have already alluded. It is commonly supposed
that the term pas-cTdne originated in the resemblance which these two
semicircular guards beneath the quillon bear to the footprints made by a
donkey's hoof. Littr^, however, considers that the name was given to
these two bars because they bear a likeness to an instrument known as
a. Pas-d'dne, which was inserted into the mouth of a horse to keep it open
for examination. In their very early form we see these guards on the little
Italian sword in Mr. Godfrey Williams' collection at St. Donat's Castle
(Fig. 671). This sword, which we place within the last quarter of the
XVth century, has the straight quillon with its simplest double pas-d'dne.
This form of sword hilt is constantly seen in Italian late XVth century
paintings: for instance, many of the soldiers portrayed in Vittore Carpaccio's
famous series of paintings, the Life of St. Ursula, now in the Accademia
of Venice, are represented wearing such swords. The very beautiful
weapon (Fig. 672) in the armoury of Madrid (G 13), known as the battle
sword of Ferdinand the Catholic, and reckoned an admirable example
of the closing years of the XVth century, shows another combination of
the drooping quillon and pas-d'dne; here the hilt is of gilded and engraved
iron, decorated with ornamentation much in the manner of that of the
superb Venetian sword illustrated in Fig. 660. Another sword, with a hilt
of the same formation, though apparently a few years earlier in date, is
to be seen in the collection of Signor Osma. It was formerly in the collection
of Conde de Valencia (Fig. 673). Around both faces of the pommels are these
octosyllabic verses in Lombardic letters: paz comigo nunca veo y siempre
GUERA \sic\ DESEO (" Peace with me I never see, and my desire is always
war ).
Towards the close of the XVth century the knuckle guard makes its
first appearance as an additional guard, without which the hilt of no sword
of subsequent date seems quite complete. In the fine portraits of the
Giorgione and Titian schools, the " town " swords of the nobles represented
are nearly always furnished with the knuckle guard; indeed, having now
acquired pommel, knuckle guard, quillons, pas-d'dne, and counter guards,
which naturally varied in degree according to the special use the sword was
intended for, this particular kind of sword hilt was never altered in general
construction after 1490. Among some of the earliest hilts showing the
294
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
knuckle guard are the Venetian swords that formerly existed by the hundred
in the arsenal of Venice. We illustrate one (Fig. 674), which is included
in Mr. W. H. Riggs' gift to the Metropolitan Museum, New York, a very
beautiful weapon, enriched in the most splendid Hispano-Arabic manner. It
will be noticed that it still retains the wheel-shaped pommel, though in a very
debased form; it is hollow and flat. The blade of this weapon is back-edged.
-* *- *
Fig. 675. SwoKi)
Italian, of what might be termed the " Landsknecht" type
Late XVth century. No. 123, Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue)
In our account of the earliest form of knuckle guard we have given
first place to the Italian swords, because these were the weapons on which
they were first found ; but within a quarter of a century of their introduction,
knuckle guards established themselves in favour throughout civilized Europe.
Distinctive in style as were the Italian swords, so were those of the Germans
295
Fig. 6/6. Juurrii with the head of Holokernes .
From a picture by Palma il Giovane. Showing the Italian type of
" Landsknecht " sword
Photograph by Anderson. Accademia, Venice
<
296
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
and Swiss, the sword armament of the Landsknecht soldiery being par-
ticularly individual. In the construction of certain types of sword hilts,
Gothic influence, especially in Germany, stubbornly resisted the innovations
of the Renaissance, with the result that well down into the first half of the
Fig. ()Tj. Sword
Italian, of what might be termed the " Landsknecht" type
Last years of the XVth century
Baron Ferdinand Rothschild bequest, British Museum
XVIth century Gothic forms and decorative schemes are continually met
with, thereby lending to some comparatively advanced XV^Ith century
weapons the appearance of an earlier type and generation. It is interesting
to note that, just as the graceful and flowing lines of XVth century civil
costume abruptly disappeared to make way for the florid and robust taste of
II 297 yy
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
the Maximilian times, so to a certain extent the elegance in line of the
swords worn with such costumes disappeared, making way for a series of
weapons in which the ratio of breadth to length was greatly increased.
There are numerous swords, some short, some long, which from their
general similarity of construction must all be classed together; though
admittedly it is somewhat difficult to perceive the general likeness at first.
In the Wallace Collection, take the swords Nos. 123 and 128. Despite the
fact that they are of two different provenances —
Italian and German — they both come under the
general heading of the Landsknecht type. No. 123
is a beautiful weapon, graceful and well conceived,
which, though of Italian workmanship, is essentially
of German fashion (Fig. 675). With such a weapon
is armed the knight in Diirer's famous plate, Det'
Spaziergang, published about 1495. We give a por-
tion of the famous picture by Palma Jacopo (il Gio-
vane) in the Accademia of Venice, which shows the
same type of sword in the hands of Judith (Fig. 676),
thus affording another illustration of the great diffi-
culty there is in assigning a nationality to a weapon
from form alone. Again, a very beautiful example of
the Italian version of the Landsknecht sword is in
Baron Ferdinand Rothschild's bequest to the British
Museum (Fig. 677). This is a sword of similar pro-
portions and form; though the metal gilt pommel
ends in a rectangular cup. The main ornamentation
of the hilt is found on the flattened octangular silver
grip, each facet of which is decorated with nielloed
designs, introducing figures of Tarquin and Lucretia,
Hero and Leander. The blade has been associated
with the hilt at some later date. Upon it are a Solingen
mark and the arms of Amsterdam. This weapon may be dated at about 1490-
1500. No. 128 in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 678) shows the cap-like pommel
and stumpiness that characterize certain other forms of Landsknecht sword.
This short form of sword, which is German, or conceivably Swiss, was
familiarly called the Haiiswehr or Ktirzwehr. We regret that we can
supply but two illustrations from English collections of the finer class
of Landsknecht sword, such as figures on Swiss painted glass, on carved
298
I"iG. 678. Landsknecht
SWORD
Of a type known as Haus-
wehr or Kurswehr. Ger-
man or Swiss, early XVIth
century
No. 128, Wallace Collection
(Laking Catalogue)
I
THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY
wood figures, and in the German and Swiss sculpture generally of the
last years of the XVIth century. The examples we illustrate are from the
collections of Mr. Whawell (Fig. 679) and the London Museum (Fig. 679A).
Mr. Whawell's is of the German-Swiss type
— a very complete specimen with its sheath,
eviscerating knives, etc., of about 15 10; that
in the London Museum was found nearly forty
years ago when excavations were being made
on the Thames Embankment. It was brought
to the office of the architect, the late Francis
H. F'owler, by one William Gooding who was
clerk of the works. At Mr. Fowler's death it
became the property of Mr. Edward Street by
whom it was presented to the trustees of the
London Museum in April 1919: A paper on
this weapon appears in the " Archaeological
Journal," vol. xxxiii, page 92. It is a fine repre-
sentative weapon bearing on the continuation
of its elongated pommel a latten shield charged
with the arms of Austria. Considering its long
burial in the London clay, it is in an admirable
state of preservation. In the Zeughaits of Berlin
and also in the Zurich arsenal is a splendid series
of this same fashion of sword; indeed most of
the arsenals of Germany possess fine examples.
They are also to be met with in the private
collections of that country. We illustrate a fine
and very characteristic sword of this type which
can be seen in the Musee d'Artillerie of Paris.
It shows the large and exaggerated S-shaped
quillons, the grip swelling towards the pommel,
and the broad parallel edged blade with the
square blunt end (Fig. 68o«). In some in-
stances a knuckle guard is added to the quillon defence.
If it be urged that we should give further details of the almost count-
less variations that the swords of the Landsknecht class assumed, we can
only plead that such insistence on njinor details would probably weary
the reader
299
Fig. 679. Landsknecht sword
Early XVIth century
Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell
So we will content ourselves with describing and illustrating
Fig. 679A. Landsknecht sword
Early XVIth century
Found in London
London Museum
300
('0
{d)
(d)
Fig. 680. Landsknecht swords
(a) German, about 15 10. Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris
(d) Of the famous commander, Ulrich von Schellenburg, about 15 10. Imperial
Armoury, Vienna
(t) With knuckle guard. German, about 1530. Collection: Baron de Cossori
{d) Swiss type, about 1 500. Collection : Baron de Cosson
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
three representative forms. The first, which dates from about 15 lo, we take
from the Imperial Armoury, Vienna, a very complete example with its
scabbard, an historical sword indeed, for it belonged to the famous com-
mander, Ulrich von Schellenburg (Fig. 6Sob). The two other swords come
from the De Cosson Collection. One (Fig. 6Soc) is of the later Cierman type
with the knuckle guard, and dates from about 1530, the other (Fig. 6Sod) is
an example of Swiss-Landsknecht type of about 1500. With the exception
of the two Italian examples the Landsknecht swords we have chosen for
illustration are all of the early years of the XVIth century; but their forms
are those of an earlier generation, and that is our excuse for depicting them
in a chapter devoted to the swords of the XVth century.
THE SCOTTISH SWORD
Our list of swords distinctive of XVth century fashion would be incom-
plete if we did not briefly allude to the ClaidhmJiichean nihora, the true
Scottish Claidheamh-mor ox " two-handit " swcrd. The claymore, to most
persons, suggests the basket hilted weapon associated with the full high-
land costume of the XVIIIth century; but to call such a type of sword the
claymore arises entirely from ignorance or from a desire to retain a tra-
ditional name. The word ClaidJieainh-inor, from which claymore is derived,
comes from a Gaelic double word meaning "great sword," in fact, a two-
handed sword. Consequently, this sword has no connection whatever with
the basket hilted weapon, the so-called claymore of to-day, which, if it
must have a Scottish name, might well be called the claybeg. As a matter
of fact, the modern claymore is but a descendant of the sword carried in
Venice late in the XVIth century by the scliiavoni, or hired soldiery, a
sword which was known as the schiavona. This sword had a splendidly
contrived hilt fully guarding the hand, and it could be grasped in the
manner adopted in the case of all swords of the latter part of the XVIth
century. It was much appreciated as a suitable hilt for the sword used in
the sword play that early in the XVI Ith century was becoming universally
popular; with the result that the type was very soon found in use in England.
Making its way up north from England — where late in the XVIIth century
302
¥
f — -
Fig. 682. Claidheamh-mor
Scottish, early XVIth century. Formerly in
the possession of the Marquis of
Breadalbane
Collection : the late Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant,
New York
Fig. 681. Claidheamh-mor
Scottish, early XVIth century
Ex collection Sir Nocil Paton,
Royal Scottish Museum
Edinburgh
303
Fig. 683. Claidheamh-mor
Scottish, early XVIth
century
British Museum
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
it had become practically the regulation cavalry hilt — it found ready favour
with the Scots; and from about that period it has remained ever associated
with the equipment of the Highlander. Indeed, as every one knows, it is to-
day the military regulation sword-hilt of nearly all Scottish regiments. Only
those, however, who seek to-day to collect arms of Scottish origin can
appreciate the extreme rarity of the true Claid/ieaink-mor, or Scottish
Fig. 684. Claidheamh-mor
Early XVIth century
In a private collection,
Perth
Fig. 685. Claidheamh-mor
Early XVIth century. The grip modern,
the scabbard XVIIth century. In
a private collection, Scotland
two-hander. We have no hesitation in describing the Scottish two-handed
sword of Sir Noel Paton's collection, now to be seen in the Royal Scottish
Museum, Edinburgh, as the finest with which we are acquainted (Fig 681).
It is a grand weapon ; indeed, had not one of the quillons been broken, it
might well be considered the most perfect specimen of all the Claidheamh-mor
weapons extant. This sword is numbered 343 in the Private Catalogue of
Armour and Weapons of Sir Noel Paton, printed in Edinburgh, 1879.
304
THE SCOTTISH SWORD
The McLean of Coll " Bruce " sword has lost its pommel; the Cluny Castle
sword its grip and part of its blade; the Drummond Castle sword has a new
grip; the sword of the Clan Menzies is not of Scottish but of German make;
as is also the Clackmannan Tower " Bruce" sword. In fact, nearly all such
" great swords " as have achieved fame on account of their historical associa-
tions must be looked upon with grave suspicion; for many are not what
they seem, while others, judged by their actual age, could not possibly have
s
m
Pt
1
r-
f
V
*
}
)
Fig. 686. QuiLLONS of a sword of the claidheamh-mor type
Smaller proportions, and of the XVth century. Found near the Bank of England
The blade and pommel are associated. Collection: Author
belonged to the heroes to whose ownership they are attributed. The Claid-
hemnh-mor belonging to the Countess Dowager of Seafield is a splendid early
XVIth century weapon; as is also that in the collection of Dr. Francis Caird.
A very fine specimen used to be in the possession of the Marquis of Breadal-
bane; but it is now in the Rutherford Stuyvesant Collection of New York (Fig.
682). A good example, though incomplete, is shown in the Godfrey Williams
Collection at St. Donat's Castle; while another specimen is on view in the
mediaeval department of the British Museum (Fig. 683). We have also
II 305 R R
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
obtained an illustration of a fine example which is in a private collection near
Perth (Fig. 684), and that of another satisfactory specimen which, however,
Fig. 687. Scottish Sword, the proto- Fig. 688. Portion of a claidheamh-
TYPE of the CLAIDHEAMH-MOR
Middle of the XlVth century. National
Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh
From Drummond's "'Ancient
Scottish Weapons "
MOR OF SMALLER PROPORTIONS
Mid-XVth century
type
Found in the Isle
of Skye
possesses a scabbard that must have been made for it early in the XVI Ith
century (Fig 685). The appearance of this last Claidheamh-nwr is only marred
by its ill-constructed grip. Not one of these, however, attains the robust pro-
306
THE SCOTTISH SWORD
portions of the Noel Paton sword ; for not only are the quillons of the latter
fashioned on a large and fine scale, but they retain that central drooping
tongue which lies closely over the upper portion of the blade groove. This
feature is usually missing in extant specimens of the Claidheamh-mor;
although those we have illustrated are complete. Upon the blade of
the Noel Paton sword is an armourer's mark, a heart with two small
longitudinal bars at its base. The grip, which is of pine wood covered with
Fig. 689. Claidheamh-mor
Latest type, about 1610. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle
leather, shows immediately below the pommel that cup-like cavity into which
the pommel should sink. In this case the pommel has sunk too far; for
it has been driven down on to the top of the grip, splitting it, thus revealing
above a portion of the blade-tang, between its upper edge and the riveted
finial that should fit arch-like upon the pommel. The original pommel of
every genuine Claidheamh-mor with which we are acquainted is, like that
of the Paton example, of the flattened wheel form; but its proportions
always appear too small for the sword to which it is attached. These
307
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
pommels are, however, always very deep in section, indeed, often of the
depth of their height. In some cases, they may be seen hollow and com-
posed of two pieces brazed together; but in the case of the Noel Paton
sword the pommel is solid. This sword, with the exception of its damaged
quillon, is in an excellent state of preservation, never having been subjected
to any violent overcleaning. It is engraved in the " Prehistoric Annals of
Scotland " of Dr. Daniel Wilson, who, on p. 682, speaks of it with enthusiasm.
Sir Noel Paton obtained it from W. B. Johnstone, Esq., R.S.A.
Fig. 690. Claidheamh-mor
Latest type, about 16 10. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle
To trace the evolution of the Scottish Claidheamh-mor from the general
type of sword prevalent in Northern Europe late in the Xlllth and early
in the XlVth century, does not present much difficulty. Early in the
XVth century, and possibly before the word Claidheamh-mor came into use,
it was undoubtedly a single-handed sword of no great length. Indeed, we
are able to illustrate a Scottish sword of that date, which curiously enough
was found in London near the Bank of England (Fig. 686). Here can be
seen the quillon sloping away at an obtuse angle from the grip; while the
308
THE SCOTTISH SWORD
grip socket and the projecting point over the blade are seen approximating
in a rudimentary fashion to those found on the larger swords of the later part
of the XVth century. The pommel now seen on the sword does not belong
to it; but in all probability the original was of the same general formation,
that is to say, was of elongated pear-shaped form. Probably, however, it was
multilobed, like that on the sword represented on the famous monumental
slab at Keil Knapdale, a type of sword which in its turn was evolved from
Fig. 691. FOUR-QUILLONED CLAIDIIEAMH-MOR
Early XVIth century. At Hawthornden, Midlothian. From
Drummond's "Ancient Scottish Weapons"
the mid-XIVth century Scottish form, an example of which can be seen in
the National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh (Fig. 687). This again is a
descendant of the true Viking sword. We illustrate pprtions of an early
Scottish sword of the Claidlieainh-mor type found in the Isle of Skye
(Fig. 688). The true Scottish Claidheanih-nior was in vogue in the last quarter
of the XVth century; but very often it appeared late in the XVIth or early
in the XVI Ith century provided with secondary guards which were intro-
duced on either side of the quillons in the form of upturned convex cups, as
309
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
seen upon two Scottish swords preserved in the Royal collection at Windsor
Castle (Figs. 689 and 690). But in the case of Claidheainh-niors, as in that
of all swords, however closely we may attempt to group them, there are
particular differences in the elaboration of the details which show how
personal whims and fancies have obviously been allowed to come into play.
Thus the four-quilloned Claidheamh-mo)', now preserved at Hawthornden,
Midlothian, may be mentioned as a useful enough reminder of the eccentri-
cities of some owner or swordsmith of the past. The period of this weapon
we should judge to be early XVIth century; but the pommel appears to
have been associated with it at a considerably later date (Fig. 691).
310
CHAPTER XVIII
SWORDS OF CEREMONY IN ENGLAND
EFORE the author proceeds to give some account of such
English pre-XVIth century Swords of Ceremony as are extant,
he would like to express his deep feeling of obligation to Sir
W. H. St. John Hope, to whose erudite work " The Corporation
Plate and Insignia of Ofifice of the Cities and Corporate Towns
of England and Wales," he is indebted for the descriptions of many of these
swords, and, in several cases, for a knowledge of their very existence. With
but few of the ceremonial weapons, of which Sir St. John Hope, from his
great archaeological knowledge, has furnished so ample a record, is the pre-
sent writer personally acquainted. The more readily and gratefully then does
he make the fullest acknowledgement to Sir St. John Hope for the latter's
great kindness in giving him permission to quote so extensively from the
pages of what seems likely to be almost the last word on the subject. The
actual illustrations of the swords have been, in most cases, generously
furnished by those gentlemen who are responsible for their present custody.
It must be remembered that the sword as a symbol of authority found
its place in most ceremonies at a very remote period;* in England, indeed, it
has occupied such a position ever since the coronation of ^thelred in 978.
Such a sword in the earlier times was doubtless a weapon made for fighting,
like the Battle Abbey sword (see Fig. 639) ; but as time went on special
swords made expressly for the purpose of ceremony superseded the fighting
weapons. So it is that many of our cities and corporate towns possess such
swords among the insignia of their official possessions.
Originally in England the mayor's right of having a sword and sword-
bearer was very grudgingly conferred, and during the XlVth century only
seven mayors received it. In three of these cases, those of Lincoln, York,
and Chester, the sword is known to have been a gift of the king himself.
311
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Newcastle's mayor obtained the right of being preceded by his sword-bearer
by special charter in 1391; but as regards the dates on which the mayors
of London, of Coventry, and of Bristol acquired this privilege we are left
completely in the dark. It may reasonably be assumed that the mayor of
London, the capital of the country, was the first civic magistrate to have a
sword carried before him; but at what date and in what circumstances he
was awarded this distinction records or even tradition fail to tell. Indeed, the
earliest evidence extant of the Corporation of London possessing a sword-
bearer comes indirectly through the records of a certain mayor of Coventry,
who, in 1384, having committed some misdemeanour was condemned to
have the sword borne behind him, recovering however the full privilege
four years later on the occasion of the visit of King Richard II to the
town. It is in this grant of renewal of the honour that we find the first
allusion to London's sword-bearer: et de novo concessit eis quod
MAJOR VILL^. POSSIT HABERE HOMINEM PORTANTEM GLADIUM CUM ORNATU
AUTEO CORAM EO ad nwduiii Londoniensitmi.
In the case of Bristol we find that the mayor of that city still has a state
sword of the XlVth century, engraved with the arms of Edward III. We
may safely surmise therefore that the privilege of having it borne before the
head of the Corporation was granted at the same time as the city received
the important charter of 1373; though it is to be noted that the charter
itself makes no mention of such a privilege.
Richard II is said to have given swords to Lincoln in 1386, to York in
1388, and to Chester in 1394. The oldest of the swords now at Lincoln is
probably the one presented by King Richard in 1386. The mayor of York
chose the first mayoral sword-bearer in 1388-9, and by charter dated 1396 the
king confirmed to the mayor and his successors the honour of having borne
before them ^' gladium suum eis per nos datum."
The XVth century saw this privilege largely extended. In 1403-4
Norwich received a sword-bearer charter, Kingston-on-HulI was granted
a similar charter in 1440, and Gloucester received hers in 1483. Exeter is
also alleged to have been given a sword by Edward IV in 1469, and another
by Henry VII in 1497. We know also that in the XVth century the mayors
of two others towns, Lynn and Hereford, had the privilege of being pre-
ceded by a sword-bearer; but we have no information as to the particular
grant or charter by which they enjoyed it.
Three grants only of this kind were conferred in the XVIth century; the
first was by charter of confirmation granted to Chester by Henry VII in 1506,
312
SWORDS OF CEREMONY IN ENGLAND
n
"sit
following upon the gift of a sword by him; the second, a charter granted by
Henry VIII in 1546 empowering the mayor of
Carmarthen to appoint a sword-bearer to carry
a sword before him; the third, a charter of
Elizabeth dated 1573, allowing a like privilege
to the mayor of Thetford.
During the XVI Ith century the mayors of
eight more towns received the sword-bearer
privilege, viz.: Canterbury (1608), Worcester
(1622), Kendal (1635-6), Carlisle (1637), Shrews-
bury (1638), Wigan (1662), Yarmouth (1684),
and Liverpool (1695).
Salisbury's mayor was granted a sword by
Oliver Cromwell in 1656; while about the same
period Appleby, Hertford, and Lichfield were
each given a sword by a non-ofificial person.
The actual number of swords of state now
existing in England and Wales amounts to forty-
six, omitting the two swords in the Isle of Man.
These swords are distributed amongst thirty-
one cities and towns. London and Bristol share
with each other the unique distinction of pos-
sessing four swords, Lincoln can boast of three;
while York, Kingston -on - Hull, Newcastle,
Exeter, Hereford, Gloucester, and Worcester
each have two. The other towns have to be
content with possessing but one apiece.
Inasmuch as swords of state are for cere-
mony and not for use, they partake more of the
nature of property swords than of real weapons.
Their hilts are elaborately wrought with silver
and are gilt; their scabbards are covered with
velvet and adorned with chapes and lockets,
which are mostly silver-gilt.
To this custom of the corporation sword
being a mere pageant sword, there are, however,
notable exceptions. Bristol and Lincoln, for instance, possess superb examples
of actual XlVth century weapons; and one of the swords at York is also
n 313 ss
^
Fig. 692. " Mourning " sword
of the city of bristol
Probably dating from 1373
(The quillons have been at some
time put on upside down)
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
a true fighting sword. We might even suppose that the sword given by
Richard II to the mayor of York in 1388, now missing, was also an actual
weapon.
The Bristol and Lincoln specimens are the only XlVth century swords
now surviving; but of state swords dating from the XVth century nearly a
Fig. 693. The oldest of the swords of the city of Lincoln
Probably dating from 1386
dozen examples are extant. They adhere in their main lines to those of
fighting swords of the period; save that the pommels and guards are more
or less elaborately wrought, overlaid with silver and sometimes gilt. Good
XVth century swords are preserved at Bristol (two), York, Newcastle,
Kingston-on-Hull, Chester, and Coventry.
Only four or five XVIth century state swords survive. The finest of
314
Fig. 694. Scabbard of the oldest of the
swords of the city of lincoln
This scabbard was made late in the XVI Ith
century
Collection: the late Mr. Robert Hillingford
Fig. 695. "Lent" SWORD OF THE
CITY OF Bristol
Early XVth century. With later
enrichments to the
scabbard
315
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
these is the splendid " Pearl " sword of the city of London. Other good
examples are the London "Old Bailey" sword, the Lynn sword, and Sir
Martin Bowes 's sword at York.
We need pay no particular attention to the five early XVIIth century
state swords to be seen respectively at Canterbury, Gloucester, Carlisle (2), and
Kingston-on-Hull; though it is but fair to allow that the Canterbury and
Gloucester swords are excellent examples of their kind. Of state swords of
the second half of this century there are a dozen examples, of which no fewer
than nine all follow the same pattern, that of the London " Sunday" sword.
They vary in date from 1669, in which year the Shrewsbury one was bought,
to 1684, the date of the Yarmouth sword. The Norwich sword is an example
of the same style, but has received a new guard.
The later swords call for no special remark.
The oldest sword of ceremony in England is the earliest of the four
swords at Bristol known as the "Mourning" sword; there is very good
reason for supposing that it was the actual sword given to, or obtained by,
that city on the occasion of the granting of Edward IH's charter of 1373
(Fig. 692). Its hilt is plated with silver and gilded. It has the depressed
wheel-shaped pommel with a sunk panel surrounded by raised roping on
either side. One of these bears the device of the city, the ship and water-
gate; the other presents two shields side by side, the dexter bearing the
Cross of St. George on a diapered field, the sinister showing the arms of
England. These sunk panels were originally enamelled. The broad edge of
the pommel is chased with foliage. The quillons are straight, drooping at
their extreme ends; but after having been repaired they have been put on
upside down. The central portion is also a restoration of later date. The
grip wrapped with wire is comparatively modern. The blade is double edged
and impressed with an armourer's mark.
The next processional sword in date is the earliest of the three at Lincoln
(Fig. 693). It is said to have been given on the occasion of the visit of
Richard II to the city in 1386, at which time he conferred upon the mayor
the privilege of having a sword carried before him on all civic occasions and
processions. The pommel and quillons are overlaid with silver, with remains
of gilding on the latter. The pommel, the edge of which is engraved with roses
and fleurs-de-lis, is of wheel formation, with a secondary small raised disk
on each side, encircled by a hollow groove. The groove is enriched with
rays similar to those engraved on the monumental effigy of Richard II;
while on the small disk are the royal arms between two ostrich feathers. The
316
Fk;. 6q6. The older sword of
THE CITY of York
A fighting weapon of the first years
of the XVth century
Fig. 697. The only sword now
AT Coventry
First half of the XVth
century
317
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
quillons droop slightly at their extreme ends. The grip is apparently old,
though like the blade it is of later date, possibly XVIth century; the
latter bears the running wolf and imperial orb mark. The sword, as now
shown at Lincoln, has a modern scabbard of crimson velvet embroidered
with roses, fleurs-de-lis, and other designs, mounted with a silver-gilt chape
and locket, the latter inscribed: Thomas Kent, Mayor, 1685. We add this
description of the present modern scabbard of the Lincoln sword despite
the fact that it belongs to a period later than we are dealing with; since we
are able to record the interesting circumstance, that the scabbard from which
it was copied is still in existence, and used to be in the collection of the
late Mr. Robert Hillingford (Fig. 694). Its chape mount is lost, but the
locket mount is in position engraved on one side, as on the copy, with the
name Thomas Kent, Mayor, and on the other the date Anno Domini 1685.
Although from the design of this chape it might appear to be almost of
Elizabethan times, with the inscription added later, there is a maker's mark
upon it, the letters G. S. within a shield, which, being a well-known, though
unidentified mark, of late XVI Ith century date, precludes any possibility of
the scabbard being earlier than the latter part of that century. When and why
this scabbard was taken from Lincoln and a copy substituted, it would be
interesting to learn.
Among the processional swords of the early years of the XVth century
is the third, or " Lent," sword of Bristol, so called from its being borne
before the judges at the Lent assizes (Fig. 695). The hilt is gilded. The
pommel is of flattened wheel shape and has on one side in a circle the arms of
England, and on the other the shield of St. George, both of which emblems
were originally enamelled. The pojnmel is further ornamented with scroll-
work in which there is at each end of the oval a Lombardic "T" enclosing
the letter " M " and surmounted by a crown of three fleurons. The date 1583
and the inscription: this x sworde x we x did x repaier x thomas x ald-
woRTH X beinge X MAYOR have been subsequently engraved round the edge of
the pommel. Thomas Aldworth was Mayor 1582-3. The quillons are straight
and droop at the extreme ends; they are decorated with engraved leafage.
Next of the processional swords to be considered is the sword at York.
It is the older of the two remaining processional swords of the city, a
wonderful example of the early XVth century swordsmith's art (Fig. 696).
Exceptional interest attaches to this sword, for it is the one which was
hung up, according to custom, over the stall of the Emperor Sigismund,
father-in-law to King Richard II, in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, on the
318
SWORDS OF CEREMONY IN ENGLAND
occasion of his being created a Knight of the Garter by King Henry V
in May 1416. On Sigismund's death in 1437 't became the perquisite of
the Dean and Canons of St. George's Chapel, Windsor. According to a
Fig. 698. Hilt of a sword of Coventry
In all probability the one taken from the city by Edward IV in 1471
The grip and blade restorations
Collection: Author
contemporary record in the archives of the city of York it was given by the
Dean of Windsor to one of the canons, " master Henry Hanslap," who, being
also a Canon of Howden, Rector of Middleton near Pickering, Yorks, and
319
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
a native of York itself, presented it to that city on 5th May 1439, to be
carried before every successive mayor. The hilt is of gilded latten with a
faceted pear-shaped pommel, and long, straight quillons tapering towards
the ends where they droop downwards. The grip is covered with crimson
velvet, and is encircled just above the guard by a silver-gilt ring. The
blade, which is double-edged with an accentuated taper, bears as an
armourer's mark a Lombardic " I." Its upper half is blued, and etched with
the royal arms on one side and those of the city of York on the other.
The blade also bears the following inscription on one face: sigismvndi .
IMPERAT . DAT . MC . eb'. 1439 .; and on the other: ornat . henri . may
MAiOR . 1586. This latter inscription is no doubt a reference to the gilding
and blueing on the upper part of the blade. The scabbard of the sword is
covered with crimson velvet and decorated on the front face with six silver-
gilt dragons.
Various items occur in the MS. annals of Coventry concerning a
certain sword of state belonging to that city to which we have already
referred on page 312. In 1471 Edward IV came to Coventry, and on
account of the adherence of the citizens to the Lancastrian cause a mayor
again fell into disgrace, but in this case the King actually took away the
sword, and it was not until a payment of 500 marks had been made that the
right to have a sword of state carried before the mayor was restored to this
town. It is not, however, stated whether the King returned the original sword.
The present sword of state at Coventry is certainly not that about
which Richard II, in 1384, gave the command that it should be carried
behind and not in front of the mayor ; for the weapon must be considered as
dating from the first half of the X-Vth century. It must, then, be a sword
made to replace the first state sword granted to the town. The pommel, grip,
and quillons of the hilt of the weapon now at Coventry are silver-gilt. The
pommel is pear-shaped and somewhat flattened; on either side are circular
disks, which are, however, comparatively modern. The quillons are straight
and engraved with leafwork (Fig. 697). The grip is a tube of flattened
hexagonal section with medial and end bands. On one side are engraved in
Gothic lettering the words civitas ] coventre, and a decoration of foliage
and the arms of the town — an elephant and castle; on the other side, domine
salvu fac regem (O Lord, save the King) and leafwork, with figures of the
Virgin and Child and a saint. The edges also once bore an inscription —
now illegible. The blade apparently belongs to the hilt but is much rubbed.
The scabbard with its enrichment dates from the time of the Restoration.
320
i
SWORDS OF CEREMONY IN ENGLAND
A most interesting sword hilt that has only
recently come to light, a hilt of robust propor-
tions, that may yet reveal its history, is worthy
of examination; for from the heraldic evidence
which it furnishes it must at one time have been
the hilt of one of the civic swords of Coveptry
(Fig. 698). The medium is latten, formerly gilt,
decorated with delicately engraved York roses
alternating with King Edward IV's badge of the
sun in splendour. The quillons are straight, the
extreme ends curling downwards, as in the case
of the second Hereford sword (see p. 327, Fig.
704). The pommel, which is also of very similar
form to that of the second Hereford sword, is
roughly heart-shaped in outline. It has inset
on either side engraved silver placjues that have
at one time been enamelled respectively with
the arms of Coventry and those of England.
These, as in the case of the Chester sword, are
so placed that only when the sword is held point
upwards are they seen in the correct position.
Its proportions are certainly those of the fight-
ing sword of the time; but the rather soft hilt
medium of gilded latten lends additional weight
to the theory of its having been made for purposes
of ceremony.
In an inventory of the insignia of ofifice at
Coventry made in 1704, there is mention of three
swords and four scabbards — but the city now
possesses only one sword and scabbard, to which
we have referred. We may therefore consider
that this newly discovered hilt is from one of the
two swords that disappeared from Coventry after
Fig. 699. The " Pearl " sworu of the city of Bristol
Given to the city by Sir John de Wells in 143 1. It was
formerly thought to have been given by a John Willis, Lord
Mayor of London in 1506, but no such person held mayoral
office in London at that date.
II 321
Fig. 699
TT
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
1704; although neither the sword to which this hilt belonged nor the one
now at Coventry could have been the sword which in 1384 Richard II
ordered to be carried behind the mayor of the town, both being of XVth
century date, and not of the period of that
monarch. We are of opinion that the sword now
.at Coventry is of about 1430, and that the hilt
in the writer's collection may have been made
in 1 47 1 for a sword replacing the one which
Edward IV took away; but it may be that this
hilt belongs to a sword made about 1481 to
replace the 1430 sword stolen during the riots
in that year,- which was not recovered for some
months later.
Once again we return to Bristol to find
the next most ancient ceremonial sword (Fig.
699). This is the city's second processional
sword, known as the " Pearl " sword, because
the sheath is supposed to have originally been
richly studded with pearls. No traces of pearls
are now visible ; but there are portions of silver
embroidery on the crimson velvet with which
the sheath is covered. This sword was given
to the city of Bristol by Sir John de Wells,
grocer. Mayor of London in 1431. The blade
is apparently the original made for the hilt.
The pommel is of flattened pear-shaped form,
the quillons straight, plain, and six-sided. At
each end qf the grip is a shield of arms, that
next the quillons bearing those of England,
impaling the cross and martlets ascribed to
Edward the Confessor, the other showing
those of the city of Sristol. Below the former
shield and continued above the latter is the
inscription:
JON WELLIS OF LONDON GROC' & MEYR
TO BRISTOW GAVE THIS SVVERD FEIR
On the other side of the grip is engraved:
VV CLEVE
322
Fk;. 700.
SWOKI) OK KlNGSTON-
ON-HULL
Into which are incorporated portions
of the sword made in 1440
SWORDS OF CEREMONY IN ENGLAND
Across the pommel on each side is a scroll inscribed;
MERCY. AND. GRACE.
What connection W. Cleve — whose name appears upon the grip — had
with Bristol, cannot be ascertained: his name cannot be traced in the list of
mayors or sheriffs of Bristol.
The existing sword of state belonging to Kingston-on-Hull still retains
some interesting portions of the sword made in 1440 (Fig. 700). The hilt is
1
■
i
\
Fig. 701. Second sword of the city of Lincoln
Middle of the XVth century
composite, though correct in form. The pommel is of silver-gilt and lozenge-
shaped with a central ridge. It is plain, however, and of questionable date.
The quillons, which are also of silver-gilt, are certainly original and are
rectangular in section, drooping at the ends and spread out lozenge-wise.
They are decorated throughout with engraved leafage, and have in the
centre, on one side, the arms of England, and on the other side, the arms
of the town of Hull. The grip is covered with blue velvet, over which are
longitudinal and transverse reeded bands of silver-gilt. The sheath is
323
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
covered with red velvet, with engraved silver mounts. These ornaments are
of XVth century date, and probably formed part of the decorations of the
sword as originally made in 1440. The blade now in the hilt is of early
XlXth century date and unfortunately quite out of keeping with it. Local
tradition and history alike assert that this interesting sword was given
Fig. 702. E.\RLiER of the two swords at Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Middle of the XVth century
to the town by Henry VIII on the occasion of his visit in 1541; but the
evidence afforded by the corporation records, and that derived from an
examination of the sword itself, show that it was originally made to order in
1440. In the chamberlain's account for 1450-1 is this entry: " Sohd Johanni
Steton pra Nova vagina ad gladium majoris . . . xx.s."
The second sword of Lincoln is another fine XVth century weapon
(Fig. 701), complete with its original blade — the whole apparently of English
324
I
The
(a) (d)
Mourning" sword of xriE cixv of Gloucester
Fig. 703.
It is possible that tlie pommel is from tlie sword provided in accordance with
Richard Ill's charter. The additions to it are of various dates
(a) Unsheathed ; (6) sheathed
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
workmanship. The pommel is pear-shaped and faceted; the quillons, which
are enriched with a gilded scroll pattern, are curved, with rounded and
drooping terminations.
The earlier of the two swords at Newcastle-on-Tyne is a fine example of a
state sword of the middle of the XVth century (Fig. 702). The hilt is that of
the original sword, and is of steel plated with silver-gilt. The pommel is of
great length (5 inches), of lozenge form, with a deep central groove. Both
sides are chased with spirited leafwork and the groove with a slight running
scroll. The central portion of the quillon has three deep grooves, being
not unlike that of the Chester sword. The arms of the quillons are long
and flat, and curved slightly downwards with a sharp curl at the ends;
they are chased with a running leaf pattern on either side of the central
ridge. It has been suggested that the quillons are of XVIth century date.
The blade is apparently one of the XVIth century.
Of the two swords found at Gloucester, the older, now known as
the " Mourning" sword (Fig. 703 a, b), is possibly that provided in accord-
ance with Richard Ill's Charter. The quillons, however, appear to be of
late XVIth century date; but as the whole hilt is now painted black, it is
somewhat difficult to determine that point. We have not seen this sword;
but, judged by the illustration, the pommel, either side of which is em-
bossed with a rose, may possibly be the original. The blade, which is of
Solingen or Passau manufacture with the running wolf-mark, is probably
of late XVIth century date The scabbard is covered with black velvet,
which is embroidered with black silk.
Hereford's second sword, known as the " Steel " sword, and formerly
used on occasions of mourning, can be accepted as dating from the latter
part of the XVth century (Fig. 704). It is called the " Steel " sword from an
idea that the hilt and pommel are of that metal; they are actually, how-
ever, of bronze or latten, with traces of the original gilding. The pommel
is heart-shaped, with the arms of England on one side, and on the other a
shield of the old city arms of Hereford. Both these shields have the spandrels
filled with a rose and foliage, and were originally enamelled; slight traces of
the colouring still remain. The quillons are flat and curved, with drooping
ends. On one side is engraved: —
MAIOR CIVITATIS HEREFORDIE
The grip as well as the blade is Elizabethan. The entire hilt was until
recently painted black.
The Chester sword (Fig. 705) is said, on the authority of the Cowper
326
?FiG. 704. Second ("the steel") sword
OF Hereford
Third quarter of the XVth century
Fig. 705. Sword of the city of
Chester
Last years of the XVth century
327
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
MSS., to have been presented to the city by Richard II in 1394; but a
sword is not mentioned in the Charter which Richard II granted to the
city, and certainly the present state sword is not of so early a date. It is
recorded, however, that one Hugh Button was sword-bearer in 1494, and
that the city sword was carried before King Henry VII on his visit to
Chester in that same year; so it is possible that the present sword may be
that particular weapon, for in formation it corresponds to swords »f that
1
1
^^f
Fig. 706. SwoKD ok King's Lynn
Early years of the XVIth century
date. It has a lozenge-shaped pommel of silver-gilt, and very largely pro-
portioned drooping quillons in the same medium. Each end of the quillon
has on one side a lion's head, and on the other a garb. The grip is of fish
skin mounted with longitudinal metal bands. The blade is double-edged,
and bears traces of shields of arms engraved diagonally upon it about 12 inches
from the hilt; but these are now almost obliterated from repeated cleaning.
With a description of the state sword of King's Lynn (Fig. 706) we bring
to a close our history of the late XlVth, the XVth, and the early XVIth
328
SWORDS OF CEREMONY IN ENGLAND
century processional swords that arc to be found in the provincial towns of
Hnj^land. The King's Lynn sword is called the " King John " sword; for a
tradition, as can be seen recorded on the quillons,
states that the King took this sword from his own
side and presented it to the town of Lynn. But,
even if the inscription which it bears was not ob-
viously fallacious, the most casual glance at the
weapon settles the question of its date — the early
years of the XVIth century. This sword, the hilt of
which is overlaid with gilded silver, has a pear-
shaped pommel wrought in panels chased with foli-
age. The quillons are straight throughout and are
rectangular in section. On one side is inscribed:
ENSIS . HIC . DONVM . FVII". REGIS . JOHANNIS . A .
SVG. ipsivs . LATERE . datvm; and on the other:
VIVAT . REX . HENRICVS . OCTAVVS . ANNO . REGNI .
svo . 20. The grip is bound with silver wire. The
blade, which is probably of Solingen manufacture, has
for armourers marks a crosier and the imperial orb.
In the Abbey Church of Westminster "the sword
of Edward III" is shown ; it is a monstrous construc-
tion of the crudest workmanship (Fig. 707). As he
gazes at it, the visitor wonders what sort of men his
ancestors could have been to have wielded such a
weapon. But this great sword is, after all, nothing'
more than a sword of state. When it was first made
it was possibly imposing enough in its gold paint, vel-
vet, and other decorations; but now it is a poor rusty
thing, the make of which is very indifferent. This
sword rests in the Confessor's Chapel, together with
the interesting shield mentioned(Fig. 586, n, b). The
proportions of this weapon are as follows. The blade
is 5 feet 4 inches long, 3^ inches wide at the hilt.
The wooden grip is i foot 1 1 inches long, the quillons
^ . 1 , 11 T-i 1 Mi • r iL Abbey Church of Westminster
are 2 feet and ^ an mch long. Ihe hilt is ot the
simplest cruciform kind, with long straight quillons of square-shaped section
and a large pommel of the faceted wheel form; the blade is grooved, and
without a mark or inscription of any kind. The original wooden foundation
II 329 u u
Fig. 707. Great swokd
Second half of the XlVth
century
Called that of King Ed-
ward III
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
of the grip remains, shod at either end with ferrules of iron. This sword has
been in the possession of the Dean and Chapter of St. Peter's for many
centuries; so perhaps its attribution to the latter half of the XlVth century
may be accepted.
In the vestry of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, hangs just such another
great sword (Fig. 708), not quite so great in proportion, but just as crude
i.-^immm^^..
Fig. 708. Great .sword
Second half of XlVth century. Called that of King Edward III. St. George's Chapel, Windsor
in make. Its whole length is 6 feet 8| inches, the blade being 5I feet 4 inches
long and the quillons 16 inches wide. This sword is doubtless that which
was suspended over King Edward Ill's stall in the first chapel of the Order
of the Garter, and offered at the high altar on his death in 1377. In the
precentor's account for 1387-8 the sword is alluded to:
/fern in reparacione gladij Edwardi Fundatoris Collegij xvija.
" For the repair of the sword of Edward the founder of the College, lyd.
330
SWORDS OF CEREMONY IN ENGLAND
Over two hundred and twenty years elapse, and in 1615 the sword is again
mentioned in a treasurer's account: "To Noke, for making cleane the Twoe
hande Sworde whiche hangith by K: Edward the 3: picture." Of late years
this sword has been subjected to another rigorous but this time ill-advised
1
Fig. 709. Sword of state of the earldom of Chester (1471-1483)
British Museum
cleaning, which has removed the only feature that could have recommended
it from an aesthetic point of view — its patina of age. A grip covered with
leather has also been added. The association of the sword with the reign
of King Edward III can safely be accepted, as its provenance is well
attested and its construction answers to the period. It will be noticed that
331
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
F"iG. 7IO. The
SECOND Chester
SWORD
Late XVth century
British Museum
the pommel is of the flattened wheel form, with the deep
centres characteristic of those seen on swords of the latter
part of the XlVth century. The blade, which is doubly
grooved, bears, as an armourer's mark, a dagger.
For an account of a second and superb sword, which,
as we have already stated, formerly hung in St. George's,
Windsor, we refer the reader to the description of "the city
of York's earlier processional sw^ord (Fig. 696) which we have
already given.
At the coronation ceremony of the kings and queens
of England the sword was ever an important part of the
Regalia. Since the coronation of Richard I in 1189 three
swords, in addition to the sword of State, have been
borne at this great function, and from that time certain
nobles have had the privilege of bearing them. The
swords are as follows: — Curtana, so called because it was
"shortened" by the blunting of its point, hence a sword
of Mercy, sheathed; the sword of Justice of the Spirituality,
which is obtusely pointed; the sword of Justice of the Tem-
porality, which is sharp at the point; and finally the sword of
State. Of these the last alone is actually made use of; being
that with which the sovereign is girded after the anointing.
The first of these swords, the Curtana, was formerly
borne by the representative of the earldom of Chester,
until that earldom was merged in the Crown on the acces-
sion of Edward I. - In the British Museum are two swords
of the earldom of Chester, the finer of the two being a
large two-handed sword with a cruciform hilt of copper,
once gilt (Fig. 709). In the centre of the grip, executed
in champlevd enamel and in their proper colours, are the
arms of Edward, Prince of Wales, and Earl of Chester
(1471-1483). It will be noticed that the achievements are
in the correct position when the sword is carried as in a
procession, point upwards. In the centre of the octagonal
wheel pommel is the Cross of St. George. The British
Museum obtained this sword with the original Sir Hans
Sloane Collection; but from what source Sir Hans Sloane
obtained it there exists no record. It has been accurately
332
FOREIGN SWORDS OF CEREMONY
described in Vetusta Moniimenta, vol. v. The second Chester sword which
the British Museum shows is a smaller and possibly a fighting weapon,
with an imperfect though very fine hilt of Italian workmanship of the end
of the XVth century (Fig. 710). The quillons are missing. It has been
suggested that the blade, which is of flattened diamond-shaped section, stiff
and tapering to the sharp point, is from the sword of the first Norman
Earl of Chester, Hugh d'Avranches (surnamed Lupus) or from that of
Hugh Kevelioc, his great-great-nephew, as cut upon it with a graving
tool is the inscription: hugo comes cestriae. But in the possibility
of its belonging to so early a date we cannot believe; for the blade is
not of the shape or section of blades of those early times. It is, more-
over, quite in accord with the shape of the present hilt. It has a curious
evenly rusted surface, a feature which, were its authenticity not assured
beyond all ground of suspicion, might justify its being regarded with a
certain amount of scepticism. When the quillons of the hilt were lost we
are unable to say; but they are described as wanting in an allusion made
to the sword in Lyson's Magna Britannia (vol. ii, part ii, p. 461) published
in 1810. Two years earlier, however. Dr. Cower had made a drawing of the
sword for a history of Cheshire; and in this drawing the sword is represented
with a cross-guard. But this guard is very crudely rendered ; so possibly the
drawing of the quillons is but an imaginative reconstruction.
FOREICN SWORDS OF CEREMONY
Some of the most superbly decorated swords on the Continent are swords of
ceremony. In the armoury of Vienna there are two, once the property of the
great Maximilian, both shaped on the lines of fighting swords of the time,
but so large that their only use could have been that of ceremony. Possibly
the finer of the two (Fig. 71 1) is that constructed on the general proportions
of a German war sword of the latter part of the XVth century. It is splendid
in its general lines, and is in admirable condition. The second Vienna sword
has many points of interest, possessing as it does the original scabbard and
portion of the belt (Fig. 712); it is also of earlier date, and was in all prob-
ability the property of the Archduke Sigismund of Tyrol. The construc-
tion of this sword is unusual. The diamond-shaped pommel and ends to the
quillons are of copper gilt and hollow upon a core of iron; the grip is of horn,
with which latter material a portion of the quillons is covered. On one side
333
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
of the pommel is an enamelled silver shield with the quartered arms of four
Nuremberg patrician families, the Spallten, the Welser, the Stromer, and the
Anion, and on the other the Agnus Dei as in the case of the arms of the
family Brixen. It has been suggested that these plaques are a later addition.
Drooping over the blade are mounted rondels much in the fashion of those
seen on the fine Venetian sword illustrated in Fig. 660. The blade is
formidable, of great width and of flattened diamond section, closely grooved
at the hilt, where its cutting edges are nearly
parallel, and where it is etched and gilt with
the Germanic eagle. The silver enrichments
of the grip and scabbard still retain a strong
Gothic influence.
In the Treasury of the Cathedral of
Cologne is a very magnificent State sword,
the ceremonial weapon of the electors of
Cologne (Fig. 713), which has a silver over-
laid hilt and scabbard decorated with the
finest German Gothic foliage and with
figures in crocketed niches, and which is
further embellished with certain enamelled
enrichments in the late Rhenish manner.
The sword, which is to be found along
with the other Insignia of the Order of
St. George in the Schatzkammer of the
Alte Residenz of Munich, is perhaps the
finest enriched ceremonial weapon of the
XVth century extant; for not only is its
workmanship superb, but it shows the Gothic
feeling of the XVth century wholly unin-
fluenced by that of the Renaissance (Fig.
714, a, b). It has up to the present time always been used at the ceremonies
connected with the holding of a Chapter of the Order. It is said to have
been presented to Duke Christoph of Bavaria by Beatrix, wife of King Matthias
Corvinus of Hungary. We should date the weapon at some period between
1476 and 1493. Duke Christoph was the son of Duke Albert, who died in
1460. He was noted for his unusual strength and agility, and for his prowess
in tournaments. He went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and died in
1493 on the way home.
334
Fig. 711. Onk of the swords ok
STATE OF THE EmpEROR
Maximilian I
Imperial Armoury, Vienna
Fig. 712. Sword of state
Once the property of the Archduke
Sigismund of Tyrol
Imperial Armoury, Vienna
Fig. 713. Ceremonial sword of the
ELECTORS of COLOg'nE
Late XVth century
In the Treasury of Cologne Cathedral
335
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Fig. 714^. Hilt of the ceremonial sword of Duke Christoph of Bavaria
Made at some period between 1476 and 1493
Preserved in the Royal Palace, Munich
336
FOREIGN SWORDS OFJCEREMONY
The hilt and scabbard of this sword are of silver.
The upper part of the hilt bears on the pommel the
Bavarian and Palatinate arms in blue enamel, also a
golden lion on a black enamelled ground. On the lower
part of the grip, which is incrusted with rubies, are figures
of men and women set in small niches. In the centre of
the quillons are the arms of Bavaria and of the Order of
St. George. The decorations applied to the (piillons, like
those on the scabbard, are made of embossed and chiselled
silver. The motifs consist of a spray of convolvulus, and
of a design of grapes and foliage, playing among the
tendrils of which are interspersed monkeys and birds.
The ferrule of the scabbard is shaped like a dragon's head,
the eyes of which are set with rubies.
The Schatzkaininer of Munich has another sword
of the XVth century which is said to have belonged to
the Bishop of Wurzburg. The pommel is of red jasper,
the grip and sheath being covered with velvet over which
is silverwork of admirable design. The quillons, which
are of silver-gilt, end in dogs' heads. We regret that we
have been unable to obtain a photograph of this fine
weapon.
Like this ceremonial weapon, but less elaborate, is
the sword preserved in the castle at Stuttgart (Fig. 715).
It was presented in 1495 to Eberhard of Wiirtemberg
on the occasion of his being created a duke by the Emperor
Maximilian I. The gift of the sword was accompanied
by the following advice: " Use it only for Justice, for the
protection of the widows and the orphans, for the pun-
ishment of wrong." The hilt and scabbard are plated
with silver-gilt, the latter enriched with a German Gothic
tracery design introducing a shield with the arms of Teck,
a proof that Eberhard of Wiirtemberg received the
sword with the gift of the Dukedom, as before that date
different arms were assigned to him. The Teck arms also
appear in the wheel pommel. The proportions of the hilt
are those of the bastard sword; the blade, which is the orig-
inal, though now much worn, bears the running wolf mark.
n 337
Fig. 714/'.
Ceremonial sword
(in its scabbard) of
Duke Christoph of
Bavaria
Preserved in the Royal
Palace, Munich
X X
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
In the Imperial Treasury of Vienna are two superb swords of state, the
earlier and more remarkable having the grip and scabbard composed of a
bisected narwhal horn, which in the XVth century was supposed to be that
of the unicorn, and as such held in great venera-
tion as a talisman (Fig. 716). The shape of this
sword follows more or less the tapering and gently
spiral twist of the horn, and the swordsmith has
adapted the silver-gilt and jewelled mounts upon
it with wonderful skill; the weapon in general
proportions is not far removed from those of the
German foining swords of the second half of the
XVth century. This remarkable weapon bears
the tradition, which may be accepted, that it was
originally in the armoury of Charles the Bold,
Duke of Burgundy.
The second sword (Fig. 717), in the Imperial
Treasury of Vienna, is in the more recognized late
XVth century fashion, and is a veritable cJief-
d'aiHvre of the swordsmith's art. The founda-
tion of the grip and pommel may be said to have
the appearance of a series of mouldings cleverly
built up; while around the pommel are shield-
shaped facets upon which are represented the
arms of the Electors. The blade is most elabor-
ately etched, gilt, and blued, the quillons are
spirally twisted and pierced a jour; while the
surface of the iron hilt is plated with gold, bril-
liantly blued and russeted to a curious red-
brown colour according to the requirements of the
design. The whole weapon is in an astonishingly
perfect state of preservation, almost mint state
in the brilliancy of its colour. It bears the mono-
gram of the Emperor Maximilian I, emblems of
the order of the Golden Fleece and of the order
of St., Andrew. On the underside of the quillons,
and only to be seen when the sword is unmounted, is the monogram of its
maker, " Maister M. S. von H." It is a sword of investiture and forms
part of the Austrian Archducal Insignia.
338
Fig. 715. Ckremonial SWORD
Presented by Maximilian I in
1495 to Eberhard von Wlirtem-
berg on the occasion of his
being created Duke
Now in the castle of Stuttgart
FOREIGN SWORDS OF CEREMONY
Three other XVth century
swords to be seen in Germany are
well worthy of individual mention,
the most notable of these being that
known as the Ktirbrandenbiirgische
sword (Fig. 7 1 8). This was given to
Albrecht Achilles, Duke of Brand-
enburg, in 1460 by Pope Pius II.
From the contemporary account of
the sword preserved in the Vatican
it is known to have been made by
the Florentine goldsmith Simone
di Giovanni. For two centuries
prior to 1810 this sword was pre-
served in the Zenghaus of Berlin,
passing thence to the Kunstkam-
mer. In 1857 it was removed to be
placed among the crown regalia of
Prussia. It has been subjected to
much alteration during the XVIth
century.
The next sword of importance
is what is known as the Hessian
sword (Fig. 719). It was given by
Pope Innocent VIII to the Land-
graf, William I of Hesse, on Christ-
mas day, 1 49 1, on the occasion of
his return from the Holy Land.
Account books in the Vatican show
that it was made either by Hier-
onymus de Sutri or by Jacopo
Magnolino; both of these silver-
smiths worked for Pope Innocent
VIII from 1487 to 1492. The
sword is to be seen to day in the
Royal Museum at Cassel.
The next ceremonial sword of importance (Fig. 720) is known as the
" Pomeranian " sword, and was originally given to the Duke Bogislaw X of
339
Fig. 716. Ceremonial sword
Reputed to have belonged to Charles the Bold,
Duke of Burgundy
Imperial Treasury, Vienna
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Pomerania by Pope Alexander VI (Borgia) on Christmas day, 1497. ^s proved
. — . - ■ ' » — '-- —
1
'Jk.
It
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1
1
^ii|!"l:;.'<><lK ) -^ ■'•.
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Fig. 717. Ceremonial sword
Late XVth or early XVIth century. From the Austrian Archducal Insignia
Imperial Treasury, Vienna
by the papal accounts in the Vatican it was originally made entirely by the
goldsmith Angelino di Domenico de Sutri. But of his work only the scabbard
340
FOREIGN SWORDS OF CEREMONY
now remains; for the hilt and blade were re-made
in Germany in the second half of the XVIth century.
On the receipt of the gift, Duke Bogislaw deposited
it in the church of St. Otto in his Pomeranian home;
but at a later date moved it to the treasury of his
castle. When this particular line of the Bogislaw
family became extinct in 1638, the contents of the
treasury were inherited by the Duchess Anna, widow
of the Duke Ernest von Croy-Havre, and were sent
to Stolp. After her death her son, Ernest Bogislaw
von Croy, inherited this sword, and on his death in
1684 he left it by will to the Grand Elector of
Prussia, who placed it in the Zenghans of Berlin,
where it remained until 18 10, after which date it
found its present home in the Hohenzollern Museum
of the castle of Monbijou.
When \p enter upon the XVIth century we can
mark a culminating point of all that is elaborate in
the nature of design and of richness of material, as
applied to sword mounting, by illustrating (Fig. 721)
that most wonderful sword and sheath, of ceremony
and pageant, preserved in the Royal Historical
Museum of Dresden, presented to the Duke Maurice
of Saxony by the Emperor Charles V at Augsburg
on 24 February 1548 to mark the occasion of his
being made Elector. Both the whole of the hilt and
the scabbard are silver-gilt, embossed and surface-
chased with emblematical figures, trophies of wea-
pons and swages of fruit and flowers in the finest
German renaissance taste. Little doubt now exists
as to the identity of the artist-craftsman who pro-
duced this masterpiece of the silversmith's art. It
has been recognized from the method of its work-
manship, and from the maker's mark it bears, as Vig.jxZ.Ih-^Kurbranden.
being the production of the famous goldsmith
Lorenz Trunck of Nuremberg (born about 1500,
died 1574). The blade in the hilt is probably of
Solingen make, and is deeply etched and gilt with
341
BURGISCHE SWORD
Italian workmanship of about
1460. Since subjected
to alterations
Crown Regalia of Prussia
Fig. 719. The Hessian sword
Italian workmanship, made
about 1490
Royal Museum,
Cassel
Fig. 720. The Pomeranian sword
The scabbard, of Italian workmanship, made
about 1490, the hilt XVIth century
Hohenzollern Museum in the
castle of Monbijou
342
FOREIGN SWORDS OF CEREMONY
a composition of scrollwork; an inscription records the occasion and date of
its gift to the Kurfiirst by Charles V. To the scabbard of this most ornate
sword is attached its original belt with elaborate buckles, eyelets, etc.
We journeyed to the ancient Hungarian capital — Pressburg — in order
Fig. 721. i'ARAUE SWORD
The work of Lorenz Trunck of Nuremberg. Presented by the Emperor
Charles V to Duke Maurice of Saxony in 1548
Royal Historical Museum, Dresden
to examine the enamelled gold-hilted sword presented to the cathedral of
that town by Maximilian I, and said still to be in existence; but, unfortun-
ately, we failed in our endeavour to see this weapon. Some mystery seems
to surround this sword; for the ecclesiastical authorities obstinately refused
to give us any information as to its whereabouts.
The sword of Ferdinand V and of Isabella, preserved in the Royal
343
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
Armoury of Madrid, No. G i (Fig. 722), is one of ceremony. The pommel and
quillons are of gilt iron, the ends of the latter being splayed and cusped and
inscribed tanto montatanto monta memento mei o mater dei mei; while
the pommel is pierced with four circular holes that lend it a cruciform appear-
ance. It retains its scabbard of wood which is covered with velvet embroidered
with the Spanish shield of arms as changed after the taking of Granada, and
with the devices of the two sovereigns, that of Ferdinand, the yoke, that of
Isabella, the sheaf of arrows. This sword is of
genuine historical interest; for we find in the
Relacidn notarial de P^alladolid a description
of it which agrees with the illustration of the
sword shown in the illuminated inventory of
Charles V, — "A wide sword, old, for making
knights, with flat pommel with holes and
gilded cross." It is the royal sword which,
during the rule of the house of Austria, in
accordance with the etiquette of the houses
of Castille and of Burgundy, was, in the
absence of the Count of Oropesa, "whose
privilege it was [to bear it] in Castille and
the Count of Sastago's in Aragon," carried
bare by the chief Equerry of the King on
occasions of solemn entries into cities and of
Princes taking the oath.
We could describe several other fine
swords of ceremony that have both beauty
and interest, if our list were not already too
long. Such swords are to be seen in the Royal
Armoury of Madrid, in the Arsenal of Venice,
in the Miiseo Civico of the same city, in the
Bargello Museum of Florence, in the Royal Armoury of Turin, as well as
in various armouries and certain municipal buildings of France, Belgium,
Russia, Germany, and Austria.
We will end our list of swords of ceremony by referring to the splendid
processional weapon that was presented by Pope Julius II to King James IV
of Scotland in 1507 (Fig. 723), together with a consecrated hat of maintenance,
relics formerly kept at Dunnottar Castle but now preserved among the
Regalia of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle; and by the mere mention of that
344
Fig. 722. The ceremonial sword
OF Ferdinand V and Isabella
G I Royal Armoury, Madrid
FOREIGN SWORDS OF CEREMONY
elaborate though clumsily constructed sword in the Ashmolean Museum,
which, though traditionally stated to have been given by Pope Leo X to
King Henry VIII, is, however, obvi-
ously of considerably later date, the
hilt being probably made in the latter
years of the XVIth century. The
blade of this sword is of still later date
(Fig. 724). It is not known when this
alleged Papal gift came into the pos-
session of the University.
The hilt of the ceremonial sword
included in the Scottish Regalia
is of silver-gilt, elaborately wrought;
while the pommel, which is somewhat
flattened, is decorated on each side
with circular garlands of embossed
leafwork, within which were origin-
ally fixed enamelled plates, now lost.
The grip is of baluster form, orna-
mented with acorns and oak leaves,
the badge of Pope Julius II; the
quillons consist of two dolphins
facing towards the centre and ter-
minating in acorns and oak leaves.
Placed between the dolphins, which,
it may be noted, have been re-made
by a Scottish silversmith, are two
leaves, now broken at the ends, which
overlap the mouth of the scabbard.
The blade, which now measures 3 feet
3 inches in length, has at some time
been broken and re-ground. It is
double-edged, with a central groove,
and has etched on one side the figure
of St. Peter, and on the other the
figure of St. Paul; while both sides bear the inscription Jvlivs II Pont
MAX N thinly etched and gilded. The scabbard is of wood, covered with
crimson velvet, and ornamented with silver-gilt embossed work; on the
II 345 YY
Fig. 723. Ceremonial sword
Italian workmanship since subjected to alterations
Presented to King James IV by Pope Julius II
in 1 507. Royal Scottish Regalia
EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS
chape fs an oblong panel with the arms of Pope Julius II, surmounted by
the crossed keys and tiara. Between this and the ferrule mount the scabbard
is overlaid on both sides with silver-gilt work, wrought with grotesques,
acorns, oak leaves, and foliage, and divided into three lengths by two
circular medallions. The centres of these were at one time filled with blue
enamelled plates, on which have been scratched the name of Pope Julius II;
but one of them has been renewed in silver-gilt by a Scottish goldsmith.
JL
^nAr ^
I
Fig. 724. Ceremonial sword
By tradition the gift to King Henry VIII by Pope Leo X.
It is, however, of later date. Ashmolean
Museum, Oxford
and the other is so much chipped that all traces of the lettering have been*
obliterated. The ornamental metal work is in parts now much broken away,
and only the central divisions of each side are complete. The dolphins and
leafage that form the quillons appear to have been added to the hilt, in place
of the original, about 1516, and are the labour of an Edinburgh silversmith,
one Matthew Auchinlek. The additional embossed silverwork that appears
on the scabbard was made in 1536 by another Edinburgh silversmith,
Adam Leis.
346
FOREIGN SWORDS OF CEREMONY
Accompanying the sword there was originally a belt, ornamented in a
style similar to that of the scabbard, which does not seem to have been
delivered up with the rest of the Regalia after the transference from
Dunnottar. This belt was in the possession of Dr. G. Livingston of Ogilvie,
a descendant of the Ogilvies of Barras.
END OF VOLUME II
347
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