A Record of European Armour and Arms through Seven Centuries, Vol. III

III A RECORD OF EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS • VOL. Ill A RECORD OF EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS THROUGH SEVEN CENTURIES BY SIR GUY FRANCIS LAKING, Bt. C.B., M.V.O., F.S.A. LATE KEEPER OF THE KING'S ARMOURY VOL. Ill LONDON G. BELL AND SONS, LTD. MCMXX [,\%c>S w •d a' u 800 L35 v. 3 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN CHISWICK PRESS: CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND GRIGGS (PRINTERS), LTD. TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON CONTENTS OF VOLUME III CHAPTER XIX DAGGERS Early brief allusions in this work to the dagger —Its popularity with the armour collector — The previous small interest in the study of its evolution and family groups —The fine examples in the Wallace Collection, and in public collections abroad —Private collections that possess representative series —From the middle of the XIVth to the middle of the XVIth century the six distinctive groups consisting of varieties of the quillon dagger, of the rondel dagger, of the so-called " kidney" dagger, of the so-called "ear pommel " dagger, of the dagger of the transitional XVth-XVIth century types, and of the so called cinquedca —The quillon dagger of the XIVth century shown on the efifigy of Sir Roger de Kerdeston of about 1335 —Other representations of the type of dagger of this century —Extant examples —The basilard to be placed in the same category —Some existing examples —The possible evolution of the rondel dagger, the great popularity of that type of hilt — As shown on the brass of Sir Edward Cerne of 1393, and on other brasses and effigies of that century —Extant examples —The rondel dagger of the XVth century, and onwards to its close —Its contemporary representation, and extant examples —Variations in the medium of the hilts —The latest type of the rondel dagger, first half of the XVIth century — The "kidney" dagger, the origin of its name—An early dagger of the type shown on the brass of Sir William de Aldeburgh, about 1360—Others represented on effigy and brass —Some extant examples dating from the end of the XIVth century to the end of the XVth century —Variation in form and media —A family of English made " kidney" d^gers that date as late as the second half of the XVIth century —The final evolution of this type of dagger hilt early in the XVIIth century —The borrowed Eastern form of the "ear pommel" dagger; the comparatively late date of the European adaptation of this form —Their introduction in the latter part of the XVth century —Some notable examples extant—Reputed historical dagger of the type: pictorial evidence of the continued use ofthe"ear pommel " dagger in the first half of the XVIth century —Various daggers of the transitional years of the XVth-XVIth centuries —The Holbein dagger — Other daggers difficult to class into families, but distinctive in type —Those of Italian, and those of German origin —The cinquedea —The cinquedea dagger-sword—The probable origin of the name—The popularity of these daggers in Northern Italy through out the XVth century, and in the first quarter of the next —The suitiptuousness of the weapon —The many forgeries that exist —The Veronese type bf the middle of the XVth century: The Venetian type —Some famous enriched examples extant in the public collections of England and on the Continent V ......... PAGE EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS CHAPTER XX HAFTED WEAPONS IN GENERAL USE 1-ROM THE MIDDLE OF THE XIVth CENTURY TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE XVIth CENTURY The lance —Chaucer's description —An extant war lance of the early years of the XVth century —Contemporary mention of the proportions of the lance—Late XVth century lances —The coronel, the bo'cte, the bourdon, the Swedish-feather—The lance attributed to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk —The vamplate, the war-hammer, the pole-axe, and battle-axe —The great antiquity ofthese weapons —The similarity in combat of the use of all such weapons —Some war-hammers ofdistinction —The true pole-axe and hammer as a double-handed weapon, its use on foot as a knightly fighting weapon, and its popularity in those fights —Some pictorial illustrations ofits practice—Arguments on the class ofinfantry weapons which go by the name ofglaive, voulge, partisan, ranseur, spetum, bill, and guis arme —Illustrations and extant examples —What is termed the battle-axe —The Austrian hardisclu —The Lochaberaxe and the Jedburgh axe —The halberd class of weapon —The probable derivation of its name, and its reputed age as a hafted infantry arm—The various types and extant examples —The knightly mace—Allusions to it —Extant examples of the XIVth and XVth centuries, and early years of the XVIth century —Weapons originally ofpeasant origin —Examples of comparatively late date —The war flail —The " holy water sprinkler," and the " morning star " —Some historical references —Secret hafted weapons CHAPTER XXI THE CROSSBOW Continuation from pages 4, 5,65, 123, 124 in vol. i ofour briefhistory of the long and crossbow — The crossbow of the XIVth century, with both horn and steel bow—The age and probable origin of the horn bow—Peter the Saracen, crossbow maker to King John, one of the makers of the so-called horn bow—A remarkable crossbow of the middle of the XVth century, with a description of its media —The description of the XVth century crossbow — The range of its bolts —The arbalestes ribaudequins —The windlass a tour —An historical example —The windlass a cranequin —An historical example —The w'wxAXTiSspieddechevre —-An historical example —Other windlasses of possibly individual construction —The small graffle charging tackle —The crossbow called the " latch " —The pellet crossbow, arbalete ajalet —A sumptuous late example —The various types of bolts discharged from the crossbow —The long bow, the Englishman's droit inesurer —The Morris or short bow— An existing long bow of the early part of the XVIth century —The constant endeavour made by the King and his Council to encourage the use of the long bow . CHAPTER XXn HORSE ARMOUR, THE BIT, SADDLE, AND SPUR FROM THE BECilNNING OF THE XIVth century TO THE END OF THE XVIIth CENTURY The possible date of the first protective apparel for the horse —An unsubstantiated suggestion of its use in the Xlth century —A quotation from Matthew Paris referring to an armed horse early in the Xlllth century —The chanfron of cuir bouilli, mentioned in the vi PAGE 8i . .127 CONTENTS OF VOLUME III list of the famous Windsor Tournament of 1278 —Pictorial illustration of the complete chanfron of about 1350—Other illustrations and allusions to horse armour of the second half of the XIVth century —The Musee d'Artillerie chanfron, dating from the end of the XIVth century; the famous Warwick chanfron; the " Attila" chanfron in the Arsenal of Venice, its possible date —Pictorial evidence as to horse armour in the first half of the XVth century —The war saddle of the XVth century, and the early and historical example from the tomb of King Henry V in the Abbey Church of West minster —Pictorial and sculptural evidence of the formation of the war-saddle in the Xlllth and XIVth centuries —Some fine extant bits of the latter part of the XIVth century —Others of later date —The spur from the end of the Xlllth century —Illustra tion of types of the prick order —The rowel spur —Some sumptuous extant examples of the XIVth and XVth centuries —XVth century saddles other than those used solely for purposes of war —Some highly finished examples in ivory, bone, and gesso duro —Plate armour for the horse in the first half of the XVth century —The few and very rare extant examples —After about A.D. 1460 our knowledge of the subject made more thorough by the existence of more specimens —Certain complete horse armours, now existing, but of slightly later date —The strange absence from Italian pictorial and sculptural art of representations of horse defence —Extant chanfrons as evidence of the style of horse defence in the third quarter of the XVth century —The wholly complete horse armour of the latter years of the century, both English and Continental — Horse armour in the Tower of London—Examples in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna —The deterioration in workmanship towards the second half of the XVIth century Eccentricities of horse armour intended for the tilt yard —The beauty of horse apparel in the second quarter of the XVIth century, when accompanying en suite the suits made by great armourers of the epoch for great personages —Horse armour of the "Spanish" school —Note on the pair of spurs illustrated in Figs. 971 and 971A and on a sword bearing the arms of the House of Dreux PACK ... .... 147 CHAPTER XXIII THE DAWN OF THEXVIth CENTURY —THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY The dawn of the XVIth century —Certain types of decorated armour —The rivalry of armourers that led to the excessive decoration upon armour as the century progressed, which decreased its protective quality and disguised its indifferent construction —The gradual transition from the so-called Gothic armour to the so-called Maximilian — Early XVIth century armour of foremost interest to the English collectors; extant examples in our national armoury, the Tower of London—An endeavour to establish their identit)- with royal ownership accredited to them —The Curators of the armouries at the Tower—The possible makers ofcertain of the Tower Henry VIII suits discussed — The suit formerly preserved in the Chateau de Bonnelle said to have been worn by Gourdon de Genouilhac, its great likeness in form to the double suit of Henry VIII — The armourers of the French school 111 Vll 209 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS CHAPTER XXIV THE MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL The first recognized group of XVIth century armour, all classed under the heading of the Maximilian school, irrespective of nationality —This group in itself divided into three schools, the plain, the fluted, and the grotesque —All contemporaneous and made during the period we might roughly estimate from about 1510 to 1545 —Some characteristic examples of the plain Maximilian harnesses, Italian and German—The fluted Maximilian, some characteristic examples, both Italian and German—Examples of extreme rarity —Under the heading of the Grotesque Maximilian, puffed, slashed, and strangely visored helmets appear, suits of great rarity and of superb workmanship, but bizarre and curious —The grotesqueness in the fashioning of the suits followed the civil dress of the day, expressing in iron the prevailing modes; and the desire to sacrifice the elongated "gothic" lines of a previous generation to those that lend width and sturdiness to the figure —Some very famous puffed and slashed suits, Italian, German, and possibly PAGE French —A forged brass in St. Denis and an absurd tradition —Tradition and armour . 240 CHAPTER XXV ARMOUR OF A TYPE NOW VAGUELY TERMED LANDSKNECHTA^D XVIth CENTURY ARMOUR UNDER CLASSICAL INFLUENCE type of armour belonging to the second quarter of the XVIth century and later, now vaguely classed under the heading of Landsknecht for the want of a more comprehensive name—The greater part of the more ordinary mid-XVIth century armour comes within this category —Some fine examples principally of German make—XVIth century armour, the actual form and decoration of which is influenced by the feeling of the Renaissance —One of the most famous historical suits of the first half of the XVIth century belonging to this group —The master of this school, Bartolommeo Campi of Pesaro, though many armourers, notably of Italy, made classically fashioned suits — Some famous examples —The classical motifs retained throughout the XVIth and even during the XVIIth century, though the classical forms of the actual plates are more directly influenced by the fashion of the time as the century progresses —The Baron de Cosson on the work of Bartolommeo Campi —L'Armure aux Lions and the "Lion " suit in the Tower CHAPTER XXVI ARMOUR TERMED " SPANISH Armour termed " Spanish," a description of a particular type of war harness chiefly supplied to the Spanish Court, made chiefly in Germany —The finest armourers of Augsburg, Landshut, and Innsbriick all worked for Charles V, Philip II, and the grandees of Spain viii 272 CONTENTS OF VOLUME III —The armourers of Northern Italy also requisitioned, their finer appreciation of decorative motifs stimulating their German rivals —Descriptions of the most famous and historical suits of their so-called " Spanish " types CHAPTER XXVII THE SCHOOL OF LUCIO ITCININO The school of Lucio Picinino of Milan, the distinct phases of the style —In the latest phase the marked deterioration, both in workmanship and design, very apparent —Much decorated armour of this latter type, only of the school of Picinino, not even from his workshops, but from the hands of very indifferent imitators —Certain very fine suits, and portions of suits, belonging to the first phase of Lucio Picinino —Certain fine suits, though less grand in the conception of their ornamentation, that we class in the later manners of Picinino CHAPTER XXVIII ARMOUR TERMED "FRENCH " Armour termed " French," in the same category as that termed " Spanish," not directly the work of the country, but made for the court and nobility of France —A suit, though now not in France, we can establish as having been made for Henri II —The Henri II suit in the Mus^e d'Artillerie of Paris; its unknown maker, but its likeness to the pro ductions of Northern Italy —The unfinished so-called suit of Henri II in the Louvre, the chief of a group of works by a goldsmith-armourer whose work is familiar, but whose identity and even nationality have not been ascertained —The arguments ofexperts on the technique and style of the decoration as compared with existing drawings, and with othe'r works of art —Certain suits or parts of suits which may be compared in style with the Louvre suit, though certainly not by the same hand IX PAf.K 302 330 342 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III ''('•• 725. Dagger shown on the effigy of Sir Roger de Kerdeston, early XIVth century. Reepham Church, Norfolk. After Stothard . . 726. From the brass of,Sir Miles Stapleton, arout 1370. Ingham Church. Norfolk. After Stothard 727. Dagger, middle of the XIVth century. Found in London. Guildhall Museum PACK 3 3 ............ 3 728. Dagger, late XIVth century. Found in London. Guildhall Museum . 3 729. Dagger, North German, late XIVth century. Collection: Author . 730. From the brass of 1392 of John Cray, Esquire. Chinnor Church, Oxfordshire 4 ............ 4 731. Dagger, English, about 1390. Found in the Thames at Westminster. Collection: Mr. W. J. Pavyer . . . . . . . . 732. From the brass of Ralph de Knevyngton, 1370. Aveley Church, Essex. After Waller ^2,2,. Dagger, English, about 1400. Found in the Thames at Mortlake. Collection: Mr. H. G. Keasby 734. Dagger, probably middle of the XIVth century. Found at London Wall. Guildhall Museum 735. Dagger, probably middle of the XIVth century. London Museum . 736. Dagger, with bronze hilt, probably North Italian, early XVth century. Collection : Author 72)7 Quillonless bronze-hilted dagger with the crescent-shaped pommel, probably Venetian, about 1400. Ex collection: Signor Ressman . 738. Bronze crescent-shaped dagger pommels (actual size). North Italian, about 1400. Collection: Author . . . 739. Bronze-hilted dagger, Venetian, about 1480. Metropolitan Museum of New York 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 ............ 7 740. Dagger, bronze and ebony hilt, Venetian, about 1480. Collection: Author 7 741. From a picture attributed to Gentile Massi (Da Fabriano), showing A Northern Italian dagger of about 1440-50 742. Dagger, probably Burgundian, about 1470-80. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby 7 .........••• 7 xi EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS riG. 743. From the effigy of Sir Hugh Caveley, about 1390. Bunbury Church, Cheshire. After Stothard 744. From the brass of John Corp, 1391. Stoke Fleming Church, Devonshire. After Waller 745. From the brass of a Franklin, about 1370. Shottesbrooke Church, Berkshire PAGE 9 ............. 9 9 746. Basilard knife, probably XIIIth century. Found in the Thames. London Museum ........... 10 747. Basilard dagger, late XIVth century. Found in Brook's Wharf, Upper Thames Street. Guildhall Museum . . . . . . .10 748. Basilard dagger, German, early XVth century. Found near Frankfort on-Main. Collection: Author 749. From the effigy of Johann von Holzhausen, about 1410. Kaiser Dom of Frankfort 750. Basilard dagger, North German, early XVth century. Collection: Author 751. Basilard dagger, late XIVth century. Found in London. Guildhall Museum . . . • . . . . . . . 10 10 10 .10 752. Slender basilard dagger, German, about 1420. Collection: Sir H. Farn ham Burke, K.C.V.0 753. Dagger of basilard type. North Italian, first half of the XIVth century. Victoria and Albert Museum . . . . . 11 .12 754. Dagger of basilard type, French work, second half of the XIVth CENTURY. Hermitage, Petrograd 755. Dagger of basilard type, probably Venetian, first half of the XIVth CENTURY. Collection: Dr. Bashford Dean, New York . . 12 .12 756. Dagger, English, late XIVth century. Found in- London. British Museum • . • . . . . . . . . 757. Dagger, English, late XIVth century. Enriched with figures of saints in enamel. Found at Duston, near Northampton. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby H ............ 14 758a;. Dagger, English, late XIVth century (side view). Found inXondon. Guildhall Museum-14 758(5. The same dagger, VIEWED from THE front, SHOWING THE inscription . 759. Dagger, English, late XIVth century. Found in the Thames, West minster. London Museum 760. Dagger, English, late XIVth century. Found in Kingsway, London. London Museum 14 15 ........... 15 xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III FIG. 761. From the brass of Sir Edward Cerne, 1393. Draycot Cerne Church, Wiltshire 762. From the brass of John Cressy, Esq., 1414. Dodford Church, North . amptonshire . 763. . . . . . . . . From the brass of Ystase de Seron, about 1382. Chapel of Ease at Seron, near Forville , . . . . . , . ........... 764. Engraving by H. Schauffelin from the Theuerdank, showing the rondel dagger 765. 766. Rondel dagger, early XVth century. Found in Old Swan Lane, 1867. Guildhall Museum . . . . . . . From the brass of Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, 1401. St. Mary's Church, Warwick . . . . . . 767. Rondel dagger, English, about 1400. Found at Walthamstow. London Museum PAGE 16 . . . . .16 .16 1 7 .17-19 ............ 19 768. From the brass of an unknown knight, about 1405. Laughton Church, Lincolnshire . . . . . . . . . . ............. 19 770. .19 769. From the brass of Sir Reginald de Cobham, 1403. Lingfield Church, Surrey Rondel dagger, English, about 1430. Found in Upper Thames Street on the shore of the Thames. London Museum . . . . ............. 20 771. .19 From the brass of Sir William Vernon, 1467. Tong Church, Shrop shire j-ji. TJT^. Rondel dagger, first half of the XVth century. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 114) . . . . . . . .20 Rondel dagger, English, about 1450-60. Found in the Thames, London. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby ....... 20 774. Rondel dagger, probably English, about 1440. Ex collection : Signor Ressman ............ 21 775. Rondel dagger, English, early XVth century. Found at Brook's Wharf, Upper Thames Street. Guildhall Museum . . . .21 776. Rondel dagger, English, early XVth century. Found in the Clerkenwell Road in 1864. Guildhall Museum •JTJ. From the brass of John Daundelyon, gent., 1445. Church of St. John the Baptist, Margate 778. Rondel dagger, English, about 1430. Found in the Thames, London. British Museum 779. Rondel dagger, English, about 1440. Found in Horseferry Road, Westminster. London Museum . • 21 22 22 • . • 22 . . . . xiii EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS ' FIG. j2>oa,b. Rondel dagger, probably French, about 1450. Found in a peat fen in the north of France. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. no). («) The hilt; {b) general proportions PACK ....... 23 781. Rondel dagger, probably English, about 1450-60. Found in the Thames. Collection: Author .......... 23 782. Rondel dagger, English, about 1460-70. Found at Broken Wharf, Thames Street. London Museum ....... 25 783. Rondel d.\gger, English, about 1460-70. The scabbard, though of the right type, does not belong to the dagger. Found in the Horseferry Road, Westminster. London Museum . . . . . . 784. Rondel d.\gger and its sheath, Italian, probably Belunese, about 1470. It is said to have belonged to the Archduke Sigismund of Tyrol. Imperial Armoury, Vienna . . . . . . . . 25-27 785. Rondel d.\gger with its sheath, Burgundian, about 1480. National Bavarian Museum, Munich ......... 27 786. Rondel dagger, Burgundian, about 1480. Ex collection: Signor Ressman ...... ...... 27 787. Rondel dagger with its sheath, Burgundian, about 1490-15 10. Ex collection: Bernal. Victoria and Albert Museum . . . .28 788. Rondel dagger, Burgundian, about 1500. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby ............ 28 789. Rondel dagger and sheath with Renaissance decoration, of uncertain age, but in the style of the early years of the XVIth century. Collection: M. Edmond Foulc, Paris . . . . . . 790.-29 From a portrait attributed to Colin de NeufchAtel, showing the mid-XVIth century case of a rondel dagger. Collection: Mr. George Durlacher .......... 29 791. Dagger or dirk, Scottish, lateXVIIth century. Ex collection : the late Sir Noel Paton, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh . . .-31 792. From the brass of Sir William de Aldeburgh, about 1360. Aldborough Church, Yorkshire . . . . . . . . .-31 793. From the br.\ss of Robert Parys, 1379. Hildersham Church, Cam bridgeshire ............ 32 794. Dagger, on the effigy of John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, about 1434. Church of Arundel . ' . . . . . . .-32 795. Dagger, French, about 1400-20. Ex collection: Baron de Cosson. Metropolitan Museum of New York-32 796. Dagger, French, about 1430-50. Metropolitan Museum, New York xiv . 2)2t LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III FIC. 797. Dagger, French, about 1430-50. Multi-sectioned blade. Metropolitan Museum, New York .......... 798. Dagger and sheath, probably Flemish, about 1450-60. Wallace Col lection (Laking Catalogue, No. 113) . . . 799. Dagger, English, about 1470. Found in Horseferry Road, Westminster London Museum .......... 800. Dagger, English, about 1480. Found in the Thames, Westminster Author Collection : 801. Dagger, English, about 1480. ......... ........... Found in London. Guildhall Museum ... 802. Dagger, English, about 1460. Collection: Author 803. Dagger, English, about 1440-50. British Museum 804. Dagger, about 1470. Found in the Rhine. Collection: Mr. Henry G Keasby ........... 805. Dagger and sheath, Flemish, about 1460. Ex collections: M.Victor Gay and Baron de Cosson, now collection of Author 806. Dagger, about 1460. Collection: Author 807. Dagger, tri-quilloned type, French, about 1460. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby ........... 808. Dagger, Flemish, about 1460. Ex collection: Sir Samuel Meyrick, now collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby . ... 809. Dagger, Flemish, about 1460. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby 810. Dagger, Flemish, about 1460. Found in the Moselle. Collection: Mr Henry G. Keasby . . . . . . . . ........... 811. Dagger, probably Flemish, about 1460. Collection: Mr. Henry G Keasby 812. Dagger, probably English, about 1470. Found in London. Guildhall Museum ............ 813. Dagger, with an elaborated ivory hilt of "kidney" type. North Italian, about 1490-1500. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 116) . . . 814. Dagger, WITH two views of its leather sheath. English, about 1540 From the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, 16 February 1888 Dr. Figdor, Vienna Collection : 8i5«. Dagger, WITH ITS SHEATH. English, about 1 540. Collection: Author ....... 8 1 5(5. The SAME dagger, differently VIEWED. Collection: Author . 816. Dagger, English, about 1540. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle ............ Ill XV PAGE 35 35 35 36 36 36 Zl 2,7 2>7 39 39 39 39 41 41 41 42 42 42 43 C EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS FIG 817. Dagger, English, ABOUT 1540. From Woodbridge, Suffolk. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby 818. Dagger and sheath, English, about 1540. Found in the thatch of a cottage at Weldrake, Yorkshire, 1846. Collection: Mr, Henry G. Keasby 819. Dagger, English, about 1540-60. Salting Bequest to the Victoria and Albert Museum 820. Engraving from the Theuerdank, by H. Schauffelin, showing the " kidney " dagger, worn in civil costume PAGE 43 43 45 ...... 45 821. Dagger, German, 1541. Victoria and Albert Museum R.A. ; .... 45 822. Daggers, {a) Dagger, sheath, and knives, English, about 1620. Collec tion: Mr. S. Willson; {J}) Dagger, English, about 1620. Found in a cottage at Gloucester. Collection: Mr. J. Seymour Lucas, R.A. ; {c) Dagger and sheath, English, about 1620. Found in a cottage at Gloucester. Collection: Mr. J. Seymour Lucas, R.A; [d) Dagger, with inscription on blade, dated 1626. Collection: Mr. J. Seymour Lucas, {e) Dagger, sheath, and knife, English, dated 1628. Collection: Mr. H. G. Radford; (/) Dagger, English, about 1630-40. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle 47 823. Bronze yataghan hilt, about a.d. 400-600. From Ardabil, Persia. British Museum 824. Dagger, silvered bronze hilt, probably English, about 1480. Found in the Thames, Westminster. Collection: Author . . . 49-49 825. Dagger, iron hilt, probably Spanish, about 1500. Collection: Baron de Cosson 826. Dagger, iron hilt, Italian (Venetian), about 1500. Wallace Collec tion (Laking Catalogue, No. 109) 49 ........ 49 827. Dagger, PROBABLY Spanish, about 1490. Collection: Viscount Astor . 828. Daggers. («, t) Probably North Italian, about 1500; {b, d) Hispano MooRisii, about 1490. Ex collection: Signor Ressman, now in the Bargello Museum, Florence . • . . . . . . . 829. Dagger, Italian, about 1500, with silver niello PLAQUt;s on the grip, gilt plaquettes on the pommel. Ex collection: Lord Londesborough. Metropolitan Museum, New York . . . . . . 50 51-52 830. Dagger, Spanish, about 1500, with silver niello plaques on the grip. Collection: Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi, Rome . . . . .52 831. Dagger, gilt hilt, with settings of turquoise and mother-of-pearl. In the style of the XVIth century. Metropolitan Museum, New York xvi 54 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III FIG. 832. 833 834 «, 835 836. 837 838. 838A. 839 840. 841. 842. 843 844. 845 846. 847. 848. 849. Dagger, Italian (Venetian), about 1500. Metropolitan Museum, New York Dagger, Italian (Venetian), about 1500. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. iii) . b. Ear Daggers, with carved ivory grip.s and gold damascened mounts, PROBABLY Spanish, about 1490. Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan Ear Dagger, reputed to be the weapon with which Galeazzo Sforza WAS murdered by Andrea Lampugnano. Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan Portrait of Edward VI, showing the king wearing an "ear" pommel dagger. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle Dagger and sheath —"Holbein" type, German or Swiss, about 1530 Imperial Armoury, Vienna ........ Dagger sheath from an original wash drawing by Hans Holbein, the 497- 1543. Bale Museum Drawings of dagger sheaths by Hans Holbein .... younger, 1 Dagger and sheath —"Holbein " type, German or Swiss, about 1540, Musee du Louvre ......... Dagger and sheath, German, Landsknecht type, about 1540. Collec tion: Mr. Henry G. Keasby . . . Dagger, German, Landsknecht type, about 1520. Collection: Mr, Henry G. Keasby Dagger, German, Landsknecht type, but probably of English worK' mansihp, about 1520. Found at Brook's Wharf, Thames Street, 1866 Guildhall Museum , . . . . Engraving by Heinrich Aldegrever, from Die Hochzeitstanzek, showing the " Holbein " dagger and the skirt from which the fashion of the tonnlet was derived .......... Pommel, Italian, about 1520. Collection: Signor Ressman, Bargello Museum, Florence Dagger hilt. North Italian, about 1520. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle ........... ....... Dagger of the cinquedea type. North Italian, about 1520-40. Collec tion: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle Dagger of the cinquedea type, bronze gilt hilt. North Italian, about 1520. Metropolitan Museum, New York ...... Thrusting dagger, known as a katAk, peculiar to India Dagger of the cinquedea type, Italian, probably Veronese, about 1440 50. Metropolitan Museum, New York ...... xvii PAGE 54 54 55 55 56 57 57 58 59 60 60 60 61 62 63 64 64 66 ^1 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND arms: FIG. 850. Blade of a cinquedea, etched and gilded in the manner of Ercole dei FiDELi, end of the XVth century. Collection: the late Mr. Frederick Stibbert, Florence . . . . . . . 851. Cinquedea, Italian (Venetian), about 1480. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 98)
　852. Nine cinquedea sword daggers of late XVth and early XVIth century date Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, Nos. 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 98, 99, 100, and 101
PAGE . . . 68 69 ......... 70 853. Cinquedea, Italian (Venetian), about 1500. Victoria and Albert Museum 72 854. Cinquedea with its original scabbard. North Italian, about 1490. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle . . . .-72 855. Cinquedea, pommel and grip overlaid with silver decorated with niello. North Italian, about 1490-1500. Ex collection : Lord Car michael ............ 74 856. Cinquedea, with MOTHfeR-oF-PEARL plaques applied to the grip, North Italian, about 1490-1500. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford . ' • • 857. Cinquedea with its original scabbard, North Italian, about 1490-1500. Ex collection, Lord Londesborough . . . . . . 75-75 858. Cinquedea, North Italian, ABOUT 1490-1 500. Tower of London . . 859. Cinquedea, North Italian, late XVth century, with etched blade. Musee du Louvre 75 .......... 76 860. Cinquedea. (a) With original scabbard. North Italian, about 1490- 1500. J 776, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris; (d) With original scabbard, North Italian, about 1 490-1 500. J 774, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris; (c) With original scabbard. North Italian, about 1490-1500. J 775, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . . . . . . . . . .-77 861. Cinquedea with its original scabbard. North Italian, about 1490 1500. Musee du Louvre .-78 862. Cinquedea, Italian, probably Bolognese, about 1490-1500. Collection: Signor Ressman, Bargello Museum, Florence . . . . .78 863. Cinquedea with its original scabbard, probably Venetian, about 1500. Collection: Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi, Rome ..... 78 863A. Cinquedea, said to have been presented by Charles V to Francis I. Collection : Prince Collorado of Prague ...... 79 864. War lance, probably of early XVth century. Collection : Sir Edward Barry, Bart. . . , . . . . . . . .82 865. Coronel heads of a tilting lance, (a) Late XVth century; (d) Early XVIth century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna xviii 82 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III FIG. 866. Central portion of the large but hollow lance, known as that of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Tower of London, Class VII, No. 50 PAGE 82 867. Vamplate of a tilting lance, late XVth century. Wallace Collection . 83 868. From the picture of Mars and Venus. Painted for Lorenzo the Mag nificent by Alessandro Filipepi, known as Sandro Botticelli. National Gallery 869. Central portions of two tilting lances, late XVIth century. Wallace Collection 84 ............ 85 870. Swedish feather, XVIth and XVIIth centuries. Collection: the late Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant, New York ...... 86 871. War-hammer, probably French, first half of the XVth century. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 23) . . . . .88 872. War-hammer, probably French, first half of the XVth century. Metropolitan Museum, New York 873. War-hammer, probably French, first half of the XVth century. Ex collection: Due de Dino. Metropolitan Museum, New York . . Collection : 874. War-hammer head, Italian, or possibly Spanish, late XVth century. Mr. Felix Joubert 875. Mace head, probably XIVth century. London Museum 88 88 88 ... 90 876. Relief figure from the sleeping guards armed with a mace, second half of the XIIIth century. From the Easter Sepulchre, Lincoln Cathedral . . . . . . . . . . . .90 877. Mace head of iron, possibly of the middle of the XIVth century. Collection: M. Charles Boissonnas, Geneva . . . . . .91 878. Mace with a head of iron, late XIVth century. National Bavarian Museum, Munich . . . . . . . . .-91 879. Mace, probably French, about 1470. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 621) . . . . . . . . 880. Mace, French, about 1480. Collection: Baron de Cosson .-91 ... 92 881. Mace, French, about 1480. Collection: M. Charles Boissonnas, Geneva. 92 882. Mace, probably Bavarian, about 1490. From the collection of Prince Mikhailovitch Galitzine. Now in the Hermitage, Petrograd . . 883. Mace, originally hafted with wood, late XVth century. Collection: Author 92 ............ 93 884. Mace, from an incised slab, late XI Vth century. Formerly in the Church of Culture-Sainte Catherine, Paris. After Planche .... 93 885. Mace, Italian, about 1520. Collection: Viscount Astor . . . xix 94 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS flG. 886. Knightly pole-axe and hammer, first half of the XVth century. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 23) PAGE ..... 96 887. Knightly pole-axe and hammer, probably French, third quarter of the XVth century. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 54) . 96 888. Knightly war-hammer, third quarter of the XVth century. National Bavarian Museum, Munich 96 889. Knightly pole-axe, third quarter or the XVth century. Ex collec tion: Lord Londesborough. Collection: Mr. S. G. Fenton . . .96 890. Sir John Astley's fight with Philip Boyle at Smithfield in 1441-2. Hastings MS. ........... 97 891. Three knightly pole-arms, (a) Pole-axe, probably French, about 1480. Metropolitan Museum, New York; (d) War-hammer, Italian, about 1500. Noel Paton Collection, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh; {c) Pole-axe, about 1480. The head of this weapon was found at Newbury. Collection: Mr. Godfrey Williams 892. Douce MS., Bodleian, No. 271 893. From "The History of St. Ursula." By Vittore Carpaccio, showing the heavy pole-hammer and the Mc/ie (Tarmes carried by the knights and soldiers. Accademia, Venice 98 99 ....... 100 894. " How A man schall be armyd at his ese when he schal fighte on foote." Hastings MS 100 895. From ThePageantofRichardBeauchamp, Earl of Warwick. Richard Beauchamp fighting Pandolph Malatete en champ clos, armed with war hammers, showing the protective rondels on the hafts . . . .101 896. From a woodcut. No. 18, Lirer Swabian Chronicle, about 1484. Graf von dem Rotenfan fights for the honour of Queen Kathay . . .102 896A. Pole-axe, probably English, early XVIth century. K 84, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . . 897. Pole-axe, probably Burgundian, about 1480. Ex collections: Meyrick and Noel Paton. Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh 103 .... 103 898. The " Luzern" hammer, Swiss, about 1560. Collection: Author . . 899. Glaives, (a) Italian (Venetian), early XV Ilth century. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 740) ; {d) Probably made in Italy for Francois de Bourbon, Due de Montmorency, 1539- 1592. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 733) 103 ........ 105 900. From the side of a carved ivory casket of the early XIVth century, SHOWING A warrior ARMED WITH A SHIELD AND A HAFTED WEAPON, NOW TERMED THE VOULGE .......... Io6 XX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III FIG. goia. Hafted weapon that might be termed the voulge, late XVth century, Ex collection: Baron de Cosson 90i<5. Hafted weapon that might be termed the voulge, late XVth century Ex collection: Baron de Cosson, now Tower of London ....... ....... .... 902. Spetum, about 1480. Noel Baton Collection, Royal Scottish Museum Edinburgh 903. Spetum, Italian, about 1530. K 514, Musee d'Artillerie, Baris 904. Spetum, Italian, about 1530. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue No. 339) 905. Bartizan, Italian, ABOUT 1540. K 394, Musee d'Artillerie, Baris 906. Bartizan, about 1480. National Bavarian Museum, Munich . 907. Hafted weapons, inclusive of the bill, from the perished frescoes of THE first half OF THE XIIIth CENTURY. Formerly in the Bainted Chamber, Westminster . . . . . . 908. Bill head, late XVth century. National Bavarian Museum, Munich 909. Bill head, early XVIth century. Noel Baton Collection, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh ......... 910. Large bill, early XVIIth century, etched with the arms of Louis XI11 OF France. K 197, Musee d'Artillerie, Baris .... 911. Small Bill, EARLY XVIth century. Tower of London . 912. Bill, Italian, early XVIth century. Wallace Collection (Laking Cata logue, No. 310) . 913. Bill, early XVIth century. Noel Baton Collection, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh . . . . . . ....... 914. "Brown" Bill, English, late XVIth century. Found at Sudbury Suffolk. Collection: Author 915. Miniature bill, probably of English workmanship, early XVIth cen TURY. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 724) 916. Guisarme, late XVth CENTURY. Tower of London 917. Guisarme, LATE XVth CENTURY. Collection: Baron de Cosson 918. Fighting AXE, LATE XIVtii century. Wallace Collection (Laking Cata .......... logue. No. 20) 919. Fighting axe, probably from Northern Europe, late XIVth century Metropolitan Museum, New York ...... 920. Austrian bardische, first half of the XVth century, probably decor ated in Venice. Metropolitan Museum, New York . 921. Lochaber axe, Scottish, early XVIIth century. Noel Baton Collec tion, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh xxi ..... PAGE 106 106 108 108 108 109 109 . I I I I 12 I 12 I 12 H3 114 114 116 116 117 117 117 117 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS FIG. 922. 923 924. 925 926. 927. 928. 929. 930 931 932. 933 934 935 936. 937 LOCHABER AXE, PROBABLY SCOTTISH, EARLY XVI ItII CENTURY. K 74, Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris ........... LoCHABER AXE, SCOTTISH, LATE XVI ItH CENTURY. ToWCr of London Battle-axe, of the type of the Jedburgh axe, probably of early German XVIth century. K 69, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris Hacberd of the voulge type, commonly known as the " Sempach " hal berd, early years of the XVth century. Collection : M. Charles Boissonnas, Geneva .......... Halberds, (a) German or Swiss, about 1440. Collection: M. Charles Boissonnas, Geneva; (d) German or Swiss, about 1450. Wallace Collec tion (Laking Catalogue, No. 341); (c) German, about 1460. Collection: M. Charles Boissonnas, Geneva; (d) German, about 1470. Ex collec tion: Baron de Cosson; (e) Swiss, about 1460. Collection: M. Charles Boissonnas, Geneva; {/) Probably German, about 1470. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 333) Military flail, probably late XVIth century. Noel Paton Collection, ....... Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh Holy water sprinkler, Swiss, late XVIth century. Collection : M. ........ Charles Boissonnas, Geneva Morning star, late XVIth century. Found in the valley of Conches, Haut-Valais, in 191 2. Collection: M. Charles Boissonnas, Geneva The head of " King Henry ye 8th walking staff," early XVIth cen tury. Tower of London ......... ............' Secret ranseur, Italian, middle of the XVIth century. Tower of London " Les Chroniques d'Angleterre " (temp. Edward IV). Roy. MS. 14, E. iv, fol. 210, British Museum ........ The great wall crossbow compared in size to the ordinary crossbow and archer's PAVOis. National Bavarian Museum, Munich . Drawing showing the working, of the windlass a tour .... Crossbow with stirrup, probably Italian, about 1490- 1500, presented by King Louis XII of France to the Archduke Philip of Austria. Imperial Armoury, Vienna ......... ..... Crossbow, German, about 1460, which belonged to Ulrich V of Wur temberg. Metropolitan Museum, New York Crossbows, {a) German, dated 1575, showing the moulinet in position. From the Franz Thill Collection, Vienna; {b) German, about 1470-80, showing the twisted cord. From the Franz Thill Collection, Vienna . xxii PAGE 118 118 118 120 122 123 123 123 125 129 131 132 134 135 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III FIG. 938. Crossbow, probably NorthernFrench, about 1470. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 143) . . . , . . 939. Crossbow, Spanish, about 1550, made by Juan de Ensinas for Ferdinand, King of the Romans, younger brother of Charles V. Wallace Col lection (Laking Catalogue, No. 1327) . . . . . 940. Crossbow levers. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, Nos. 1287 and 1291) 941. Crossbow with attached lever showing methods of discharge, French, about 1570. Tower of London . . . . . , 942. Miniature reproduced from the MS. of Gaston Phoebus, showing the bending of the crossbow by means of the graffle. National Library of France PAGE . . . .136-138 139 ,140 ............ 141 943. The double cords AS used ON the ^A-iJ^zAr^ iy.-i/.£7' . . . .142 944. Crossbow prodd, Italian, late XVIth century, showing the use of the double strings. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 1018) . » 945. Pistol arbalete, Nuremberg make, end of the XVIth century. Col lection: Author . . . . . . . . . . 142 .143 946. Bolt heads of various types, XVth and XVIth centuries. From various collections . . . . . . . . . .144 947. Bow stave of yew. Recovered from the wreck of the " Mary Rose," sunk near .Spithead in 1545. Tower of London ..... 145 948. Mail caparisons as depicted on a fresco from the Painted Chamber, Palace OF Westminster, EARLY XII Ith CENTURY. 949. .... 148 Mail caparisons as depicted on a fresco from the Painted Chamber, Palace OF Westminster, EARLY XII Ith CENTURY. .... 149 950. Seal OF Patrick Dunbar, iotii Earl of March, 1292 95 1 . .... 149 A probable Celtic bronze chanfron, found at Torrs, Kirkcudbright shire. National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh .... 149 952. From a miniature in the Hofbibliothek, Munich, about 1350. After John Hewett ............ 149 953. From a miniature, showing chanfron and crinet. Add. MSS. 15477, British Museum ........... 149 954. Chanfron, profile view, about 1370. G 578, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . 150 955. Chanfron, front view, about 1370. G 578, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris '. 150 956. Carved ivory chessman, about 1370. Formerly in the collection of the Rev. J. Eagles . . . . . . . . . . .150 957. Two Views of a chanfron, late XIVth century. Warwick Castle Arm oury. After Grose . . . . . . . . . III xxiii d 151 152 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III FIG. 973. Bronze gilt rowel spurs. (a) Italian, about 1380; (d) Italian, about 1370; (c) Italian, about 1370. Collection: the late Signor Ressman, Bargello Museum, Florence . . . . . . . 974. Bronze rowel spur, probably German, about 1440. Collection: the late Signor Ressman, Bargello Museum, Florence . . 975. Cantle plate of a saddle in carved ivory, North Italian, first half OF THE XIIIth century. Musee du I ouvrc 976. Cantle plate of a saddle in carved ivory, probably Italian, first quarter OF the XIVtii CENTURY. Musee du Louvre . . 977. BoNE-COVERED SADDLE OF WeNZEL I, KiNG OF THE ROMANS, ABOUT 1380. Imperial Armoury, Vienna . . . . . . . 978. BoNE-COVERED SADDLE, PROBABLY ITALIAN, LATE XIVtII CENTURY. Metro politan Museum, New York . . . . 979. . . . BoNE-COVERED SADDLE, ITALIAN, EARLY XVtH CENTURY. Metropolitan Museum, New York . . . . . . . . 980. BoNE-COVERED SADDLE, GeRMAN, OR POSSIBLY ITALIAN, FIRST HALF OF THE XVth CENTURY. Ex collection: Meyrick. Now in the Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 296) . . . . 981. BoNE-COVERED SADDLE, GeRMAN, FIRST HALF OF THE XVtH CENTURY. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 298) . . . 982. Saddle covered with gesso duro. North Italian, middle of the XVth CENTURY. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 297) . PACE . . . . . . . . . .168 . (68 169 .169 .170 .170 • '7i-173-173-173 983. Bone-covered saddle, German, EARLY XVth CENTURY. Tower of London 174 984. BoNE-COVERED "SADDLE, ITALIAN, MIDDLE OF THE XVtH CENTURY. Ex collection: Herr Richard Zschille . . . . . . . .174 985. BoNE-COVERED SADDLE, ITALIAN, FIRST HALF OF THE XVtH CENTURY. Col • . . . . . lection : Signor S. Bardini, Florence . 986. Chanfron AND CRINET. From Monsieur E. Fremiet's equestrian statue ot the Due d'Orleans . . . . . . . • . 175 .176 987. Equestrian armour, composite and of French character, about 1475. G I, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris 988. Equestrian armour, comprehensively French, about 1475. Wallace Col lection 989. Verrocchio's equestrian statue of Bartglommeo Colleoni, Venice, cast BY LeOI'ARDI about 1476 . • • . • . . . . 990. Donatello's equestrian statue of General Gattamelata, Padua . 991. St. George. From the painting by Vittore C'arpaccio in the Scuola of San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, Venice XXV ^n 179 180 iSi 182 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS KIG. 992. From Vittore Carpaccio's picture of " The Ten Thousand Martyrs." Accademia, Venice . . . . . . 993. Equestrian armour, composite, but comprehensively Italian, about 1460-70. Collection: the late Mr. Frederick Stibbert, Florence. 994. Chanfron, probably Spanish, about 1480. From the armoury of Charles V. F no, Royal Armoury, Madrid 995. Chanfron, late XVth century, traditionally supposed to have been used by Francis I at the battle of Pavia. From the armoury of Charles V. F 113, Royal Armoury, Madrid 996. Chanfron in the flamboyant "Gothic" style, French, about 1480. The Rotunda, Woolwich . . . . . 997. Chanfron, about 1480. Collection: Sir Edward Barry, Bart. 998. Chanfron, possibly Italian, 1470. Collection: Mr. Alfred W. Cox, Glendoick, Perthshire . . . . 999. Chanfron, possibly English, about 1500. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle . . . . . . . 1000. Equestrian armour made for Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Augsburg WORK, about 1502. Imperial Armoury, Vienna . 1 001. PoiTREL, FROM AN EQUESTRIAN SUIT, ABOUT 1500. Tower of London 1002. Horse armour, possibly an Italian foundation worked upon in Ger many, ABOUT 1500-10, presented BY THE EmPEROR MAXIMILIAN ELECT TO King Henry VIII. Tower of London PAGE . . . . . . . . . .183 . . . . 184 185 185 186 186 .187 .187 . . . 189 190 ...... 192 1003. Equestrian armour, probably decorated in England about 15 15 to complete the Seusenhofer suit sent by the Emperor Maximilian I to King Henry VIII. Tower of London ...... 193 1004. The harnischmeister of the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, 1480, showing a complete equestrian armour. From a picture in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna . . . . . . . . 1005. From Hans Burgkmaier's "Trumph OF Maximilian" .195 .... 196 1006. Croupi£re for a horse in cuir bouilli, one of a large number purchased in 1547 for the Scottish campaign. Tower of Lon don ............. 197 1007. Padded poitrel for jousting, known as the uourt ok stechkissen, late XVth century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna 1008. From Hans Burgkmaier's "Triumph of Maximilian," showing the padded hourt in position . 198 • 1 . . . . . . . J009. A " blind " chanfron made in 1530 for Ferdinand I. Imperial Armoury, Vienna . . . . .-. . . . . . 99 .199 xxvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III FIG. loio. Model of a German jousting harness of about 1540 with the horse ARMOUR, SHOWING THE HORSE AND THE PADDED STECffA'JSSEJVlH POSITION. National Bavarian Museum, Munich PAGE ....... 200 101 1. Saddle of wood covered with hide and partly with canvas. Tower of London. From the collection of the Baron Peuker, Berlin . . . 1012. Equestrian armour made for Maximilian I, the Emperor, in Nurem berg, about the year 1508. Imperial Armoury, Vienna . . . 1013. Equestrian armour made by Sigismund Wolf of Landshut in 1554 for Philip II of Spain. A 243 to 262, Royal Armoury, Madrid . . 1014. Chanfrons. («) From the armour of Henry, Prince of Wales, English, Greenwich School, early XVI Ith century. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle ; [b) Italian, first half of the XVIth century. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 137); {c) English, late XVIth cen tury. From the armour of George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, 1558 1605. Tower of London; (d) German, under Italian influence, first half of the XVIth century. Tower of London ; (e) French (remade), first half of the XVIth century. Metropolitan Museum, New York ; [/) Probably English, early XVIIth century. Tower of London . 1014A. Sword, probably French and of about 1340, the pommel bears the arms OF the house of Dreux. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell . 1015. The horse armoury of the Tower of London in 1809. After Rowland son. From Ackermann's " Microcosm of London " . . . 151 1 201 202 204 205 .' 207 .215 1016. Suit of armour presented to Henry VIII, made some time between and 1^14 for the Emperor Maximilian I of Germany, the work of Conrad Seusenhofer of Innsbruck. Tower of London . 219 1017. From a drawing dated 1510 (signed A. D ). A sui.t of armour much like the Henry VIII Seusenhofer suit in the Tower. Gallery of Engravings, Berlin . . . . . . , . . .220 1017A. Tonnlets. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York . 1018. Suit of armour for fighting on foot, made- for King Henry VIII, probably English, first quarter of the XVIth century, (a) Front [b) Back view. Tower of London .221 view ; ...... 223 1019. Inside view of the culette of the suit illustrated in fig. 1018, show ing THE working of THE SLOTTED ALMAINE RIVETS. Tower of London . . . . . . . . . . .-225 1020. Suit of armour for fighting on foot, made for Henry VIII, first QUARTER of THE XVItH CENTURY, POSSIBLY ENGLISH, PRODUCED UNDER Italian influence. Tower of London ...... 226 xxvii EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS FIG. • I02I a, b. Suit of armour for man and horse, probably of French make, DATED 1537, BY TRADITION MADE FOR JaCQUES GoURDON DE GeNOUILHAC, Grand Master of artillery to Francis I, showing {a) the armour as WORN WHEN MOUNTED, WITH SADDLE AND HORSE ARMOUR, AND [d) THE ARMOUR ON A DISMOUNTED FIGURE. Formerly in the possession of the Duchesse d'Uzes, now in the Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York . . . . . . . . . 1022. Locking gauntlet of the Genouilhac suit, showing the design of THE etching . . . . . . . . 1023. One part of the great suit of armour made for Henry VIII, prob ably OF French make, about 1540. With the exception of the saddle steels, the horse armour is associated. Removed from the Tower of London to Windsor Castle in 1914 by command of H.M. the King PAGE . . . . .229 .231 ............ 232 1024. The other part of the great suit of armour, also illustrated in FIG. 1023, made for Henry VI 11. The poitrel and croupiere are asso ciated. Tower of London ......... 233 1025. A " falling " buffe, etched. Tower of London . . . . . 1026. Brayette, belonging to the suit illustrated in figs. 1023 and 1024. Removed from Windsor Castle to the Tower of London in 1914 by command of H.M. the King 234 ........ 234 1027. A locking gauntlet, a bridle mitten gauntlet, a pair of cuisses, two grand-guards, a pair of mitten gauntlets, a reinforcing elbow plate, and the cantle plates of a saddle. Removed from Windsor Castle to the Tower of London in 1914 by command of H.M. the King 235 1028. Plates, probably from the croupiere of the horse armour, Henry VIII suit. Removed from Windsor Castle to the Tower of London in 1914 by command of H.M. the King . . . . . . . 1 028a. Reinforcing plate of the breastplate of the Genouilhac suit show ing the designs of the etching 236 ....... 237 1029. The Emperor Maximilian at his armourer's. From the Weiss Kunig . 240 1029A. Gothic pauldrons {a, b). The Rotunda, Woolwich . . . .241 1030. Suit of armour, stated to have been made for Count Andreas von SoNNENBURG, about 1508, BY KOLOMAN KoLMAN OF AuGSBURG. Imperial Armoury, Vienna ......... 242 1031. Suit of armour, probably Italian, but in the German fashion, first QUARTER OF THE XVIth CENTURY. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 316) . . . . . . . xxviii . . . 242 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III FlC' 103 1 A. Breastplate, early XVIth century, bearing the marks of one of the Seusenhofer FAMILY. Collection: Mr. S. J. VVhawell . 1032. Suit of armour, German (Nuremberg), first quarter of the XVIth century. Collection: the late Mr. Frederick Stibbert, Florence 1033. St. George. From the picture of " St. George and the Dragon," by Paris Bordone PAGE • . . . 243 244 ........... 245 1034. Suit of armour, said to have been made for Count Eitel Friedrich von ZoLLERN, about 1503, OF ITALIAN FASHION. Imperial Armoury, Vienna 247 IO34A. CUISSE, KNEE-COP, JAMB, AND SOLLERET, FROM THE SO-CALLED BayARD SUIT. The Rotunda, Woolwich ......... 247 1035. Part of a suit of armour, probably made for Charles de Bourbon, Constable of France, Italian (Milanese), Missaglia School, first quarter of the XVIth century. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan New York 1036. Suit of armour, German (Nuremberg), first quarter of the XVIth century. Ex collections: Lord Stafford at Costessey Hall, Norfolk; Cosson; Stuyvesant Collection. Now on loan to the Metropolitan Museum, New York 248 .......... 250 1036A. Breastplate. The Rotunda, Woolwich 251 1037. Suit of armour (composite), German (Nuremberg), first half of the XVIth century. Ex Dino Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York 253 1038. Suit of armour (composite), German (Nuremberg), middle of the XVIth century. Ex Meyrick Collection. Now Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 779) . . . . . . .-253 1039. Suit of armour (slightly composite), (a) front view; (d) profile VIEW. Possibly the work of Franz Scroo of Brussels, first quarter of the XVIth century. Ex Dino Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York .......... 255 1040. Suit of armour, .said to have been made for Wilhelm, Freiherr von Rogendorf by Koloman Kolman of Augsburg about 1520. Imperial Armoury, Vienna .......... 259 104 1. Slashed armour, as represented in Jacopo da Pontormo's (Carrucci's) portrait of Ippolito de' Medici in the Pitti Palace, Florence . 1042. Portions of a suit of armour, German, first quarter of the XVIth century. Ex Meyrick Collection. Wallace Collection (Laking Cata logue, No. 380) 1043. Portions of part of a slashed suit, German, first quarter of the XVIth century. Tower of London. Purchased in 1841 . . . xxix 261 262 263 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS FIG. • 1044. Right arm-piece of a slashed suit, German, first quarter of the XVIth century. It was apparently never finished. Collection: Ladj' Zouche, Parhani PAGE ........... 263 1045. Suit of armour for fighting on foot, Italian (Milanese), School of MissAGLiA, dated 1515. Probably made for Giuliano II or Lorenzo II de' Medici. G 179, Museed'Artillerie, Paris 264 1046. Armour made for fighting on foot, Italian (Milanese), School of Negroli, first quarter of the XVIth century. G 178, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris .......... 266 1047A. Effigy of the Constable de Montmorenci. Preserved in the Louvre, Paris ............. 267 1047B. The armour of the Constable de Montmorenci in Wilton House. Collection: The Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery .... 267 1047c. The armour of Louis de Bourbon, Due de Montpensier, in Wilton House. Collection: The Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery . . 1047D. The armour of the Constable de Montmorenci, with the helmet worn by him at Dreux. Musde d'Artillerie, Paris 267 .... 267 1047E. Portrait of the Constable de Montmorenci. From Jakob Shrenck von Nozing's series published in 1601 ... . . . . .271 1048. Suit of armour, said to have been m.\de for Fran.cis I of France, probably the work of one of the Kolmans of Augsburg, about 1530-35. G 117, Museed'Artillerie, Paris. . . . . 1049. Suit of armour, with the mark on the breastplate of one of the Kolmans of Augsburg, about 1540. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 402) . . . . . . . . . . 1050. Suit of armour, made for Lazarus Schwendi, Freiherr von Hohen landsberg, probably produced at Augsburg, but decorated by Peter Speier of AnnabeRg about 1550-60. Imperial Armoury, Vienna 1 274 274 ............ 275 05 1. Classically fashioned suit of armour, presented to Charles V BY GuiDOBALDO II, DuKE OF Urbino, IN 1546. Made by Bartolommeo Campi of Pesaro in 1546. A 188, Royal Armoury, Madrid . . 1052. From a picture attributed to Jacinto Geronimo de Espinosa, in which one OF THE FIGURES IS DEPICTED WEARING THE SUIT ILLUSTRATED IN Fig. 105 1. Collection: the late Sir Charles Robinson, C.B. . . 1053. Pair of stirrups made, in the opinion of the author, for the suit ILLUSTRATED IN FiG. 1051. Salting Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum 277 280 ............ 282 XXX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III ^"'' 1054. Breastplate fashioned on classical lines, made by Bartolommeo Cami'i OF Pesaro akout 1540. probably for Duke Guidobaldo II ok Urbino. From the ancient armoury of the Medici. Bargello Museum, Florence PACE ............ 286 1055. Half suit of armour, made for Antonio Martinengo III, Italian (probably Milanese), about 1560. C 11, Royal Armoury, Turin . Negroli. 1056. Breastplate, Italian (Milanese), about 1540. Signed by Paolo Ex collection : Magniac. Now in the Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York 287 ....... 290 1057. Breastplate, taces, and tassets, by Filippo Negroli of Milan, about 1540. Musee du Louvre . . . . . . . . .291 1058. Backplate and garde-de-rein, belonging to the breastplate illus trated in Fig. 1057 1059. 1060. Half suit of armour. Originally in the collection of the Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol. Attributed by the late Herr W. Boeheim as the work of Giovanni Battista Serabaglio of Milan. Middle of the XVIth century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna . . . . . UArmure Aux Lions, Italian (probably Milanese), about 1560. G 50, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . . . . . . ... . 106 1. Suit of armour for a youth, probably of French workmanship under Italian influence, late XVIth or early XVIIth century. Tower of London 292 293 296 ............ 298 1062. Part of a series of suits (all one set), made for the Emperor Charles V by Koloman Kolman of Augsburg in the second quarter OF the XVIth century. A 19, Royal Armoury, Madrid . . . 1063. Interchangeable elbow-cops from the suit (fig. 1064). In an English private collection 304 .......... 306 1064. Part of a series of suits (all one set). Made for the Emperor Charles V by the brothers Negroli of Milan and dated 1539. A 139, Royal Armoury, Madrid. . .' 1065. Part of a series of suits (all one set), German work, dated 1544. It is known as the Muhlberg armour. Royal Armoury. Madrid . 1066. Titian's portrait of the Emperor Charles V at the battle of Muhlberg. Charles V is portrayed wearing portions of the suit (Fig. In the Prado, Madrid 1065). 1067. Reconstruction from Titian's portrait of the Emperor Charles V showing the Emperor wearing the Muhlberg suit. A 164, Royal Armoury, Madrid III xxxi € 307 308 309 309 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS FIC. 1068. Suit of armour with its interchangeable parts, probably the work « of Desidkrius Kolman of Augsburg, about 1550. Ex collections: Bernaj, Londesborough, and Dino. Now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York . . . . . . . . . 1069. Portions of a suit of armour, German work, probably that of Koloman Kolman of Augsburg, about 1540. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 428) . . . . . 1070. Composite suit of armour which, with the exception of the breast plate, backplate, gorget, taces, and tassets, is part of a great HARNESS made FOR KiNG PhILIP OF SPAIN IN ABOUT 1554 BY WoLF OF Landshut. Ex collection: Dino. Now Metropolitan Museum, New . . . . . . . . York . 1071. Escutcheon from the chanfron of the Philip II (1554) harne.ss, showing the arms of England borne in pretence on the arms of Philip II. A 261 and 262, Royal Armoury, Madrid . 1072. Suit of armour, made for Philip, when Infante, by Desiderius Kolman OF Augsburg, assisted by Jorg Sigman, between 1549 and 1552. A 239-242, Royal Armoury, Madrid . 1570. . . . 1673. Portrait of Philip 1 1, painted by Alonzo Sanchez Coello about The King is seen wearing the armour shown in Fig. 1072, made for him as Infante between 1549 and 1552. Collection: Sir John Stirling Maxwell . . . . . . 1074. Saddle belonging to the suit (fig. 1072), showing the front saddle steel. Royal Armoury, Madrid . 1075. . . . PAGE . . . . . . . . . . .310-314 . . . . .316-317 .318-319 .322 Back SADDLE STEEL OF the same SADDLE. A 242, Royal Armoury, Madrid 322 1076. Chanfron belonging to the suit (fig. 1072). Musee d'Artillerie, Paris, now in the Royal Armoury, Madrid . . . . . . .324 1077. Palettes from the suit (fig. 1072). Musee d'Artillerie, Paris, now in the Royal Armoury, Madrid ........ 324 1078. Interchangeable elbow-cops belonging to the suit (fig. 1072) to be worn over a chain mail shirt. Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris, now in the Royal Armoury, Madrid 1079. ........ 324 Interchangeable gorget, belonging to the suit (fig. 1072), to be worn WITH THE elbow-cops (fIG. IO78) OVER A CHAIN MAIL SHIRT. Royal Armoury, Madrid . . . . . . . . . .325 1080. Suit of armour, said to have been made for King Sebastian of Portugal (1554- 1 578), THE work of Anton Peffenhauser of Augs burg. A 290, Royal Armoury Madrid xxxii 326 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME III "f io8r. Suit of armour, ./ /../ faco.v d'/t.i/je, hut prcjhahly tmk work of a Wolf of Lanoshut, about 1550. The Arsenal. Venice . 1082. A half suit of armour, probahly made for Don Gonzalo ue Cordoba, DuKK OF Sessa, Italian, in the first manner of Lucio Picinino of Milan, about 1560. Metropolitan Museum, New York . 1083. Chanfron belonging to the Sessa suit (fig. 1082), Italian, in the first manner of Lucio Picinino of Milan, about 1560. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York PACK . . . 328-331 ....... 333 1084. Suit of armour, i'Robably made for Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma, Italian, in a later manner of Lucio Picinino of Milan, about 1570. Imperial Armoury, Vienna 1085. ...... 334 Half suit of armour, stated by Sir Samuel Meyrick to have been MADE for Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, Italian, ix a later manner of Lucio Picinino of Milan, about 1570. The morion head piece is associated, and does not belong to the remainder of the armour. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 483) .... 336 1086. Half suit of armour (incomplete), Italian, in a later style of Lucio Picinino of Milan, about 1580. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 473) 1087. Breastplate, Italian, in a later style of Lucio Picinino of Milan, ABOUT 1570. Collection: Mr. D. M. Currie 1088. Half suit of armour, presented by the Duke of Terranova to the . Infante, afterwards KIng Philip III, Italian, in a later manner of Lucio Picinino, about 1590. B 4, Royal Armoury, Madrid . . io88a. Saddle steels. The work of Antonio Picinino. Collection: the late Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, K.G. . . . . . . . 338 339 340-341 1089. From the small equestrian portrait of Henri II, attributed to Jean Clouet. The suit the King is wearing is that shown in Fig. 1090. Formerly in the collection of the King of Holland, later in the Magniac Collection. Now in that of Madame Steinkoff ..... 343 1090. Suit of armour that belonged to Henri II of France, of unknown workmanship, about 1550. From the collection of Colbert, minister to Louis XIV. Ex collections: M. Stein and M. Sigismund Bardac. Now in the collection of Viscount Astor of Hever 1 .... 345 09 1. Suit of armour, made for Henri II of France by an unidentified armourer, ABOUT 1550. G 118, Musce d'Artilleric, Paris . . . 1092. Unfinished suit of armour, rei'uted to have belonged to Henri II of France. It appears, however, to be of later date, and is to be xxxiii 347 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS FIG. assigned to the Louvre school, of about 1560-70. Musee du Louvre PAGE ............ 347 1093. Suit of armour, said to have been made for Charles IX of Sweden, THE Louvre school, about 1570. Stockhohn Museum • . . 1094. The rondache, saddle steels, and chanfron that go with the suit (fig. 1093) said to have been made for Charles IX of Sweden. Stockholm Museum . . . . . . . . . 351-352 1095. Left cuisse and knee-cop, from the so-called Henri II suit (fig. 1092). This shows the comparatively unfinished state of the lower part of the suit. Musee du Louvre ....... 353 1096. Chanfron and saddle steels (finished), apparently part of the so called Henri II suit (fig. 1092) in the louvre. Lyons Museum . 355 1097. Saddle steels, made under the influence of the Louvre school, about 1570, but most probably the work of Heinrich Knopf of Munster. Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan . . , . , . . . 1098. Backplate from the famous suit of Duke John-George of Saxony, bv Heinrich Knopf of Munster. Dresden Gallery . . . 356-357 XXXIV A RECORD OF EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS THROUGH SEVEN CENTURIES CHAPTER XIX DAGGERS P to this point we have made no special mention of the dagger, contenting ourselves with noticing it here and there, where an early appearance of the weapon in effigy or in missal seemed to call for comment. But now, in view of the fact that its evolution is a subject of great interest, and one, too, that has rarely received serious consideration, we propose to give it a separate chapter. Although writers upon armour and upon weapons have to a large extent neglected the dagger, it has always received considerable attention from collectors. To them it has much to commend it: it is of a handy and convenient size occupying little space, while the period of its manufacture is generally indicated clearly by its shape and by the details of its decoration. Unfortunately the collector has generally remained content with acquiring specimens and has seldom cared to proceed to a systematic investigation into the history of the weapon. In the early days of the revival ofinterest in arms and armour, Sir Samuel Meyrick possessed what was then considered a representative series illustrat ing the fashions in daggers from 1400 to 1670. But, with a few exceptions, every Meyrick specimen that has come to light since the collection was dis persed has proved unsatisfactory under examination. In other words, few of the daggers are found to be in their original complete states. The pommel is either a restoration or one that has belonged to some other weapon ; the guard has perhaps been altered to accentuate the unusual character of the form; or the hilt and blade are strangers. Lord Londesborough in his famous collection had just such another unsatisfactory series of daggers ; although he possessed individual weapons of great rarity and beauty. The Tower of London has practically nothing to show, save one fine cinquedea; in the Victoria and Albert Museum are a few rare and fine examples. At Hertford House the Wallace Collection exhibits quite a remarkable series; if we con B III « I EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS sider the period at which it was brought together. Turning to continental collections we may mention that the Arsenal, or Zengliaus, of Berlin, so recently augmented, contains a splendid series of daggers from the earlier mediaeval times onwards, which has been mainly acquired by the purchase of the collection formed by the late M. Victor Gay, author of the famous Glossaire Archdologique. The Musee dArtillerie of Paris has very fine individual examples coming from Napoleon IIPs collection at Pierrefonds; while Dresden, Vienna, Turin, Brussels, and finally the Metropolitan Museum of New York, through the purchase of the Due de Dino's and the gift of the Riggs' Collections, all possess examples of this interesting little arm in great variety. Among private collections of the first order we must include that of Mr. Henry G. Keasby and that of Mr. J. Reubell of Paris. Almost every known type may be found in Mr. Reubell's superb collection, for the most part in splendid condition, and cared for in such a way as to mark its owner as a true collector. Mr. Reubell has made a life study of this subject, and his collection stands as a monument to his perseverance. We may perhaps be allowed to express the hope that this perfect collection will remain intact; since more than half its value lies in its very completeness. For daggers of the latter part of the XIVth and of the commencement of the XVth centuries type we have as usual to turn to the brasses and effigies, especially to the former, in order to discover what particular forms the knights of old were wont to use. Broadly speaking, six different types of hilt can be classified : (i) The " Quillon " dagger (2) The " Rondel " dagger (3) The so-called " Kidney" dagger (4) The so-called " Ear" pommel dagger (5) The transitional XVth to XVIth cen tury types (6) The so-called " Cinquedea." Practically the first three types were in concurrent use; for each can be found represented in monumental brasses from about 1360 to 1500. How ever, to simplify the subject, we will take each family of hilt separately. THE FIRST TYPE OF DAGGER—VARIETIES OF THE QUILLON ORDER Of the "quillon" dagger little can be said; for its name describes its chief characteristic, which is its quillon guard. The general construction of this weapon varied but slightly through the centuries in which it was in use, 2 DAGGERS OF THE QUILLON ORDER except for the innumerable and diverse shapes taken by the quillon itself: apart from this the only variation of note is in the fashion of its decoration. One of the first instances of the quillon dagger represented in detail is that to be seen on the effigy of Sir Roger de Kerdeston in Reepham Church, Fig. 725. Dagger shown on the effigy of Sir Roger de Kerueston Early XIVth century. Reepham Church, Norfolk, ^^^er Stothard Norfolk, about 1335 (Fig. 725). Here are shown a decorated hexagonal wheel pommel, a faceted grip, and straight quillons; but, as the latter are some what damaged, their original form is difficult to make out. Another variation of the late XIVth century dagger was to be seen depicted on the brass of Sir Miles Stapleton formerly in Ingham Church, Norfolk, a brass which Fig. 727. Dagger (pommel Fig. 726. From the brass of Sir wanting) Miles Stapleton Middle of XIVth century Found in London Guildhall Museum About 1370. Ingham Church, Norfolk After Stothard Fig. 728. Dagger Late XIVth century Found in London Guildhall Museum has been dated at about 1370 (Fig. 726). The pommel is of simple wheel form, the grip appears to be bound with wire, and the quillons are straight, drooping at their extreme ends. There is in the Guildhall Museum (Fig. 727) a dagger that was found in London, minus its pommel, that might well belong to that period: the quillons and their ends droop towards the blade, which is 3 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS of flattened diamond-shaped section and wide at the hilt. Another dagger (Fig. 728) in the same museum, the short quillons of which, however, are straight, resembles the dagger on the Stapleton brass in its great length of grip. Our next example (Fig. 729) is a quilloned dagger, found in northern Germany, that we date at about this period. Fig. 729. Dagger North German, late XIVth cen tury. Collection : Author Though it is in a poor state of preservation, it may be con sidered an interesting document; since it has the proportions of a miniature sword hilt, with the wheel pommel and slightly drooping quillons that are associated with the bastard sword of 1370 onwards. Next we give as an illustration of a quil loned dagger of the end of the XIVth century that repre sented on the brass of John Cray, Esquire, in Chinnor Church, Oxfordshire (Fig. 730). This dagger appears to be a little shorter; but the blade is widely proportioned, and the details of the sheath are admirably rendered. Our next illustration (Fig. 731) is that of a dagger that was found in the Thames at Westminster; it must date towards the closing years of the XIVth century. It is now in the collection of Mr. W. J. Pavyer. In Aveley Church, Essex, there is a brass, curiously Flemish in style, of Ralph de Knevyngton, of 1370 (Fig. 732), that shows a variation of the quilloned dagger. In this instance there is no pommel; but the grip widens towards the top, where there is a loop by which it is attached to a chain, fastening it to one of the mame lidres of the surcoat. The shape ofthis dagger is suggestive of the basilard, of which we shall shortly speak. A dagger recovered from the Thames at Mortlake shows some of the characteristics of that found on the Knevyngton brass (Fig. 733). The quil lons are in this case straight, and are of bronze; as is the flat cap pommel that fits on the top of the grip, which extends in circumference towards the top. This dagger is now in the collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby; its probable date is from 1400 to 1430. The next two daggers illustrated, an example found at London Wall (Fig. 734), now in the Guildhall Museum, and an almost similar weapon in the London Museum (Fig. 735), are somewhat difficult to date even approximately; for 4 Fig. 730. From THE BRASS ov 1392 OF John Cray, Esquire Chinnor Church, Oxfordshire DAGGERS OF THE QUILLON ORDER though in the present writer's opinion they belong to the end of the XIVth century, the types of quillon and pommel are such as in northern Europe Fig. 731. Dagger English, about 1390, the grip a restoration Found in the Thames at Westminster Collection: Mr. W. J. Pavyer Fig. 732. From the brass of Ralph DE KNEVYNGTON, 1370 Aveley Church, Essex After Waller Fig. 733. Dagger English, about 1400, the grip a restoration Found in the Thames at Mortlake Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby are met with at a very early date. The hilts are of iron, the quillons drooping slightly and thickening towards the ends. The pommels take this same form, EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS only in a reversed order, curving upwards as seen in the case of those Hungarian swords which have the antennae pommels of the later bronze Fig. 736. Dagger Bronze hilt. Probably North Italian, early XVth century Fig. 734. Dagger Probably middle of XIVth century. Found at London Wall Guildhall Museum Collection : Author Fig. 735. Dagger Probably middle of XIVth century London Museum age. That the form remained in use until the opening years of the XVth century we know on the evidence furnished by a small bronze-hilted dagger of Italian origin that we can date at about 1420 (Fig. 736). In this instance 6 Fig. 738 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the pommel is almost crescent shaped. Another illustration (Fig. 737) shows this same shaped pommel even more pronounced, though it is on a quillon less hilt. This example was considered by the late Signor Ressman, in whose collection it was, to be Venetian of the closing years of the XIVth century. We next represent (Fig. 738), full size, two bronze crescent-shaped dagger pommels, both found in Italy and of about the same period. Belonging to the close of the XVth century are two daggers that indirectly appear to have been evolved from the daggers which have duplicated pommel and quillon. One (Fig. 739) is a highly enriched Venetian example of 1480. The other (Fig. 740) is of the same nationality and of about the same period, though of a rather different type. When it is considered that throughout the XVth century the dagger was the only weapon worn with the civil dress of the time, the sword not being worn with a gentleman's ordinary attire until the next century, the multitude of shapes which the quillon dagger assumed is not surprising. We shall therefore content ourselves by only illustrating two others that we can assign to the XVth century, without encroaching upon other types which will be discussed under other headings. The first illustra tion (Fig. 741), which is a detail taken from a picture attributed to Gentile Massi (da Fabriano), "The Adoration of the Magi," shows a dagger being worn alone with a civil costume of about 1440-50; while the second (Fig. 742) represents an excellent example of the more ordinary late XVth century quillon dagger, on the hilt of which may be traced the early influence of the Maximilian feeling as regards decoration. Affiliated to the class of the quillon dagger is the type that figured not only as the weapon of a knight, but also as that of the merchant franklin or freeholder. It has been called the basilard. We must retrace our steps to follow its history. Included among the Sloane MSS. (2593) is a satirical song of the reign of Henry V which mentions the basilard: — There is no man worth a lake Be he sturdy, be he meke But he here a baselard. Its blade was stiff, strongly tapering, with a section as a rule of flattened diamond form. Its hilt consisted in a grip of wood or some other hard sub stance, which, having its smallest circumference in the middle, splayed out towards either end in the manner characteristic of those early XVIth century Swiss daggers, the decoration of which is always associated with the name of Holbein. At the pommel end of the grip and at its junction with the blade 8 DAGGERS OF THE BASILARD ORDER two oblong pieces of iron or of bronze were added, the lower forming a true quillon. The knightly use of such a dagger can be seen on the effigy of Sir Hugh Caveley in Bunbury Church, Cheshire, 1390 (Fig. 743); and its use by the franklin in the late Mr. Waller's fine drawing of the brass Fig. 743. From the effigy of Sir Hugh Caveley About 1390. Bunbury Church, Cheshire After Stothard Fig. 744. I'RUM THE brass of John Corp 1391. Stoke Fleming Church, Devonshire After Waller III Fig. 745. From the brass of a franklin About 1370. Shottes brooke Church, Berkshire of John Corp in Stoke Fleming Church, Devonshire, 1391 (Fig. 744). In the case of the latter brass the basilard is shown hanging under the arm from a baldric passing round the neck, a circumstance which led Mr. Waller to remark that the only other brass on which the basilard so worn can be 9 c j.<* Fig. 746 Fig. 747 Fig. 748 Fig. 750 Fig. 749 Fig. 751 Fig. 746. Basilard KNIFE. Probably XIIIth century. Found in the Thames. London Museum Fig. 747. Basilard. Late XIVth century. Found in Brooii's Wharf, Upper Thames Street. Guildhall Museum Fig. 748. Basilard. German, early XVth century. Found near Frankfort-on-Main. Collec tion: Author Fig. 749. From the effigy ok Johann von Holzhausen. About 1410. Kaiser Dom of Frankfort Fig. 750. Basilard. North German, early XVth century. Collection : Author Fig. 751. Basilard-DAGGER. Late XIVth century. Found in London. Guildhall Museum 10 DAGGERS OF THE BASILARD ORDER seen is in an example to be found in Ore Church near Hastings of about the year 1400. Another good illustration of such a dagger is shown on a brass of a franklin (and a priest) which is in Shottesbrooke Church, Berkshire, and may be dated about 1370 (Fig. 745). Of the actual weapon we are able to give a few illustrations. The first is a dagger-knife coming under the basilard category which is now in the London Museum (Fig. 746). It was found in the Thames at Westminster. This example, which is essentially a plebeian weapon, might be assigned to a date even as early as the Xlllth century; indeed, it is the lamella of the Italians. The blade is back-edged. Of the same proportions as the last dagger mentioned, though of later date and more representative in form, is the basilard in the Guildhall Museum collection (Fig. 747), which was found in Brook's Wharf, Upper Thames Street. The blade in this case is double-, edged, whilst the original grip of ivy root is in position. A finer form of the Fig. 752. Slender basilard German, about 1420. Collection: Sir H. Farnham Burke, K.C.V.O. basilard dagger is one in our own possession; for if a grip were added to it, a robust and knightly weapon would be the result. It was found near Frankfort-on-Main (Fig. 748), a circumstance which recalls the fine monumental slab in the Kaiser Dom of that city showing the relief effigy of Johann von Holzhausen (Fig. 749). On this slab Holzhausen is depicted wearing, girded on his right side, a basilard-dagger with a stiff taper ing blade and with a grip of considerable length which closely resembles an actual dagger which is also in our possession. This dagger, which was found in northern Germany (Fig. 750), is an interesting example, despite the fact that the wooden grip is a modern addition; for the blade is of an unusual section and a fine example of workmanship. Almost a duplicate dagger to this is to be seen in the Guildhall Museum (Fig. 751); the latter specimen was found in London. Yet another basilard of very slender pro portions, also excavated in Germany, and of the early years of the XVth century, is now in the collection of Sir H. Farnham Burke (Fig. 752). Three II Fig. 754. Da(;ger of basilard type French work, second halfofXIVth century Hermitage, Petrograd Fig. 753. Dagger of basilard TYPE North Italian, first half of XIVth century Victoria and Albert Museum 12 Fig. 755. Dagger of basilard TYPE (Blade modern). Prob ablyVenetian, first half of XIVth century. Col lection: Dr. Bashford Dean, New York DAGGERS OF A COMPOSITE ORDER enriched daggers that from their form come almost under the heading of the basilard type should here be mentioned; these by virtue of their decora tion possibly belong to the first half of the XIVth century. The first (Fig. 753) is the important dagger and sheath in the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was purchased in 1866 for ;i^i40. The grip which forms the entire hilt is, like the scabbard, composed of ivory, probably walrus, carved in high relief with a grotesque ornamentation almost Romanesque in style. It has been accepted as North Italian, and possibly of as early a date as the first quarter of the XIVth century. The second dagger illustrated (Fig. 754) may be of somewhat later date, and France rather than Italy seems to be the country of its manufacture. The hilt is grotesquely formed of four figures placed back to back and feet to feet, the space between the bend of their knees being occupied by a bearded mask. The sheath is of metal inlaid with plaques of bone or ivory. To the dagger are still attached portions of the belt decorated with a metal chape. This weapon we are inclined to think dates within the third quarter of the XIVth century. It is now in the Hermitage, Petrograd. The third dagger (Fig. 755) is in the collection of Dr. Bashford Dean of New York. The hilt, which, like that of the other two daggers, is composed entirely of ivory, is carved in the highest relief to re present a dragon-like creature, almost oriental in style. On the pommel is the crouching figure of a mythical monster. There can be little doubt that this fine hilt is Venetian, and might well be assigned to the early years of the XIVth century. The blade, which is of flattened diamond-shaped section tapering to an acute point, is modern, and is copied from those of the two preceding daggers.
　There are varieties of daggers extant that we are unable to class under any particular heading; but of these perhaps a few may be said to bear some kind of resemblance to one another. In the British Museum is a fragment of a dagger found in London, which has the pommel formed of an octagonal disk so pierced in the centre as to be actually an open ring. This was forged from the flattened tang of the blade to which was applied the substance of the grip. Down either side runs a decorated strip of brass or latten, while the junction with the blade is marked by a moulded band. The blade is back-edged (Fig. 756). The fragment of just such another dagger, but originally profusely decorated with polychromatic champlev^ enamels, was recently found at Duston, near Northampton. It is worthy of the closest scrutiny, for it is assuredly English, and must have originally been a weapon of sumptuous richness. Its date is within the second half of the XIVth century (Mg. 757). Mr. Henry G. Keasby was fortunate in procuring this rare dagger for his collection. The next dagger illustrated (Fig. 758, a, b), which was dug up in London, and is now in the Guildhall Museum, is practically a similar weapon, and, in our opinion, is the work of the same hand that produced the dagger just alluded to. Down the sides of the grip are gilt latten bands engraved with figures of saints, which, like those seen on the Duston dagger, have been enamelled. The Guildhall dagger is more complete, possessing the plaques of latten attached by two rivets to either face of the blade tang. These are enriched with strips of silver bearing the inscription aye maria gratia PL.; the inscription, which appears to be stamped, is divided by the rosette heads of the rivets. The grip plaques are in one with the flattened hemispherical plates that cover the pommel, which is secured in position by a central rivet, the large washer of which on either side is a .sexfoil rosette. The pommel plates are deeply channelled in a cruciform manner and inlaid with strips of silver stamped with inscriptions in a similar way to those seen on the grip plaques. Whatever form of guard the dagger originally possessed is now missing, though Fig. 759. Dagger English, late XIVth century Found in the Thames, Westminster London Museum the long tubular rivet that held it in position is still extant. We suspect that it never possessed a quillon form of guard, but that the hilt finished at the juncture with the blade in some moulded form as seen on the later " ear " pommel daggers. The blade is long, slender, and back-edged, and when found was bent in the centre almost to a right angle. It is to be regretted that the locality in London where this dagger was found is not recorded; for in the present writer's 15 Fig. 760. Dagger English, late XIVth century. Found in Kingsway, London London Museum opinion it is one of the most interesting daggers that has ever come under his notice. In the London Museum there is another of these ring pommelled daggers (Fig. 759). This specimen, which was found in the Thames at Westminster, has its blade somewhat curved. Another dagger slightly varying in form is also to be seen in the London Museum. In the case of this example (Fig. 760), which was found in Kingsway, it will be noted that the ring formation of the pommel has disappeared, the grip finishing above in an octagonal disk fixed cap-wise. The original wooden grip is still in position. The date of this dagger is, we should think, about 1400.

THE SECOND TYPE OF DAGGER—VARIETIES OF THE RONDEL ORDER

　The construction of the last-named dagger affords us material assistance in tracing the evolution of the dagger which has the rondel type of guard —a form of dagger hilt that seems to have superseded all others in popularity in DAGGERS OF THE RONDEL ORDER of Sir Edward Cerne, in Draycot Cerne Church, Wiltshire, of 1393 (Fig. 761), illustrates a dagger attached to the knightly belt with a well developed rondel guard fitting locket-wise over the top of the scabbard, but with a pommel of P^IG. 764 Wie der Mannlich Held Theurdanck niit einem nnderen Ritter einem Thurnier zu Fuss that und Iline ilberwand. (From the Theuerdank, woodcut No. 102, by H. Schauffelin, showing the rondel dagger) Fig. 765. Rondel dagger Early XVth century. Found in Old Swan Lane in 1867 Guildhall Museum cone-like formation. Again, the brass of John Cressy, Hsquire, of about 1414, in Dodford Church, Northamptonshire (Fig. 762), shows the rondel type of guard; but the pommel on the dagger is of wheel formation such as was common on the sword hilts of the time, and is placed vertically upon the grip in the ordinary manner. Next, on the brass of Ystase de Seron III D EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS of 1382, in the Chapel of Ease at Seron, near Forville (Fig. 763), can be seen a rondel-hilted dagger; but in this instance both the pommel and guard appear cylindrical, the grip swelling slightly in the middle. The hilt is large for the length of the blade, and it closely resembles a small dagger in the Reubell Collection, Paris. The whole hilt of this example, which we may safely assign to the opening years of the XVth century, and which was found in London, is overlaid with light-coloured horn, engraved with trefoil ornaments. Further enrichment of the hilt has been effected by inlaying certain exposed portions of the horn surface with arrangements of small circles in silver. The pommel and guard disks are small and of like diameter, though deep for their circumference, being built up of a central plaque overlaid on either side with horn. The grip has its largest circum ference in the middle. The blade is of flattened diamond-shaped section, and bears an armourer's mark inlaid in silver. Very like the Reubell dagger in the method of its enrichment is a rondel dagger which was found in Old Swan Lane in 1867. It is now in the Guildhall Museum (Fig. 765). The horn rondels are larger in circumference; but the grip, which is spirally twisted, is inlaid with bands of ornaments in silver, pearls, or studs. The blade in this case is back-edged. Turning once more to English brasses we see on that ofThomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, in St. Mary's Church, Warwick (Fig. 766) a rondel dagger with a flattened spheroidal pommel, the rondel guard fitting within the locket mount of the scabbard. This brass was supposed to have been completed in 1401, to which same period must be assigned a dagger of similar type found at Walthamstow, and now in the London Museum (Fig. 767). The brass of an unknown knight in Laughton Church, Lincolnshire, of the early years of the XVth century (Fig. 768), affords an illustration of another rondel dagger, this time with a disk pommel of octagonal section, surmounted by a loose ring. From the careful engraving of the dagger on the brass in question, it can be seen that the weapon fitted deep within the top of the scabbard, which widened sufficiently at the top to receive the rondel guard. A dagger, probably of the same construction, is to be seen on the brass of Sir Reginald de Cobham in Lingfield Church, Surrey (Fig. 769). This brass is dated 1403. In the London Museum is shown a dagger that was found near Upper Thames Street on the shore of the Thames (Fig. 770). It is a fine largely proportioned weapon in a good state of preservation. The rondel pommel and guard are of the same proportions. They are hollow but built up to the thickness of a quarter of an inch, each being of hexagonal formation. In the grip are four large ring 18 DAGGERS OF THE RONDEL ORDER rivets; the actual grip is missing, but the tang of the blade is wide—its edges Fig. ^66. From the brass of Thomas Beauciiamp, Earl of Warwick, 1401 St, Mary's Church, Warwick EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS provenance, and of the first quarter of the XVth century. The strange though not uncommon feature of large ring rivets attached to the grip of daggers of this period may be explained as due to the fact that these rivets, Fig. 771. From THE BRASS OF Sir William Vernon About 1467. Tong Church, Shropshire Fig. 772. Rondel DAGGER First half of XVth century (it has been subjected to restoration) Wallace Collection (Laking Fig. 773. Rondel dagger EngHsh, about 1450-60 Found in the Thames, London Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby Catalogue, No. 1 14) while holding the plaques of the grip in position, were made hollow, not as a decoration, but for the purpose of freeing the palm of the hand from the moisture of perspiration. At a somewhat later date in the XVth century this feature may be noted in the case of the grip of the rondel dagger represented 20 DAGGERS OF THE RONDEL ORDER in the brass of Sir William Vernon in Tong Church, Shropshire (Fig. 771). The dagger on this brass bears a remarkable likeness to the example, No. 114, in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 772), which, though partially genuine. r; Fig. 775. Rondel dagger English, early XVth century Found at Brook's Wharf, Upper Thames Street Guildhall Museum Fig. 774. Rondel dagger English (?), about 1440 Ex collection: Signor Ressman Fig. Tjd. Rondel dagger English, early XVth century Found in the Clerkenwell Road in 1864 Guildhall Museum and made in the first half of the XVth century, has had its enamelled enrich ments added at some sub.sequent date. Still keeping within the period just mentioned we illustrate four rondel daggers (Figs. 773, 774, 775, and 776) 21 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS that show a variation in form from those we have previously described; the pommels are not flat but slightly hemispherical, and the grips swell in the DAGGERS OF THE RONDEL ORDER constructed rondel daggers, which in our opinion date before 1450, we next illustrate (Figs. 778 and 779). The former, a long and solidly fashioned weapon with a modern grip, is in the British Museum; while, the latter, a small stiletto-like example with its grip and small rondels turned in ivory, was found some few years ago in the Horseferry Road, Westminster, and is now in the London Museum. Fig. 780. Rondel dagger Probably French, about 1450. Discovered u: a peat fen in the north of France Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. o) (a) The hilt; {b) general proportions Fig. 781. Rondel dacjger English (?), about 1450-60 Found in the Thames Collection: Author In tracing the evolution of the rondel dagger, we have endeavoured, however vaguely, to bridge over the first fifty years of the XVth century, and to show from the evidence of contemporary illustrations that it had arrived at its final robust proportions in about 1450. Its peculiarities of form distinguished it from other types of this period when it was in common use throughout civilized Europe. In mid-XVth century times the hilts 23 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS with few exceptions consisted in a circular guard or rondel, known by the name of " besague," set on the top of the blade (and resembling to a great extent the tsnba or guard on the Japanese sword) in a grip, and, placed upon that, in place of the" pommel, a second rondel flat on the top and parallel to the rondel guard. The rondel which protected the arm pit, seen on suits of armour of XVth and early XVIth century dates, was also termed " besague." We have been unable to arrive at the derivation of the word. A most pro tective form of hilt, the rondel yet appears to have had its disadvantages; for the very size of the pommel disk, which in most cases was as large or even larger than the guard, must veryseriously have hampered any movement of the wrist, more especially if the hand was armoured. This we can vouch for from practical experience; for we have used a dagger of this description in modern representations of XVth century fights. We are, therefore, inclined to imagine that this type of dagger was primarily used to kill a defeated opponent, and was not employed in any school of fight. In its latest form the rondel dagger is several times represented in the Freydal oi Maximilian I. One of the most representative rondel daggers of mid-XVth century date still extant is the example in the Wallace Collection, No. no (Fig. 780). Its hilt is composed of a circular flat pommel and guard of equal proportions, each formed of two slightly convex plaques joined round the edge. The grip has applied plaques of wood secured in the centre by a quatrefoil-shaped brass headed ro.sette; whilst bands of the same metal are inlaid down either side of the wooden grip plaques. The blade is back-edged, triangular in section, the two principal facets slightly hollowed; at the hilt there is an armourer's mark inlaid in brass. This fine and complete weapon was dug up from a peat-fen in the north of France. A smaller weapon of the same type and period, but lacking its grip, is in the, collection of the author (Fig. 781). This was found in the Thames at Westminster. The fact that it is precisely of the same construction as that of the one found in the north of France, shows the general use of this particular form of rondel dagger; others of exactly the same type have been found in London excavations, in various parts of Germany, and throughout France and Belgium. Occasionally, instead of the rondels being hollow convex plates of metal, they are solid with chamfered edges, as in the case of a very fine and massive dagger in the Godfrey Williams' Collection. Another form of rondel is one which is built up in layers of metal and other materials such as horn, bone, ivory, or hard wood; but this type may be considered as belonging to a some what later period, dating possibly within the third quarter of the XVth cen 24 DAGGERS OF THE RONDEL ORDER tury. A satisfactory tliough somewhat decayed example of the rondel daj^ger so constructed is to be seen in the London Museum (Fig. 782), having been Fig. 782. RonDEL d.vgger English, about 1460-70 Found at Broken Wharf, Thames Street London Museum III Fig. 783. Rondel d.agger Englisli, about 1460-70. The scabbard, tliough of the right type, does not belong to the dagger I'"ound in the Horseferry Road, Westminster London Museum found at Broken Wharf, Thames Street. The guard and pommel here each consist of three plates of thin iron, between which was formerly a layer of 25 li EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS bone now much perished. The plates of the grip, only small fragments of which exist, were also composed of bone. Another smaller dagger we also select from the London Museum Collection (Fig. 783). The metal plates of the hilt of this specimen are octagonal, and not circular in form; but the wooden grip is a restoration. The cnir bouilli sheath shown with the dagger is of the right type ; but it does not belong to it. The Broken Wharf dagger (Fig. 782), like others with which we are acquainted, has the top plate of the rondel flanged at the edge, concealing the lining of the wood. This, however, was not a universal practice; for the last dagger described, being of commoner make, shows simply octagonal plates of iron placed over the wood. That the rondel dagger was often made the subject of the finest en richment is evidenced by the contemporary monuments in which it figures; but we are unacquainted with any existing enriched example that can date earlier than the third quarter of the XVth century. The next group of rondel daggers can be more definitely dated. They figure in the Burgundian tapestries of the latter part of the XVth century, and in the Freydal of Maximilian already alluded to. From this evidence, and from that of their style and decoration, it may be inferred that they date generally within the last quarter of the XVth century. A very fine and complete example (Fig. 784), which is supposed to have belonged to the Archduke Sigismund of Tyrol, and to be Bellunese make of about 1470, is in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna. It is a sumptuous weapon with a faceted grip of rock crystal and a rondel guard of engraved silver gilt. The flattened disk pommel has applied to it a hemispherical disk also of rock crystal. The blade is of great length, back-edged and reinforced at the point. It still retains its original tooled leathern scabbard with silver ring mounts of Gothic character —the chape mount is a XVIth century addition. In the National Bavarian Museum of Munich (Fig. 785) there is an even later example of the rondel dagger: its date is probably within the last quarter of the XVth century. The grip, which is of horn, is carved to represent the Burgundian knotted staff; it is mounted with engraved brass. The scabbard is of tooled leather; in it is fitted an auxiliary knife with a handle of rock crystal. A rondel dagger of exactly the same type and period was formerly in the Ressman Collection (Fig. 786). A very fine dagger, with its sheath, of the same class, which might belong to the early years of the XVIth century, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Fig. 787). This dagger was purchased by the Museum at the famous Bernal sale in 1855. In the collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby is a very similar dagger of somewhat 26 Fig. 784. Rondel dagger and its sheath Italian, probably Bellunese, about 1470. It is said to have be longed to the Archduke Sigismund of Tyrol Imperial Armoury, Vienna Fig. 785. Rondel dagger WITH ITS sheath Burgundian, about 1480 National Bavarian Museum, Munich 27 Fig. 786. Rondel dagger Burgundian, about 1480 Ex collection: Signer Ress man EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS simpler construction (lug. 788). The Zcitghaits of Berlin contains many fine and complete specimens; while a superb example is to be seen in the Musee Vw.. j'^-j. Rondel dagger with its shf.atii ]5urgundian, about 1490-1510 Ex collection : Bernal Victoria and Albert Museum l-'KJ. 788. RONDKI, DACGER l?ur£Tundian, about i 500 Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby d'Artillerie of Paris. In the Museum at Berne is a rondel dagger in so wonderful a state of preservation that it seems as though it had only just been made. The blades of these later rondel tlaggers are in nearly every case stiff 28 DAGGERS OF THE RONDEL ORDER aiul ljack-ctlL;ccl, as thouj^h they were intended in emergency to receive the blow of a sword in the manner of the main gauche blades of the XVI Ith century. The smaller daggers a rondclles appear generally to have had blades of flattened diamond-shaped section; but towards the close of the century I'iG. 789. Roxi)i:l dacger and siikatii WITH Renaissanck dkcoration Of uncertain age, but in the style of the early jears of the XVIth century Collection: the late M.Edmond h'oulc, Paris J-'K;. 790. 1'"K()M a I'ORTKAiT ATTKlliUTKD TO COIJN I)E NEUFCHATEI, Showing the mid-XVIth century case of the rondel dagger Collection: Mr. George Durlacher it is not uncommon to find the section of the blades varying. Some were back-edged in combination with a double-edged point, and others are to be seen reinforced at the point, in the manner of the \\\^\-^\\ peshkabz. Before quitting the subject of the rondel dagger we must mention those of a hybrid nature, which, while retaining the "besaguc " 29 form of guard, vary EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS in respect of the pommel. A good example illustrating this type is the remarkable dagger that was originally in the Forman Collection. It is of such special interest that we give a full description of it, only regretting the impossibility of obtaining a photograph of it. The grip is of bronze, ribbed and gilt, with the " besague " guard of triangular form chased and gilt. The blade, which is of peculiar strength, tapers suddenly, the lower section being quadrangular. The pommel is formed as a three-sided pyramid, each face being engraved with (I) a shield of arms, a bendy of six in base, a human face on a chief, a dragon on its back, above the words r30NEC. nvpsero., (II) a shield bearing quarterly: —i, a castle triple-towered; 2, a wolf salient; 3, an eagle displayed; 4, three bars, (III) the figure of a man in the costume of the latter part of the XVth century, holding in his left hand a dagger, his right foot upon a globe, above him the motto non velvt agesilao. The arms represented on the first face of the pommel closely resemble those of the family of Orsini as given by Litta. This dagger, which Mr. Forman acquired in Florence in 1859, is doubtless Italian and of the third quarter of the XVth century. It will readily be believed that when the spirit of Renaissance ornamenta tion began to make itself felt, the rondel dagger was no more immune from its influence than any other weapon of late XVth and early XVIth century date. In the late M. Edmond Foulc's Collection was a rondel dagger illustrative of such decoration (Fig. 789). We give it, however, merely as a type; for we regard its genuineness as being open to grave suspicion. A mid-XVIth century illustration of the rondel dagger appears in a portrait of a German nobleman and his son, attributed to Colin de Neufchatel, in the collection of Mr. George Durlacher. Hanging to the belt of the father is represented a stout rondel dagger, with a flattened spheroidal pommel and a large circular rondel guard, slightly convex, the whole most elaborately decorated (Fig. 790). THE THIRD TYPE OF DAGGER—VARIETIES OF THE "KIDNEY" ORDER Thi<: dagger, known from the formation of the hilt as the dagiie a rognons, " kidney" dagger, or dague a conillettes, had its origin in northern Europe; but its evolution is somewhat difficult to determine. We are not acquainted with any actual specimen that can be assigned to a date prior to the early part of the XVth century. The early Scottish dirks, which more or less developed 30 DAGGERS OF THE "KIDNEY" ORDER double swellings above the blade socket (Fig. 791) were of this same type. This form is also represented on monumental slabs and effigies. The earliest we can record in England is perhaps that shown on the brass of Sir William de Aldeburgh, in Aldborough Church, Yorkshire (Fig. 792). But on the Con tinent it is to be seen at even an earlier date, first on the monumental slab Fig. 791. Dagger ok dirk Scottish, late XVI Ith century. Collection: the late Sir Noel Paton Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh of Jean and Gerard, seigneurs de Heers (1332-98), now preserved in the Musee du Cinquantenaire, Brussels, and secondly, at Gothem.on the monumental slab of Gerardus de Gothem, who died in 1358. In the latter case a clearly defined " kidney " dagger is to be seen, the hilt of which is attached by a chain to the right mnmeliere. The next English " kidney " dagger, about 1379, is depicted on the brass of Robert Parys in Hildersham Church, Cambridgeshire Fig. 792. From the bra.ss of Sir Wil-liam de Aldeburgh About 1360. Aldborough Church, Yorkshire (Fig. 793). Another good example is to be seen on another civilian brass of about 1380 at Kings Somborne, Hampshire, and it is to be noted that the kidney dagger, unlike the purely military rondel form, was worn with civilian dress iff. also the illustration reproduced from the Theuerdank, Fig. 820). On the effigy in Canterbury Cathedral of Thomas, second Duke of Clarence, second son of King Henry IV, who was killed at Beauge in 1421, a finely 31 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS developed " kidney "" daj^ger is shown complete with its scabbard, though, strangely enough, the dagger is carved with the hilt hanging downwards; while a kidney dagger is sculptured on the effigy of John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, about 1434, in the church of Arundel (Fig. 794). The dagger in this DAGGERS OF THE "KIDNEY" ORDER The roughest types, which are of course more commonly met with, would appear to have been used by the poorer classes as a sort of combination of domestic knife and of offensive weapon. As originally made, they must Fig. 796. Dagger French, about 1430-50 Metropolitan Museum of New York III Fig. 797. Dagger French, about 1430-50. Multi sectioned blade. Metropolitan Museum of New York have sold at quite a cheap price; for, beyond a blade usually back-edged and occasionally curved, their metal parts consist only in the simple plate that divides the grip from the blade, which can hardly be called a quillon, 33 i" EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS and at the pommel edge in a simple cap upon which the blade tang is riveted. Of this ordinary class, the favourite medium for the hilt was ivy root, which is very durable, and from the very closeness of its grain less liable to split than most woods. Even to-day, when such daggers are dis covered in water-courses, the wooden grip is often found in position, though necessarily much decayed. The strange formation of the hilt of the " kidney " dagger has been the subject of considerable controversy. Circular in section at the pommel, it diminishes in size to the smallest circumference at the base of the grip, from which on either side issue two globular forms, more or less accentuated according to the fancy of the maker. These rest upon the metal plate, which is generally at the base of the hilt; though we have seen specimens of the " kidney " dagger which lack metal additions of any kind. As the dagger was worn immediately in front of the girdle, it has been suggested that the formation of the hilt has a phallic signification; indeed, it is sometimes referred to by contemporaries as the " ballock knife." The illustrations we give of the " kidney " daggers we will roughly class together under their periods. Perhaps one of the earliest with which we are acquainted is an example in the Dino Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York (Fig. 795). Here it will be noted that the kidney forms immedi ately above the small metal quillon are very developed. In the same collection are two other daggers of this type, both of which can be safely dated as coming within the first half of the XVth century. One (Fig. 796) has small flattened quillons drooping strongly over the blade; while the other (Fig. 797) is more elegantly modelled as regards the formation of the grip, the blade being multi-sectioned. The Tower of London can show no example of the "kidney" dagger; but the Wallace Collection possesses in No. 113 a good and complete dagger with scabbard. This must, however, be assigned to the closing years of the first half of the XVth century (Fig. 798). The London Museum exhibits a well made, if somewhat crude and incomplete, example, which is essentially of the English type. It was found in Horseferry Road, Westminster (Fig. 799). Of this type many specimens of varying proportions exist: they have been discovered from time to time by workmen engaged in digging the foundations of buildings, or they have been dredged up from the Thames. In our own collection is a large and strong example belonging to the third quarter of the XVth century, which was found in the Thames at Westminster (Fig. 800). This is almost duplicated by another, also found in London, and now in the Guildhall Museum (Fig. 801); while 34 DAGGERS OF THE "KIDNEY" ORDER a second, in our own collection, of smaller proportions, but of rather earlier date, was also found in London (Fig. 802). We illustrate a third which we acquired a few years ago (Fig. 806). In the British Museum there is i-mm Fig. 799. Dagger Fig. 798. Dagger and .sheath Probably Flemish, about 1450-60 Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 113) English, about 1470 Found in Hor.seferry Road, VVestmiii' ster London Museum Fig. 800. Dagger English, about 1480. Found in the Thames, Westminster Author Collection : another of mid-XVth century date (Fig. 803); while in the collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby there is a specimen of the Flemish type with silver enrich ments which was recovered some years ago from the Rhine (Fig. 804). In the Reubell Collection of daggers is a remarkable series of these 35 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS weapons, the strange form of grip being executed in various materials, ivy root, sycamore, horn, ebony, ivory, or metal alone; while in our own collec ^^H Fig. 8oi. DAU(;rj< iMiglish, about 1480. I'oiind 'in London Guildhall Museum Fig. 802. Dagcser English, about 1460 Collection: Author Fk;. 803. Dagger English, about 1440-50 British Museum tion, acquired from the Cosson Collection, can be seen a splendid Flemish " kidney " dagger with Gothic mounts of silver, together with its leather sheath. This was obtained from the collection of the late M. Victor Gay, 36 DAGGERS OF THE "KIDNEY" ORDER who in turn purchased it in a small town on the French border (Fig. 805). We are unacquainted with any " kidney " dagger of the first half of the XVth Fig. 804. Dagger About 1470. Found in the Rhine Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby Fig. 805. Dagger and sheath Flemish, about 1460. Ex collections: M. Victor Gay and Baron de Cosson, now collection of Author Fig. 806. Dagger About 1460 Collection: Author century which possesses what we should regard as an elaboration of mount ing; perhaps the richest example we know of is one to be seen in Mr. Godfrey 37 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Williams' Collection at St. Donat's Castle. It has a hilt of bone or ivory, hollow and of a twisted form, showing in the grooves of the spirals, which are ajour, the tang of the blade encased in gilded copper. This specimen must date within the third quarter of the XVth century, and is, in all probability, Flemish, having been found, together with a sword now in the same collection, in the river Scheldt. A variation of the " kidney" dagger is also to be met with in Mr. Godfrey Williams' Collection, where a fine and complete specimen of the trilobed kind can be seen, which has also three small quillons. The Reubell Collection contains two similar daggers, and the Keasby Collection one, the blade of which has an inscription inlaid in gold (Fig. 807). All these specimens are smaller in their general propor tions than the ordinary kidney type. It is a fact worthy of comment that, despite the careful research and close observation which distinguish every page of his great work, Sir Samuel Meyrick never appears to have attempted any scientific classifica tion by which armour or weapons could be grouped together under heads according to their types; in place of this arrangement he treated each piece individually. Thus he makes a general mention of daggers and illustrates a wooden-hilted one describing it as a Scottish dirk, and alludes quite briefly to a second —which is really a most interesting specimen —without any comment on the way in which the latter departs from the common type. The second Meyrick dagger is, as a matter of fact, a peculiar example, in which the characteristic (kidney) lobes do not form part of the grip, but are of metal and in one piece with the quillons. It is interesting to note that when it was in Sir Samuel Meyrick's Collection, the quHlons and fine XVth century blade were then associated with the grip and pommel cap of an early XVIIIth century hunting sword, and that these incongruous additions, with its XVIIIth century decorations, were accepted by Meyrick without demur. This dagger is now in the collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby; but since Meyrick's time these unsuitable restorations have been removed, and a grip and pommel cap of the period substituted (Fig. 808). It should be noted that the upper portion of the blade is thickly overlaid with brass. This has been engraved, and the remains of an inscription are apparent, which, however, is now too much obliterated by over-cleaning to be decipher able. By a curious coincidence, Mr. Keasby has in his collection a second dagger, which is almost the duplicate of the Meyrick specimen, though gener ally smaller in its proportions (Fig. 809). This variety of the lobed type is indeed very rare; we are only able to furnish illustrations of these two 38 DAGGERS OF THE "KIDNEY" ORDER specimens, and of two others from the same collection. Of the two others, one, which was found in the Moselle (Fig. 8io), is like those just described, Fig. 807. Dagger Tri-quilloned type French, about 1460 Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby Fig. 808. D.\GGER Flemish, about 1460 Ex collection Sir Samuel Meyrick, now collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby Fig. 809. Dagger Flemish, about 1460 Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby Fig. 810. Dagger Flemish, about 1460 Found in the Moselle Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby but is incomplete; while the other (Fig. 81 1) is of a somewhat different type, the pommel being more cap-like and the quillon form more developed. They 39 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS all appear to be of a Flemish type and to date from the middle of the XVth century. An English version of this form of metal rondel pommel applied to a lobated dagger may be seen on a specimen which was found in the Thames, now preserved in the Museum of the Guildhall (Fig. 812). Though the grip is shrunken, it will be noted that the lobes are large and of wood resting on small quillons as is the case in most of those of English make. Its date is about 1480. The " kidney " daggers we have so far illustrated have mostly been of mid-XVth century date; but as the latter part of the century progresses little alteration in their form can be noted. Eccentric examples are, how ever, occasionally to be seen, as, for instance, in the case of that ivory-hilted dagger in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 813), which is distinctly of the kidney type, but is elaborated by carvings of profile heads, foliage, etc. We take it that it is of North Italian origin, and of the closing years of the XVth century; for upon the blade, which is the original, is a partly obliterated inscription which, if completed, would read o mater dei memento mei, an inscription that is found on a great number of North Italian weapons and pieces of armour of late XVth century date. A direct descendant of the simple type of " kidney " dagger appears in the XVIth century. Mention of this particular form of dagger should perhaps have been reserved for the chapter dealing with the armaments of that century; but it bears such close relationship to the type just described that we prefer to deal with it in this particular connection, rather than to create a break in our story by postponing an account of it to a later chapter. The daggers we refer to have inherited the true form of the " kidney " dagger, while introducing a distinctive character of their own. This particular kind of " kidney " dagger is essentially an English production; indeed, we have met with no specimen on the continent, the provenance of which cannot be traced to England. A curious fact in connection with these XVIth century English "kidney" daggers is that so many of them appear to be made by the same hand, or at least to come from the same workshop; for they are strangely alike in construction and in decoration. The difference that they exhibit from their XVth century ancestors is that their grips are almost cylindrical and as a rule faceted, swelling to a mushroom-like shape at the pommel end to ensure a firmer hold. Their kidney formations, too, which rest on the short thick quillon under-plate, are very greatly reduced in size. The wood of which the hilt is almost invariably made is ebony; although we used to possess one dagger of this school —a complete dagger with 40 . DAGGERS OF THE "KIDNEY" ORDER its sheath which had a hilt of snakewood. The finest specimen with which we are acquainted is now in the collection of Dr. Figdor of Vienna. Many years Fig. 812. Dagger English (?), about 1470 Found in London Guildhall Museum Fig. 811. Dagger Probably Flemish, about 1460 Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby III Fig. 813. Dagger With an elaborated ivory hilt of the kidney type North Italian, about 1490- 1500 Wallace Collection (LaUing Catalogue, No. 1 16) ago it was in the collection of the late Sir Charles Robinson, who indirectly purchased it at the Audley End sale, Saffron Walden (Fig. 814). The importance attached to this dagger, with its sheath and the interesting inscription on its blade, may be gathered from the fact that it is described 41 G EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS at length in the proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries for i6 February 1888. The description runs as follows: — "The blade loj inches long, was probably an inch longer before the Fig. 814. Dagger with two views OF its leather sheath Fig. 815a. Dagger WITH ITS SHEATH English, about 1 540 Collection: Author English, about 1540. From the Pro ceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, 16 February 1888 Collection : Dr. Figdor, Vienna Fig. 81 s<^. The same dagger AS Fig. 815^: Differently viewed Collection: Author point was broken off. In section it is quadrangular, the sides being concave and forming a strongly-marked rib on each side of the blade, which is seven eighths of an inch in breadth at the junction with the haft, and half an inch thick through the ribs. Both sides of the blade are engraved and parcel-gilt. The ornamentation to within 2| inches of the hilt consists of a convention 42 DAGGERS OF THE "KIDNEY" ORDER ally treated foliage between borders, and on one side is the inscription:— GOD GYDE THE HAND THAT I NA Fig. SiG. DAGt^ER English, about 1 540 Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle INSTAND Fig. 818. Dagger and sheath English, about 1540. Found in the thatch of a cottage at Weldrake, Yorkshire, J846 Collection : Mr. Henry G. Keasby 43 Fig. 817. Dagger English, about 1540 From Woodbridge, Suffolk. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS lengthways on the bhide. On each face is also seen a maker's mark, apparently inlaid and gilt, of a crowned M. " On the motto side, below the inscription and mark, is a shield bearing three griffins' or wolves' heads erased. " On the other face is a scroll with W W below it. "The blade is set in parcel-gilt socket, which conforms to the shape of the lower part of the haft. " The haft is of ebony 4{- inches long, and consists in an eight-sided grip, swelling out above into an eight-sided half knob, which is surmounted by a silver button with leaves. " Below, the grip divides into two shoulders in the plane of the edges of the blade. These shoulders are also ornamented with silver buttons and leaves. " The sheath is cuir bonilli, handsomely tooled, and has on its front another small sheath for the 'bodkyn.' "There are two loops for suspension at the side, and« a third on the back. The lower end of the sheath terminates in a kind of acorn." The very recent re-discovery of just such another dagger and sheath as the specimen just described, a dagger assuredly made by the same workman (Fig. 815, «, b), came as one of those surprises that very occasionally compensate the collector for many fruitless searches. We have used the word re-discovery advisedly; for tied up with a bunch of eastern daggers this weapon, with its sheath, had been hanging in a city dealer's shop for nearly ten years. And there it still might have remained unnoticed and unconsidered had it not caught the eye of one skilled in the knowledge of such rarities, through whose generosity it passed into our own collection. It hardly varies from the last dagger described, save that the blade bears no inscription, that the silver studs are lost from the pommel and lobes above the quillons, and that part of the locket-end of the tooled leather scabbard has been broken. On the blade is the same armourer's mark, the letter " M " crowned. The next best example known to the writer is in His Majesty's Collection at Windsor (Fig. 816); while two good specimens are in the Keasby Collec tion (Figs. 817 and 818). Of these the former came from Woodbridge, Suffolk; while the latter, which was found in 1846 in the thatch of a cottage in Weldrake, Yorkshire, was formerly in the Bateman Collection. With this latter dagger is associated a leather sCabbard which is of the correct type, but which, as a matter of fact, was found while excavations were being made in Worship Street, London. Another dagger of the type, a small example to be seen in the Salting Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum, 44 m Fig. 819. Dagger English, about 1 540-60 Salting Bequest to the Victoria and Albert .Museum Fig. 821. Dagger German, 1541 Victoria and Albert Museum Fig. 820 IVie die Konigen den Botten abgefertiget den edlen Heldeti Theuerdanck allenthalben zusuchen (From the Theuerdank, Woodcut No. 6, by H. Schauffelin, showing the " kidney " dagger) 45 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS has its grip fluted and its blade etched in chequered compartments (Fjg. 819). There is also a dagger of exactly the same family in the Guildhall Museum, which was found at Brooks Wharf, Upper Thames Street. Two daggers of this type are recorded in the catalogue of the loan collection exhibited at the Ironmongers' Hall, London, in 1869. One is a finely enriched specimen, the grip inlaid with a chequer pattern of ebony and mother-of-pearl and the monogram w.r. on the ricasso of the blade. The other, a little more developed in the formation of its quillons and having a grip of yew tree, is especially interesting as having been found rolled up in some parchment deeds at the old Parliament House at Machynllaeth, county Montgomery, in which place Owen Glendower was solemnly inaugurated Prince of Wales in 1402. The present whereabouts of these two daggers we have been un able to discover. In the Victoria and Albert Museum there is a rather curious variant of the kidney dagger (Fig. 821). Here the hilt is composed entirely of iron, and the lobes above the quillons have practically disappeared ; though the quillons have lengthened and droop over the top of the blade. It will be noted that they differ from one another in their formation. The dagger, which was recently acquired for the Museum, bears the date 1541. The hilt has a central channel running down either side etched and gilt. Etching and gilding are also found on the ricasso of its back-edged blade on which, despite the fact that the dagger was dug up in England, the following German inscription in Gothic lettering is still easily decipherable. On the one side is : — EIN LINDE ANTWORDT STILLET DENN ZORRNN. ABER EIN HARDT WORD RIGHT GRIM ANN SALOMONN AM 15. and on the other: ES KUMDT ALLES VONN GOTGLUGK UNND UNGLUCK LEBEN UNND TOD ARMUT UND REICHTUM ECC. AM II ANNO DO. I54I. The first quotation is from Proverbs xv, i, and the second from Ecclesiasticus xi, 14. It is interesting to note at how late a date the kidney dagger was in use. We have referred to the complete dagger and sheath, with a hilt of snake wood, formerly in our collection, but since lost sight of {ante page 40). This dagger bore the extraordinarily late date of 1616 on the ricasso of its slender blade. This inscribed date, however, is not the latest at which such a dagger is known to have been in use; for the dagger said to have been carried by 46 Fig. 822. Daggers (a) Dagger, sheath, and knives. English, about 1620. Collection: Mr. S. VVillson {b) Dagger. English, about 1620. P'ound in a cottage at Gloucester. Collection: Mr. Seymour Lucas, R.A. {c) Dagger and sheath. English, about 1620. Found in a cottage at Gloucester. Collection : Mr. Seymour Lucas, R.A. {r' Fig. 829. Dagger Italian, about 1500. Silver niello plaques on the grip, gilt plaquettes in the pommel Ex Collection : Lord Londesborough Metropolitan Museum, New York Fig. 830. Dagger Spanish, about 1500. Silver niello plaques on the grip Collection: Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi, Rome 52 DAGGERS OF THE "EAR" POMMEL ORDER the Bargello Museum, Florence; the beauty of their decoration speaics for itself. Unhappily the former provenances of these excellent specimens are not known ; but each is not only undoubtedly authentic but in its way as fine an example in the matter of workmanship as any existing weapon of the type with which we are acquainted (Fig. 828, a, b, c, d). There are admirable specimens in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, one of Jthe most beautiful coming from the Londesborough and afterwards from the Zschille Collections (Fig. 829). This is perhaps one of the few daggers of this type recorded that has panels of silver decorated with niello work enriching the hilt. The pommel plaques are composed of applied medallions of gilt bronze with figure subjects in low relief The exposed portions of the wide blade tang are etched and gilt. The blade is of flattened diamond-shaped section, with a ricasso likewise etched and gilt. A second dagger with silver niello enrichments, but more Spanish in character, is in the collection of Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi of Rome (Fig. 830). In the Reubell Collection is an unsurpassed series, one of which is sufficiently beautiful to merit individual mention. The ivory grip of this example is of the greatest elegance —attenuated and Gothic in feeling, the influence of the Renaissance being suggested by minutely-carved masks of lions' heads. In the Dino Collection there is an "ear" dagger with a gilded hilt which has inlaid panels of mother-of-pearl and a setting of small turquoises. This is a sumptuously beautiful weapon; but, alas! the authenticity of its hilt has been questioned. However, as it comes from the collection of the late Signor Ressman, whose knowledge was very great, we must waive our own views as to its genuineness (Fig. 831). Of the more ordinary type of "ear" dagger, heavily proportioned but eminently serviceable, we illustrate two specimens very similar in construction; both have applied pommel and grip plaques of horn, and blades of flattened diamond-shaped section widening somewhat in breadth from their ricassos. One (Fig. 832) is in the Dino Collection, the other (Fig. 833), a good example but over-cleaned from the collector's standpoint, is No. 1 1 1 of the Wallace Collection. Finally, we terminate our list of the " ear " daggers with a brief description ofan historical dagger, which, together with two other daggers of the same type, is now preserved in Room F, Case 1 1 1 of the Ambrosian Library, Milan. Two of these daggers (Fig. 834, a, b) are worked to the utmost perfection, the exposed metal parts of the hilt being minutely damascened with gold, intro ducing panels with designs of animals conventionally rendered, while the ivory plaques of the grip are carved wath leafage and inscriptions in the 53 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Hispano-Arabian manner. The third dagger (Fig. 835), the historical weapon, though Ies.s elaborate in its decoration, is noteworthy as having attached to w Fig. 8.31. Dagger Fig. 832. Dagger Italian (Venetian), about 1500 Metropolitan Museum, New York Gilt hilt, with settings of turquoi.se and mother-of-pearl. The authen ticity of this dagger is a matter for consideration ; it is enriched in the style of the early years of the XVIth century Metropolitan Museum, New York Fig. 833. Dagger Italian (Venetian), about 1500 Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. Ill) it what we believe to be a genuine history: it is reputed to be the actual weapon with which Andrea Lampugnano murdered Galeazzo Sforza in the church of St. Stephen, Milan, on 26th December, 1476. When in the year 54 DAGGERS OF THE " EAR" POMMEL ORDER 1670 the dagger was transferred from the Treasury of the church of St. Stephen to the Ambrosian Library by the Canon Flaminio Pasgualini, Fig. 834 («) Fig. 834 {b) Ear daggers Fig. 835 Fig. 834 {a, b). Carved ivory grips, gold damascened mounts. Probably Spanish, about 1490 Fig. 835. Reputed to be the weapon with which Galeazzo Sforza was murdered by Andrea Lampugnano in the Church of St. Stephen, Milan, 1476 All three daggers are in the Ambrosian Library, Milan he deposited with the library at the same time a document in which this information is set out. It may be estimated that the period during which the so-called "ear" dagger continued to be in use extended from about 1460 to the middle of the XVIth century. 55 b'lG. 836. rORTKAIT OF KiNG EDWARD VI It shows the youthful king wearing a dagger of the "ear" pommel type Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle 56 DAGGERS OF THE TRANSITIONAL ORDER THE FIFTH TYPF--VARIOUS DAGGERS OF TRANSITIONAL ORDER In the fifth division \vc class all those transitional types that connect the daggers of the XVth with those of the XVIth century; they embrace developments of the rondel and thequillon dagger, and other kinds, and are all to be placed in the same category as being produced more or less under Fir;. !^^y. Dagger and sheatii—" Holbein " type German or Swiss, about 1530. Imperial Armoury, Vienna the influence of Renaissance feeling, either Italian or German. In this list we rank those fine Swiss daggers with the gilt metal mounts, the decoration of which is ever associated ^\'ith the names of Holbein and Burgkmaier. A dagger from the Imperial Armoury, Vienna (Fig. 837) is an excellent example of the type of weapon to which we refer, though somewhat richer l""ic;. 83.S. Dagger sheatii from an original wa.sii drawing v,y " Han.s Holbein, the younger, 1497-1543 Bale Museum in the hilt than those that are usually seen. The wooden scabbard is overlaid with bronze gilt, cast, chased, and pierced with Holbein's famous " Dance of Death." Into the top of the scabbard are inserted a knife and 111 pricker. We give an illustration (Fig. 838) of a fine pen-and-wash drawing by Ilans Holbein, the younger, preserved in the museum at Bale; it depicts 57 1 [Fic. 838A Drawings of dagger shkaths By Hans Holbein 58 DAGGERS OF THE TRANSITIONAL ORDER exactly the same composition of figures in the "Dance of Death" as is seen on the Vienna dagger (Fig. 837). We also reproduce three other dagger sheaths (Fig. 838A) from three rare original drawings by the same artist, preserved in the same museum, each a monument to the greatness of the master's sense of design. The engraving from Die Hochzeitstdnser, by Heinrich Aldegrever, also well illustrates the elaborate and rich dagger of this form (Ing. 843). A specimen in the Musee du Louvre (Fig. 839) is a dagger of the same type: this has the usual hilt seen on these Swiss daggers, a hilt almost of basilard form. The figure subject depicted upon the scabbard is the story of William Tell. Next is a type of dagger of somewhat similar form, but altogether more clumsy. This is the commoner German Landsknecht version of the more elegant Swiss type. This class of dagger we could illustrate in large numbers; for it is represented in nearly all EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS mention a great many other types of the transitional order; we hope, how ever, that we have enumerated most of those that are more ordinarily Fk;. 841. Dagger German, Landsknecht type, about 1520 Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby Fig. 840. Dagger and SHEATH German, Landsknecht type, about 1540 Collection : Mr. Henry G. Keasby Fig. 842. Dagger German, Landsknecht type, but probably of English workmanship, about 1520. Found at Brook's Wharf, Thames Street, in 1866 Guildhall Museum to be seen. Almost every form of quilloned dagger was in use in the first half of the XVIth century —nationality and decoration alone determining 60 DAGGERS OF THE TRANSITIONAL ORDER their actual date. As in the case of all weapons of these times, the spirit of the Renaissance very soon made itself apparent in their enrichment. In Italy the influence of this spirit can be traced down from about 1440, manifesting itself finally in the gorgeous enrichments of the various cinquedea-like daggers. In the case of the cinciue dea, the sixth and last .class of dagger which we shall examine, we shall have to go back to the end of the first half of the XVth cen tury in order to look at the earlier types. Here we propose to deal briefly with a few daggers of Italian origin which are more or less the XVIth century descendants of the XVth centurycinquedea. The four XVIth century dagger swords we illustrate have practically the blade proportions of the cinquedea; but their hilts consist of the ordinary quillons, grip, and pommel. Of hybrid cinquedea, if we may use the expression, no example is more representative than that in the Windsor Armoury, No. 24 in the catalogue (Fig. 845), which, like other early daggers to be found there, was sent to Windsor Castle from Carlton House in the second Fic. 843 Engraving by. Heinrich Aldegrever, from Did Hoclirseitstiinzer, showing the " Holbein " dagger and the slcirt from which the fashion of the toniilet was derived quarter of the XIXth century. The hilt of this example, which is of North Italian workmanship of the first quarter of the XV^Ith century, is entirely of gilt bronze, and is fashioned of three separate parts, the pommel, the grip, and the quillons. The pommel is of wheel form, compo.sed of two castings joined back to back, its outline cleverly fashioned as the intertwined bodies of two snakes linked together at neck and tail. In the centre of this grotesque framework, on each side of the pommel, is a circular sunk panel containing a quasi-oriental tracery design in silver filigree. The quillons 61 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS are fashioned as serpents with heads turned in reverse directions, carrying out the spirit of the pommel design ; they spring from an oblong central block, the lower edge of which projects in a fleur-de-lys form over the flat ofthe blade. In the two principal faces are sunk panels which, as in the case of the pommel, must have originally contained silver filigree work. The grip, which like the pommel is cast in two halves, is of flattened oval section and swells in the centre, having on either side pierced panels of interlaced corded orna ments, showing the velvet-covered wood foundation. The blade, which does not appear to have been made for the weapon, and which may have been the upper portion of a partisan blade shortened and fitted to this hilt, is consider ably over-cleaned, and is stamped on one side only with a form of ornament. The hilt of this weapon is of very considerable interest; for had it not suffered in the past from a too vigorous cleaning and so lost the charm of colour and of patina that time alone can give, it would in the present writer's opinion far excel any offensive arm of the type belonging to our English collections. The fine series of early swords in the Wallace Collection at Hertford House can show us FiG. 844. POMMEL OF THE SAME KOKM AS SHOWN IN Fig. 845 nothing of equal excellence as regards general design; only a master little inferior to Ghiberti could have de j^^^^ ^j^^ siuuous bodics of the intertwined snakes that T , 1 1 1 1 1 , n-i. form the flat wheel-pommel and the quillon or cross-guard. No less accomplished an artist could so happily have Collection: Signor Ress- achieved the design of combining an apparently free man, Bargello Museum, composition w^th a strictly Conventional form of hilt. It may be noted that the silver filigree oriels, which are almost oriental in their flamboyancy, and the prettily intertwined design of the grip betraying the same eastern influence, both recall in no uncertain fashion the Siculo-Arabian motives seen on Venetian lamps and incense burners of the last years of the XVth century. In the Ressman Collection in the Bargello Museum, Florence, is a pom mel of identical form to the one found on the last-named weapon; but it is in a finer state of preservation, and also shows a slight variation in the design of the silver filigree work in the centre (Fig. 844). In Nos. 95, 96, and 97 of the Wallace Collection we find variations of the cinquedea forms which differ only in the shape of their quillons and pommel; while again in the Royal Armoury of Windsor Castle yet another variety of the cinquedea dagger is to be seen. No. 31 in the Catalogue (Fig. 846), similar in con 62 DAGGERS OF THE TRANSITIONAL ORDER struction to the last daggers described, but simpler in its individual parts. The hilt of this particular dagger at Windsor is entirely russeted, the flat wheel-pommel and the grip form a single piece made in two halves brazed together down the sides. The quillons are of oblong section, widening towards the ends, and drooping slightly over the blade. The entire decoration of the hilt consists of a bold cross hatching that at a little distance gives a honey combed effect. The blade is 13 inches long, and 3 inches wide at the hilt, taper ing to the point; while nearly the whole surface is brilliantly blued and enriched with a form of gold ornamentation we have described in volume ii on p. 279 when alluding to the short sword (Fig. 657). On one side is the nude female figure emblematical of Fortune; Avhile on the reverse side is the equestrian figure of Quintus Curtius leaping into the pit. Above are elaborate arabesques introducing octofoil-shaped panels, one enclosing a helmeted bust in profile, the other the bust of St. Winifred holding a chalice. Worked into the design of the scrollwork is the initial A, surmounted by a crown. " This dagger ^^as given by the Khan of the Crimea to Mr. Colonne at St. Petersburg in September 1794, being part of the Arm oury of the famous Ghengis Khan, transmitted to his descendants, who were Khans of the Crimea until the Fid. 845. Uac.ger hilt North Italian, about 1520 Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle Empress Catherine made conquest of it." So runs the note in the old Carlton House Inventory on this particular dagger, which to modern and perhaps more observant eyes seems to possess certain qualities that make its imputed age and authenticity seem rather doubtful. The fact that the grip and pommel form a single piece composed of two halves brazed together would of itself arouse suspicion in any austere 63 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS critic. Moreover, the "blueing" on the field of the blade is unpleasantly "Georgian" in the intensity of its colour, and has not that fine blue-black Fic. 846. Dagger of the cinquedea TYPE Collection : North Italian, about 1520-40 H.M. the King, Windsor Castle Fig. 847. Dagger oe the cinquedea type Bronze gilt hilt. North Italian, about 1520 Metropolitan Museum, New York patina usually associated with true XVth and XVIth century work. Such doubts are difficult to explain away; but let it be remembered, on the other 64 THE DAGGER TERMED CINQ.UEDEA hand, that early in the XIXth century this dagger, h'ke many other treasures in the Royal Collection, passed through the hands of the cleaner and restorer, who may have left upon this beautiful and presumably XVIth century weapon the mark of the time. That beautiful dagger.sword of the cinquedea type in the Ressman bequest to the Bargello Museum (Vol. ii, p. 277, Fig. 657), which seems to be a North Italian weapon of about the end of the XVth century, shows us to perfection the true blueing such as we consider is lacking on the last dagger illustrated. Mere we have the original colour which has never been tampered with, the blue-black groundwork still retaining the original silky patina. The hilt is composed of a simple wheel-pommel, diagonally curved quillons, and a single ring guard. The last dagger of this class we illustrate is that fine example which also was originally in the Ressman Collection, but is now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York (l^ig. 847). The quillons and pommel are of gilded bronze, the latter flat and shield shaped, the former drooping at the ends, where they terminate in monsters' heads. V'ery perfect Renaissance ornament is introduced into the field decora tion both of the pommel and of the quillons. The blade is stoutly fashioned, tapering to an acute reinforced point. Its surface is curiously faceted. We should weary our readers —if we have not already wearied them — were we to proceed to give an account of the other forms varying accord ing to the country of their manufacture taken by the broad-bladed dagger swords of the early years of the XVIth century; but the forms we have men tioned w^ill suffice to show that, though the decoration of these weapons is seldom duplicated, they vary but little in construction and general outline before they evolve into the true cinquedea.

THE SIXTH TYPE OF DAGGER—THE CINQUEDEA PROPER

　Though it comes perhaps rather under the category of the sword than under that of the dagger, we must find room in this chapter for some account of that most distinctive form of weapon known as the cinquedea. The cinquedea, broad-bladed and awkward to handle, was in the early days of the study of armour often wrongly termed the " Anelace." But its very name has reference to its form, the word cinquedea or sanquedea being derived from two Italian words, cinque —five, dita —fingers, and describing the blade of the weapon as having the breadth of five fingers; for it will be generally found that the blade of the cinquedea is from three to four inches wide at the hilt. The "anelace" mentioned by Chaucer, which has its prototype in the "parazonium," the basilard already mentioned, and the épée-de-passof, all belong to the same family of weapon. The cinquedea are without doubt Venetian in origin; indeed, they are generally known as Cinquedea Veneziana. They are frequently seen represented in North Italian pictures of the XVth century. The extreme difficulty experienced in handling these weapons makes an understanding of the rules governing the fight in which they were employed no easy matter; indeed, worn as they seem to have been at the back of the belt, in a parallel line with it, and placed, as in the case of the main gauche dagger of the XVIIth century, so as to be readily drawn with the left hand, the combat they suggest seems nothing more complicated than murder pure and simple. It may be that the broad-bladed dagger sword had its origin in the East; but since it dates back to the early years of the XVth century, and the only Eastern weapon with which we are now acquainted that resembles it in the formation of its blade —the Indian Katár (Fig. 848) —appears first in the latter part of the same century, this can scarcely have been its prototype.

FIG. 848. Thrusting dagger Known as a katár, peculiar to India from the early years of the XVIth century onwards

　Before we give a short list of those cinquedea which are most worthy of notice, we may as well mention the interesting fact that in Italy, from the very beginning of the XIXth century, this class of weapon has for some reason or other received the assiduous and particular attention of the forger; though other varieties of swords and daggers of XVth century date have not wholly escaped such attempts at reproduction. As in England in the forties of the last century, early helms and pointed sollerets were the speciality of the fabricator, so Italian forgers of arms and of armour turned their attention to the cinquedea as a medium for the exploitation of their talent. Indeed, a Venetian, one San-Quirine, has since become famous for his ingenious combinations, for his knack of adapting a real blade to a false hilt, or vice versa, and for his skill in redecorating some simple old weapon, or in counterfeiting the whole dagger. The cinquedea doubtless had its origin in the XIVth century; but we are unable to recall any actual example of the weapon which it would be safe to assign to an earlier date than about 1440-50. According to the Baron de Cosson that small cinquedea formerly in the Ressman Collection, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York (Fig. 849), belongs to the second quarter of the XVth century. This primitive little weapon is possibly of Veronese make; for we note certain points in which it differs from the conventional Venetian cinquedea of later date. The bronze arch-shaped pommel is small for the proportions of the grip; whilst the iron quillons are formed to the outline of a thin crescent moon inverted. The blade has a central ridge, and is in no way grooved.

Fig. 849. Dagger of the cinquedea type Italian, probably Veronese, about 1440-50 Metropolitan Museum, New York

　The construction of the cinquedea of the second half of the XVth century is nearly always the same, varying only in the proportion of the hilt to the blade. The latter is langue de boeuf shaped, its tang passing through the quillon, and afterwards widening almost to the extent of the plaques that constitute the grip. This latter has its greatest breadth in the centre, while at the pommel end the blade tang again widens to a semicircular form. On this fits the arch either of iron or bronze gilt that constitutes the pommel. The quillons are nearly always of flattened oblong section, drooping archways over the blade on which they fit. The grip as a rule is overlaid with plaques of ivory, wood, horn, or even mother-of pearl. These plaques follow exactly the outline of the blade tang, and are usually secured to it by three or four hollow ring rivets, which in many cases are decorated with a tracery in flattened brass wire. Enrichments are added in the form of a strip of gilded metal or silver running down and concealing the edges of the blade tang. The whole hilt is remarkably flat, if its massiveness be taken into consideration. It may be objected that the duplicating of illustrations of this particular weapon —which in itself is subject to such slight variation of form —is unnecessary; our excuse, however, must be that the surface of the cinquedea often became the field for the richest and most varied decoration. Precious stones, gold filigree work, and plaques of niello were employed to decorate the hilts; whilst the blades could boast of etching equally rich with that seen on the knightly swords of the time. As in the case of the Italian sword blades, etching and gilding of figure subjects, inscriptions, and foliated scrollwork form usually the schemes of adornment; while the finer cinquedea bear etching upon their blades, which reminds one irresistibly of the designs in the cabinet of engravings at Berlin attributed to Ercole dei Fideli.

Fig. 850. Blade of a cinquedea Shown point upwards in order the better to display the design. Etched and gilded in the manner of Ercole dei Fideli. End of the XVth century Collection: the late Mr. Frederick Stibbert of Florence

　M. Charles Buttin has written two clever and exhaustive brochures on cinquedea in private collections in which he states that he has examined personally or by photograph as many as one hundred and twenty examples; but, as he confesses, it is only the few, the decoration on which is of the finest character, that can maintain any claim to have come from the actual hand of Fideli. In this latter class he includes as being pre-eminent (Fig. 850) the splendid blade of a cinquedea, in the collection of the late Mr. Frederick Stibbert, bequeathed to the town of Florence some twelve years ago.

Fig. 851. Cinquedea Italian (Venetian), about 1480 Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 98)

　In the article on Le Musée Stibbert à Florence in the September number of Les Arts for 1910, by M. Charles Buttin, he discusses the distinctive features of the work of Fideli and gives his reasons for attributing this cinquedea to that master, comparing the decoration on it to that on the only known specimen which bears the signature of Fideli. Monsieur Buttin, of course, refers to the researches of Monsieur Yriarte in his Autour des Borgias (pages 141-209), who writes of Ercole dei Fideli (a converted Jew, by name Salomone da Sesso, born about 1465): " Hercule, fascinated by the past, always represents his figures either nude or lightly draped, his goddesses, nymphs, and vestals have a curious anatomy, he exaggerates the length of the limbs ... he makes us think of the décadents of Primaticcio, of Rosso, of Niccolo del Abbate." He describes in detail all the curious points of Fideli's art, and adds : " He must have known the great Venetian printers, and one is struck on comparing his work with the first page of the Herodotus of 1494, printed at Venice," and the author would remark here that collectors are prone, when dating a sword which bears an inscription, to neglect the evidence of the lettering of the inscriptions. We have already described the Borgia sword in volume ii on page 272, Fig. 648.

FIG . 852. NINE CINQUEDEA SWORD DAGGERS OF LATE XVTH AND EARLY XVITH
Wallace Collection ( Laking Catalogue , Nos . 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 98 , 99 , 100 , and 101 )

　We will endeavour, though the date of the weapon is to a certain degree a matter of guesswork, to deal with the oldest of the cinquedea with which we are acquainted —a fine late XVth century weapon in the Wallace Collection, No. 98 (Fig. 851), unfortunately in a very decayed condition. We yield to it pride of place because with its great massive arch-shaped pommel and thick quillons, the ends of which are unfortunately missing, it seems to us far grander and more impressive in its form than its rivals. The fine blade is 17¾ inches long, having each face divided into nine facets enriched with a gold inlaid design introducing the mythological subject of Europa and the bull. In the Wallace Collection are eight other cinquedea of the same type, Nos. 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 99, 100, and 101 (Fig. 852). Of these No. 91 is perhaps the most remarkable; for, although the weapon is not in its original condition, for it has had the grip added, as has been the fate of nearly all the other cinquedea, the actual blade is really a superb specimen of its kind, being 19 inches long and 4⅛ inches wide at the hilt, its surface divided into fourteen facet panels on either side. At the hilt it is decorated with a composition representing the worship of the Golden Calf, etched and splendidly gilt; while panels of ornamentation in chequered form constitute nearly the whole of the remaining decoration. Of the same type as the Wallace cinquedea is that admirable large example in the Victoria and Albert Museum obtained from the collection of the late Mr. W. H. Spiller. In the latter case the ivory grip plates appear to be the originals (Fig. 853).

Fig. 853. CINQUEDEA Italian (Venetian), about 1500 Victoria and Albert Museum

　There is a fine cinquedea with its sheath in the Royal Collection, Windsor, No. 30 in the 1906 Catalogue (Fig. 854). This weapon, which bears as an armourer's mark the letter "P" impressed, was sent to Windsor Castle from Carlton House in the second quarter of the XIXth century. The pommel is of gilt bronze, fitting arch-like on the top of the grip. The quillons of polished iron are flat and oblong in section, and droop in a very pronounced manner over the blade, the tang of which widens and forms the foundation for the plaques of walrus ivory that are applied on either side of the grip. Through these plaques are pierced three circular apertures, each filled with brass tracery of Moorish design. The blade, which is 18¾ inches long, and 3⅛ inches wide at the hilt, has four hollows for 3½ inches of its length, and three hollows for 4½ inches of its length, and is doubly grooved for the remaining 10 inches. Etched upon the base of the blade on either side are compositions of figures chosen from classical mythology; while above these is a band of scrollwork introducing medallion portrait busts in the centre. The scabbard, which retains some of the crimson velvet lining, is of cuir bouilli, slightly embossed and tooled with a lace cinquecento ornamentation, into which is introduced a circular panel containing a shield charged with the arms of the Petrucci of Siena. On one face is a sheath made for holding a small knife. This weapon must have been one of great beauty when in its original condition; though it is now sadly over-cleaned. The quillons, now of brightened iron, show traces of original gilding; the pommel has upon it, cast in low relief, figures of young children, Verrocchio-like in their treatment, and down the sides of the grip runs the following inscription : ESSE VIRTVTE LOCOS NVMQVAM POTEST NON. The blade has obviously been re-gilded, probably early in the XIXth century. By good fortune the fine cuir bouilli sheath. belonging to this cinquedea was found early in 1901 in a chamber in the Round Tower, together with a number of XVIIIth century sword sheaths that had apparently not been touched since their removal to Windsor Castle from Carlton House.

Fig. 854. CINQUEDEA WITH ITS ORIGINAL SCABBARD. North Italian, about 1490. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle

　Among other well-known examples of the cinquedea in England we may mention one to be seen at Eastnor Castle, a good if somewhat overcleaned specimen, still retaining its cuir bouilli sheath another in the possession of the Duke of Norfolk at Arundel Castle, with a finely etched blade, good grip and pommel, but with quillons that have been redecorated; and a very splendid weapon, differing in the medium of its decoration, which was formerly in the collection of Lord Carmichael (Fig. 855). The grip of this last-named example is of wood, overlaid with plaques of silver decorated with niello work, representing on one side the bust of a Roman Emperor enclosed in circles, around which are children's heads and arabesques, with a label beneath lettered AD. IN. PE., apparently intended for " Hadrianus Imperator." On the reverse side the copper and the silver have been torn away, perhaps to remove the owner's arms. The grip is formed of a double cone, flattened, with eight facets; on those of the front and back, which arc broader than the rest, are musical and other small instruments in niello work; on the lesser facets are arabesques in a like medium. The drooping quillons and the arch-shaped pommel of gilded bronze are decorated with arabesques of foliage interspersed with shields in relief. The blade, 20½ inches long, has been finely etched and gilt; but as seen to-day it has suffered from being allowed to rust and then from too rigorous cleaning. This fine weapon which, by the way, is almost duplicated by one (H 7) in the Royal Armoury, Turin, was exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1901.

FIG. 855. CINQUEDEA
The pommel and grip overlaid with silver decorated with niello North Italian, about 1490-1500
Ex collection : Lord Carmichael

　Several, though not very marked, variations in the form of the cinquedea's grip are to be met with. The beautiful weapon in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, first mentioned in the 1685 catalogue of that museum, shows a slight difference in the shape of the tang plate of the blade, the difference being the presence of projections on either side of the base of the pommel (Fig. 856).

FIG. 856. CINQUEDEA With mother-of-pearl plaques applied to the grip, North Italian, about 1490–1500.
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

In the case of this example the grip plaques are of mother-of-pearl bound with silver. The face of the pearl is deeply grooved at the edge, and on each face are circular apertures inlaid with tracery; while on the silver bands which conceal the edge of the blade tang are inscriptions. The quillons droop over the blade, and are of rectangular section, each face being inlaid with a tracery design in corded filigree wire of gilded copper. Like the grip, they are bound with silver, which in one place is inscribed with what is apparently the name of the maker: ALEXAN COITEL BONON ME F. In the centre of the quillons, lying flat over the blade, is the head of a cherub in copper gilt. The blade is much rubbed; but sufficient of the etching remains to show that it has been one of great beauty. At the dispersal of the Richard Zschille Collection at Christie's in 1897 a cinquedea, formerly in the Londesborough Collection, was sold, that in the general outline of the grip has close affinity to the Ashmolean example (Fig. 857).

FIG. 857. CINQUEDEA WITH ITS ORIGINAL SCABBARD , NORTH ITALIAN , ABOUT 1490-1500 . Ex collection , Lord Londesborough

The hilt is composed of two plaques of faceted ivory, the same medium partly covering the quillons; the actual tang of the blade is gilt at the sides, and the quillons end in octagonal silver tips. The blade, which is trebly grooved and partly fluted, is etched and gilt on the one side with a page drawing a sword, palm trees in the background, and scroll ornaments at the side. Running down the blade is the inscription, IRAM COMPRIME, rendered on a crosshatched background. On the other face of the blade apparently the same page is seen brandishing a sword, and the inscription is concluded : INJVRIA LACESSITVS. This cinquedea possesses its original scabbard of cuir bouilli, which has three loops for suspension, and on the inner side a raised sheath for holding a small knife. The etching upon the blade is certainly not the work of Fideli or of any member of his school; the subjects are clumsily drawn and are altogether heavier in treatment. There is in the Tower of London Collection a cinquedea with a hilt of nearly similar formation (Fig. 858); but the blade is far grander in type, and might well be the work of Fideli.

FIG. 858. CINQUEDEA , NORTH ITALIAN , ABOUT 1490-1500 . Tower of London. Class IX, No. 146

It very closely resembles a blade on a splendid cinquedea in the Musee d'Artillerie of Paris to which we shall later refer (Fig. 860). The Tower and the Londesborough examples have both lost their arch-shaped pommels, like the cinquedea in the Louvre (Fig. 859), which, with a blade of different section, possesses the same shaped grip, etched with the arms of Giovanni Francesco of Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua.

FIG. 859. CINQUEDEA North Italian, late XVth century The blade is etched with the arms of Giovanni Francesco of Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua Musée du Louvre

　To come to the Continent; the Musee d'Artillerie of Paris exhibits eight examples, of which we illustrate three (Fig. 860, a, b, and c).

FIG. 860. CINQUEDEA.
(a) With original scabbard, North Italian, about 1490-1500. J 776, Musée d'Artillerie, Paris
(b) Of great beauty of workmanship, with its original scabbard. North Italian, about 1490-1500. J 774, Musée d'Artillerie, Paris
(c) With its original scabbard. North Italian, about 1490-1500. J 775, Musée d'Artillerie, Paris

It also shows a most interesting cuir bouilli scabbard of a cinquedea, which bears the inscription, OPVS HERCVLIS, doubtless the signature of the Jew, Salomone da Sesso, whom we have also referred to under the name of Ercole dei Fideli (ante, p. 69). Of the Musee d'Artillerie cinquedea, J 774 (Fig. 860b) is undoubtedly the finest; for the proportions are large, the hilt is elaborately decorated, and the leather scabbard tooled with greater delicacy than any with which the present writer is acquainted. Indeed, it is of almost equal excellence as regards workmanship with the famous Caesar Borgia scabbard in the Victoria and Albert Museum (see Vol. ii, p. 272, Fig. 649). The blade ofthis cinquedea is admirably etched and gilt with mythological figures; though in a far better state of preservation, it much resembles the blade of the Tower of London example, as we have previously remarked. The cinquedea, J 776 (Fig. 860a), is also a fine specimen complete with its scabbard, though perhaps a little heavily proportioned in its hilt. Down the side of the grip runs the inscription: —HEROES EFFICIT SOLA VIRTVS. In the same museum is a smaller form, J 775 (Fig. 860c), of the cinquedea, but complete with its scabbard. All three examples date within the last years of the XVth century.

FIG. 861. CINQUEDEA WITH ITS ORIGINAL SCABBARD , NORTH ITALIAN , ABOUT 1490-1500. Musée du Louvre

　In the Louvre, beside the Gonzaga cinquedea to which we have referred, there is an excellent example, complete with its scabbard (Fig. 861). This is a superb weapon, but from a hand unfamiliar to us. In the Ressman bequest to the Bargello Museum, Florence, is a cinquedea (Fig. 862) of the ordinary proportions as regards the shape of the hilt, but with a blade decorated in that delightful medium of gold inlay applied to the surface which can also be seen on the blade of a cinquedea-like sword dagger in the same collection (Vol. ii, p. 279, Fig. 657).

FIG. 862. CINQUEDEA Reversed to show the design upon the blade Italian ( Bolognese ? ) , about 1490-1500 Collection : Signor Ressman , Bargello Museum , Florence

It has been suggested, but we do not know on what authority, that this medium of gold decoration, in which much of the drawing of the subject is left to the imagination and only the higher lights are inlaid or rather plated with gold, was peculiar to Bologna. Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi of Rome possesses a fine cinquedea, with its leathern scabbard complete, which we illustrate (Fig. 863). In the case of this specimen the quillons are etched much in the manner of the blade, but by an artist of indifferent skill. In the Museo Civico of Venice there is a noteworthy example with a hilt of silver magnificently chased. Nearly all the important continental armouries show specimens of the cinquedea. They are to be seen in the armouries of Turin, of Vienna, of Berlin, and of the Porte de Hal, Brussels; while many fine and genuine examples are in the private collections on the continent.

FIG. 863. CINQUEDEA WITH ITS ORIGINAL SCABBARD , PROBABLY VENETIAN , ABOUT 1500 . Collection : Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi , Rome

　The richest hilted cinquedea in existence, decorated as it is with silver, partly gilt, and even with jewels, is that example which is said to have been a gift from the Emperor Charles V to Francis I in 1526, formerly in the collection of Prince Colloredo of Prague. The present writer has never had the opportunity of examining this weapon, and consequently is unable personally to vouch for its authenticity. But he gives an illustration of it produced from a mid-XIXth century publication (Fig. 863A). Two other cinquedea with hilts of almost equal richness were formerly in the collection of Prince Charles of Prussia. These, too, the present writer has never seen, knowing them from photographs only.

Fig. 863A. Cinoueuea Said to have been presented by the Emperor Charles V to Francis I Collection : Prince Colloredo of Prague

　By the double process of description and of pictures we have now given illustrations of the various types of cinquedea, together with accounts of the varied decorations applied to them; indeed, it may even appear to the reader that we have unnecessarily duplicated our representations of these weapons. On careful scrutiny, however, it will be found that though all bear a strong family likeness to one another, each has some distinctive feature either in the hilt or blade. Of the variations of the cinquedea type of dagger sword we have previously spoken under the heading of transitional daggers of the XVth-XVIth centuries (ante, pp. 62, et seqq).

CHAPTER XX

HAFTED WEAPONS IN GENERAL USE FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE XIVth CENTURY TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE XVIxii CENTURY NTIL now we have only dealt with the sword and dagger; but there also remain for consideration auxiliary weapons of almost equal importance if less knightly in their significance —the lance, the mace, the battle- and pole-axe, exclusive of the various kinds of hafted weapons for use on foot. It is to the lance that we must first turn our attention. We have already spoken of its possible con struction in earlier times ; let us now examine its features as they appear in the XIVth and XVth centuries. In its complete form during the XIVth, XVth, and XVIth centuries the lance or spear consisted of four distinct parts —the "shaft," "truncneon," or "staff"; the head or "socket"; the "vamplate," and the " grate " or " graper " : all these terms we will explain by turns as we come to them. In the XIVth century the war lance was much the same as that which is used to-day in Oriental countries, though of considerably stouter construction. The " shaft " or " truncheon," differing in this respect from that of the succeeding century, had no swell in front of the place where it was grasped, but maintained an even diameter of about two inches for its entire length. There was no grip, which we can accurately so' describe, for the hand, but we find this spot termed by Xlllth century writers, arestil, arestuel, or arescuel; Froissart in the following century calls it the haiiste, although this term is also used as an equivalent to "truncheon" in its limited sense. In earlier times the shafts were made of ash; but towards the close of the XIVth century cypress wood seems to have been occasionally employed in their manufacture, for Chaucer says: His spere was of fin cypres, That bodeth werre, and nothing pees, The hed ful sharpe y-grounde. The head of the war lance or spear, termed in XIVth century English the "socket" from its resemblance to a plough-share, was generally leaf shaped, though varieties of forms have come under our notice. As in the III 81 M EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS f Fig. 864 case of other individual armaments for which there was a heavy demand, certain countries and towns were famous for the production of spear-heads, Toulouse being noted at an early date for their manufacture and export. Turkish heads also seem to have enjoyed a high reputa tion among the French knights of the Xlllth century. With the advent of the XVth century we note from an examination of an actual lance which can be assigned to about this period, and Fig. 865. CoRONEL heads of a tilting lance (rt) Late XVth century; {b) Early XVIth century Imperial Armoury, Vienna Fig. 866. Central portion ok the large but hollow LANCE Known as that of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. It appears, however, to be of later date Tower of London, Class VII, No. 50 which is now in the collection of Sir Edward Barry (Fig. 864), that though the diameter of the haft, for most of its length, is about two inches, it widens to form a truncated cone before the grip or hanste is reached, where it suddenly becomes slender again. This forma tion, although reversely placed, is repeated to wards the butt end of the lance. In the case of the example illustrated it appears that mUch of the butt has worn away, while part of the other end is missing. The present length of this lance is eight feet, a length which, taking Fig. 864. War lance. In all probability of early XVth century date Sir Edward Barry, Bart. 82 Collection : HAFTED WEAPONS: THE LANCE into account the fact that the lance is an actual battle weapon, must be regarded as short, ten to fourteen feet being the more ordinary measure ment. In Petit Jehan de Saintrd, a romance written in 1459 by Antoine de la Sale, we read (chap, xxxv): '' Le roy incontinent fist niesurer leiirs lances, qui devoient estre de la poinctejnsqnes a farrest de xiijpids de long." As early as 1252 (Matthew Paris, under that year) we have evidence that it was customary to blunt the war spear-head for the purposes of the joust; but accidents still occurring despite this precaution we find that before the close of the century some bright brain evolved what is best known to English students as the " coronel," "cornel," " crownal," or "crownackle," so called from its likeness, fancied or real, to a coronet. This head was fashioned of a robust socket furnished with three or more short arms which splayed out FiG. 867. Vamplate of a tilting lance Late XVth century. Wallace Collection ward around its edges, an arrangement which offered the maximum of bite upon helm or shield, wdth the minimum of penetrative power. This head was termed in France roche, rochet, or roquet, and the lance so furnished, lance enroche or lance courtoise. Another variety of this head was knowm as boiite, in which the three arms sprang not from the socket direct but from a block {boete). Inventories and records of the XVth and XVIth centuries supply us with the names of many different varieties of heads for the joust and the tourney; niornes, mornettes, virales, diamants, fers de lancespur gect, " socket-heads," " heads for the bar," " tournay heads," " heads for casting spears," and many more are to be met with. We illustrate two examples of the "coronel " now in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna, that can be assigned to the end of the XVth or commencement of the XVIth century (Fig. 865, a, b). In the second half of the XVth century the tilting 83 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS lance assumed enormous proportions, not as regards length, but in girth and in weight. In the Schloss Ambras, near Innsbruck, and in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna, are preserved a large number of jousting lances that are like small trees cut down and roughly trimmed: some have a diameter of five inches. It must, however, be borne in mind that these planclions, as they were termed in French, were used against such mighty tilting sets as are described in Vol. ii, pp. 124 to 127. So great indeed was their weight that in Germany, in iht gemein Teutsch gestech, it was often found necessary for the mounted varlets, riding in advance of their knights, to bear the weight of the spear upon their left shoulders, only abandoning it the instant before the jousters came to the cope. One of Lucas Cranach's finest engravings Fig. 868. From the picture of Mars and Venus Painted for Lorenzo the Magnificent by Alessandro Filipepi, known as Sandro Botticelli National Gallery ^^ shows such a joust. There is in the Tower of London a great lance, fluted and painted, that bears the tradition as having been carried by Charles Brandon, Duke of Suft'olk (Fig. 866). Paul Hentzner makes note of this in 1598, and mentions it in his "Itinerary," published in Nuremberg in 1612, Lancea Caroli Branden Suffolciae quae tres spithanios crassa erat''\ and in 1660 the Tower inventory mentions "Great lances, two said to be King Henry Vlllth's and one Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolke's." It is again mentioned in the 1683 inventory, in the 1688 inventory, and valued at_;;^5, in the 1691 inventory, and in the 1693 inventory. At its greatest circumference, immediately in front of the grip, this so-called Brandon lance is obviously hollow, a circumstance that compels us to class it with the bourdonnasse, termed in English " bourdon," a type oftilting lance mentioned disparagingly by De Commines. We are therefore inclined to think that it is not the 84 HAFTED WEAPONS: THE WAR HAMMER actual one referred to by Hentzner, but one of later date, substituted in the early years of the XVIIth century, when the orij^inal was no lonj^er to be found. In the XVIIth century the botirdon nasses figure constantly, and many instances of their use are illustrated in Pluvinel, chiefly in connection with tilting at the ring and quintain, in which exercises they were known as lances de carridre. Early in the XIVth century a circular plate of metal was added to the lance immediately above the Jianste, which was known in Eng land as the "vamplate," a corruption of avant p/af, and in France as rondelle or ronde de la lance. Vamplates occur in the inventory of the Castle of Wigmore, taken in 1322. In its earliest form in England and France, as we see it pictured upon the lids and sides ofjewel caskets and upon mirror-cases of the first quarter of the XIVth century, the vamplate seems to have been flat or but slightly concave towards the hand, and about five inches in diameter. But in Germany, if the evidence of illuminated MSS. is to be trusted, somewhat larger vamplates,almost hemi spherical in shape, were in use quite early in the century. Early in the XVth century w^e find a distinction drawn between vamplates for war and for the joust; miniatures of the period show us that the difference lay in the fact that while those intended for war retained the old flat form, those for the joust were con siderably larger and were conical in shape. A fine example of the first order is in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 867). In Sandro Botticelli's panel of Mars and Venus, painted for Lorenzo the Magnificent, and now in the National Gallery (Fig. 868), a lance with flat war vamplate is shown borne by an infant satyr, whose head is hidden in the god's helmet, a superb salade. For the German Schorfyennen of the late XVth and early XVIth centuries we find a Fig. 869. Central portions ok two tilting lances Late XVIth century date Wallace Collection plate of peculiar construction and outline employed. 85 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Wefirst meet with the "grate," or "graper" as it was termed in English, later called the "burr," in French the grappe or agrappe, a heavy ring of metal nailed to the shaft be hind the lianste, towards the end of the first quarter of the XIVth century. It was at first essentially an adjunct to the joust, its object being to distribute throughout the jouster's body, through the medium of the " arrest " or " lance, rest," the shock of an atteint, which had hitherto been borne by his hand and arm alone. Until towards the end of the XJVth century the "graper" seems to have retained its original form and limited use, but when the " arrest " became an integral part of the ordin ary war harness we find its use developed. At about the same time the construction of the " arrest " itself was altered ; the grip be tween the "arrest" and the "graper" ceased to be supplied by a felt pad, and the hollow of the " arrest " from now onwards was filled with lead or wood, while the "graper" itself was fashioned as a wide flange of metal with a series of sharp and heavy spikes in its rear ward surface which bit deeply into this leaden or wooden filling. Among XVth century Fig. 870. Swedish feather XVIth and XVIIth centuries Collection: the late Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant, New York French writers we find the term " arrest " ex tended justifiably but somewhat confusingly to the "graper." At all times the actually exposed wooden portions of thejance were painted either fanci fully in the manner of the war lance now in Eastnor Castle, and formerly in the Meyrick Collection, or in spiral bands in which the colours of the wearer were introduced. There are interesting lances in the Tower of London, though nearly all are of late date, and others in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 869). These lances, however, appear to belong 86 HAFTED WEAPONS: THE WAR HAMMER to the latter part of the XVIth century, and are essentially tournament and not fighting weapons. Of this form must have been the lances for light horsemen, distinguishable in the 1547 inventory of the armouries at West minster under the heading of "Colin Cleves " : " Itm Colin Cleves painted and guilte thone havingea rounde plate at thande of silver and guilte graven vv' sheff arrowes foure of them lackinge heddes . . . viij." In other words these are staves or lances brought from Cologne, the " rounde plate at thande " being the steel vamplate. There is a very unusual type of lance — a folding lance —in the collection of the late Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant of New York (Fig. 870). This last-named specimen is not strictly speaking a lance but is a " Swedish feather," carried by cavalry during the thirty years' war. We called them in.England "Pallisados." * * * Even before we come to the XVth century the war-hammer, pole-axe, or battle-axe had become recognized as a hafted weapon fit for knightly use; we shall therefore select it as the next subject for our consideration. To grasp —roughly enough —its evolution we must retrace our steps very many generations. Its early significance as a weapon was far from knightly; for the rude levies of the Xlth and Xllth centuries were the original wielders of the war-hammer. Like the " brigans " and " ribaux," who swelled the army for the sake of plunder, the poor levies of the nobility fought with the first weapons upon which they could lay hands, the tools of their husbandry, the hatchet, the scythe, the cattle-goad, and the pick. Of these the pick survived; for in skilled hands it proved a most formidable weapon. To economize space we shall group together the mallet, the battle-axe, and the war-hammer, because the method of their use was similar. So beyond supplying certain illustrations of the so-called battle-axe, we will confine ourselves in the discussion of these associated weapons to giving some account of the war-hammer and of the mace. "Throughout the XIVth century, speaking generally, the haft of the war-hammer had the propor tions of that of the mace, which, like the war-hammer, was manipulated with one hand. Many fine hammer-heads of the time are extant; but few, if any; and none of those which we have examined possess their original wooden hafts. In the Wallace Collection (Fig. 871) a war-hammer dating from the first half of the XVth century is most representative; for although it is of XVth century construction, it is of the type which is known to have existed throughout the previous century. Two fine hammer-heads were also in the Dino Collection, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York (Figs. 872 87 L i Fig. 871. Wy\K-riAMMER Probably French; 'first half of the XVth century Wallace Collection (Laking Cata logue, No. 23) HAFTED WEAPONS: THE MACE and 873), the former purporting to have its original haft, the latter having its splendid massive head incrusted with brass. We also give an illustration of a superbly fashioned beak and hammer from a war-hammer which was some few years ago dug up in Spain (Fig. 874). This, however, appears to be of somewhat later date, and doubtless originally was hafted to the length of four to five feet; it is a weapon of Italian or possibly of Spanish make. There is, in the Museo Civico of Venice, another such hammer-head—a magnificent example, indeed one of the finest known to the present writer — a massively constructed and deadly implement. It would appear from such pictorial evidence as is available that the short martcl de fer was often one of the auxiliary weapons of the mounted knight. In Uccello's painting (Vol. i, Fig. 238), which hangs in the National Gallery, the knight in the right-hand corner of the picture may be seen armed with a war-hammer, and successfully parrying a blow dealt him by an adversary armed with a sword. Froissart speaks of the iron war-hammer in describing the tumults in Paris in 1382 —and again in his account of the battle of Rosebeke. * * * Throughout the Xlllth and XIVth centuries we find the mace repre sented either with the plain spheroidal head, or very simply flanged, which in the first place would be achieved by grooves cut in the globular head, parallel with the handle, so as to make the mace bite and tear, as well as crush, when a blow was given. We may take it, however, that in many cases the mace was doubtless little more than the baston to which we have already referred. The deepening of the grooves in the head of the mace was a step towards the flanged or laminated maces, the latter, to which Meyrick gave the name of the quadrell, being best known. The head of the earlier quadrell consisted as a rule of four flanges or laminae placed at obtuse angles to one another; while in its latest development the head of the mace ^vas multi-lamed. It was a weapon not only used by knights but by all classes. King Edward III, in the first years of his reign to 1327, forbade these " mansels," or more correctly masuels (which was the French word of the period), to be carried by the citizens of London. Many examples of war maces of the XVth century have survived the passage of time and are to be seen in collections to-day; but we know of scarce half a dozen that we dare date earlier than the XVth century. In all forms, especially when III the head had flanges of triangular shape, the mace was an admirable weapon for close combat, having a crushing, biting, and tearing action; the 89 N EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS flanged head had also the advantage of light ness, so that the weapon could readily be recovered for a second blow after the first had been dealt. There is a mace head in the London Museum (Fig. 875) which might date from a period as early as the first quarter of the XIVth century; for almost its counterpart can be seen depicted as the w^eapon of one of the sleeping guards who are carved on what is known as the Easter Sepulchre in Lincoln Cathedral, a relief which is assigned to the latter half of the Xlllth century (Fig. 876). Another mace, in the collection of M. Charles Boissonnas of Geneva (Fig. 877), might safely be assigned to some period in the XIVth cen tury; this latter is very like the example in the National Bavarian Museum of Munich (Fig. 878). With the advent of the XVth century certain maces are to be found which are ex Fk;. 875. Mace head XIVth century (?). London Museum ceptionally graceful in their outline and which balance perfectly in the hand. As the century advanced a compartment was fashioned for the hand, which vvas pro tected by a flattened disk at the pommel, and with a circular or faceted guard in the manner of the rondel dagger. There is a fine specimen of a mace in the Wallace Collection, No. 621 (Fig. 879), .which is so constructed. Here it will be noted that the haft is hexagonal, its facets overlaid with strips of latten; the head is delicately fashioned, each flange shaped to an acute angle, small in proportion, 90 Fig. 876. Relief hgure from the sleeping guards armed with a mace Second half of the XI I Ith century. From the Easter Sepulchre, Lincoln Cathedral HAFTED WEAPONS: THE MACE and iDierced with trefoils. In tiie Baron de Cosson's Collection is a small and most knightly weapon of this class surmounted by a castellated crown, which its owner considers to be of French origin and to date from the third quarter of the XVth century. Here the haft is solid and hexagonal in Fig. 877. Mace head of IRON Possibly of the middle of the XIVth century Collection: M. CharlesBoissonnas, Geneva ViG. 878. Mace with a HEAD OF ikon Late XIVth century National Bavarian Museum of Munich Fig. 879. Mace French (?), about 1470. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 621) section ; while the flanged head is large in size in comparison with the general proportions of the weapon (Fig. 880). Another fine mace of about the same period, also considered to be French, is in the collection of M. Charles Boissonnas of Geneva. The grip of this example is covered with cuir bouilli tooled with a floral design (Fig. 881). Often in the case of XVth century examples, as in that of the maces of the previous centuries, it 91 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS is only the head of the mace that is of metal, a short wooden haft forming the grip as seen in the extraordinarily enriched example which was formerly in the collection of Prince Mikhailovitch Galitzine, but is now in the Hermitage, Fig. 880. Mace F'rench, about 1480 Collection: Baron de Cosson Fig. 881. Mace French, about 1480 Collection: M. Charles Boissonnas, Geneva Fig. 882. Mace Probably Bavarian, about 1490. From the collection of Prince Mikhailovitch Galitzine Now in the Hermitage, Petrograd Petrograd (Fig. 882). It will be noted that applied Gothic ornaments of the most flamboyant type decorate both the head and the haft of this gorgeous mace, the latter having been made hollow in order to receive the remaining 92 HAFTED WEAPONS: THE MACE wooden portion of the grip. This example probably comes from Bavaria and belongs to the closing years of the XVth century; for the crocketed arches placed at given intervals, which occupy the hexagonal sides of the haft, are rendered in the late Gothic style of that country. The grip must have been of wood, fitting into the end of the haft as in the case of a spear haft. A tiny little mace in the author's collection, very simple in outline, and constructed on the same principle as the Hermitage mace furnishes our next illustration (Fig. 883). Fig. 883. Mace Originally hafted with wood Late XVth century Collection: Author Fig. 884. M.\cE, from an inxi.sed slau I-ate XIVth century. Formerly in the Church of Culture-Sainte Catherine, Paris. After Planche As we have stated, many undoubtedly genuine examples of the mace are to be seen ; these, however, tell us very little, and little has been gathered from MSS. of the use of the mace in warfare. All we can do is to surmise the nationality of extant specimens, and to date them fairly approximately to their style. We are, however, inclined to think that, deadly weapon as the mace must have been when used in actual warfare, it fulfilled, by the end of the XVth century, no more important function than that performed by the commander's baton in the XVHIth century, being merely part of 93 . EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the recognized insignia of military rank. The mace was the peculiar emblem carried by the King's Sergeants-at-arms both on the continent and in England. The Sergeants-at-arms, or-at-mace, were the peculiar body guard of a King: as a mark of royal favour the privilege of having one or more Sergeants-at-mace was occasionally granted to mayors and others. The civic mace, according to a very concise statement by the late Mr. R. S. Ferguson, "is nothing but the military one turned upside down." We are able to illustrate this point by the representation of a mace which figures on an incised slab, which was formerly in the Church of Culture-Sainte Catherine in Paris (Fig. 884). The evolution of this mace seems to have come about as follows: The flange-headed mace had no available space on which to place the royal arms. So the war mace was reversed and the flange head held downwards, which by degrees gradually dwindled, until Fig. 885. Mace Italian, about 1520. Collection: Viscount Astor it survived alone in a meaningless scrollwork; while the pommel end of the mace by being flattened out formed a convenient disk on which to engrave a coat of arms. In this form we find the silver civic maces of to-day. In the jousts of peace fought early in the XVIth century a particular cour.se was fought with heavy wooden maces, when a head-piece was worn such as we see depicted in our illustration (Vol. ii, p. 161, Figs. 501 and 502). M. Viollet-le-Duc in his Dictionaire {Voi. ii, pi. liii) gives a drawing of a knight so armed for the tournament. In earlier times, even in the more serious tournaments a outrance, the mace was used; for in "The Knightes Tale " (1. 1700) of Chaucer, the proclamation of the herald ends : al de cinquante livres tournois et convert dc coiivertures de fer, on de convert11re ponrpointd. It would seem that about this period the defence known in later times as the chanfron, the plate protection for the horse's head, made its appear ance; though it is to be noted that the duplication on the horse's head of the crest appearing on the helm was made.at a much earlier date. The seal of Patrick Dunbar, tenth Earl of March, 1292, illustrated in Henry Laing's "Ancient Scottish Seals," page 54 (Fig. 950), affords a good example of a knight and steed decorated with the same crest. It is, how ever, in the list of provisions for the famous Windsor Tournament of 1278 that we find the earliest records of the copita or chanfron of cnir bonilli fashioned to the form of the horse's head: " D Eodem [Miloii le Cuireuf.] xxxviij. copita cor de similitud' capit equoz p'c pec ij, s." It is remarkable that though contem porary accounts make mention of arma ments for the horse, these are seldom Fig. 948. From the Painted Cham BER, Palace of Westminster Early Xlllth century depicted in the miniatures and sculptures of the time. The chanfron is so old an accoutrement as to have been in use among the ancient Greeks; and though an example of this kind is totally outside the scope of the present work, we cannot refrain from giving an illustration of a splendid, though very small, Celtic specimen in bronze found at Torrs, Kirkcudbrightshire, now in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (Fig. 951). The appearance of the leather chanfron of the early years of the XIVth century, possibly and prob ably, was not unlike one of the head defences used to-day in cavalry regiments for purposes of sabre practice. Just as the form of the horse's head is seen in one of these roughly suggested in tough leather and metal, so must the copita requisitioned for the Windsor Tournament of 1278, have ~ 148 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS appeared. We can record a chanfron of about 1350 from a miniature in the Hofbibliothek, Munich : there it is represented as large and complete with openings for the eyes and ears and with a cusped ridge down the forehead (Fig. 952). In a similar form it is shown, along with the other horse armour, in the miniature from the Add. MSS. 15477 —a volume with illuminations of somewhat later date than the one last mentioned, but more interesting inasmuch as the illustrations are coloured, and afiford indications that the chanfrons are of leather, painted brown with gilded edges and rivets. The neck chain armour is shown as grey —its natural steel colour. The charger Fig. 954 Fig. 955 Chanfron Front view and in profile. About 1370 G 578, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris After Viollet-le-Duc Fig. 956. Carved ivory chessman About 1370. Formerly in the collection of the Rev. J. Eagles of the more distant knight in the illumination wears the crinet as well as the chanfron (Fig. 953); while rectangular plates, also from their colour appar ently of ciiir bouilli, hang over the flanks and shoulders of the steeds, a circumstance which reminds us that as early as 1347 a leathern breast-piece for a horse is mentioned in a will—that of the Earl of Surrey (York Wills, p. 43): Jeo cievys a Monsire Robert de Holande les quissers ove le picer de quir qui soiint pour 111011 destrer. There is in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris an interesting chanfron, G 578, which in the official catalogue is assigned to the end of the XIVth century. It is made of many layers of parchment which doubtless, when wet, 150 HORSE ARMOUR were imposed upon a block of wood fashioned to the form of a horse's head, so that on drying they stiffened to that form. The eye protections and the ear-guards are of iron plated with pewter; so, too, is the nasal-guard, which is pierced with two circular arrangements of holes for purposes of breathing. Down the centre runs a broad band of the same medium. This chanfron, which from its lack of decoration appears to be essentially one meant for hard fighting, came from the collection of Napoleon III at Pierrefonds (Figs. 954 and 955). As an example of the full armament of the horse in the third quarter of the XIVth century, we certainly can do no better than give an Fig. 957. Two views of a chanfron Late XIVth century. Warwick Castle Armoury. After Grose illustration of that now famous little chessman, so many times illustrated, formerly in the collection of the Rev. J. Eagles (Fig. 956). Here may be noted the same pendulous plates hanging round the charger, which is clothed in mail to its fetlocks as in the Westminster painting. Doubtless the appendages were painted heraldically. Here, too, can be seen for the first time the really complete chanfron entirely enclosing the horse's head: the demarcation for the opening hinge is clearly shown under the line of the jaw bone, the ears are protected, and there are holes for the eyes and holes pierced above the nostrils for breathing. The date assigned to this ivory chess-piece is the third quarter of the XIVth century. Very like the chanfron 151 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS represented on this chessman is that most interesting specimen in the War wick Castle Collection. Here certainly is one of the oldest iron chanfrons known; for it must assuredly date within the last years of the XIVth century. It is now not complete, having lost its ear-guards. In lieu of a single aperture on each side for sight, it has a small cluster of holes over each eye (Fig. 957). How the Warwick Castle Armoury became possessed of this unique piece of plate armour is not known. But it is certainly not one of the early XIXth century purchases; for it figures in Grose's "Ancient Armour," published in 1786, Plate XLII, as "an iron chamfron of uncom mon construction said to have belonged to Guy, Earl of Warwick." Fig. 958. King Henry V About 1415. From his Chantry Chapel in the Abbey Church of Westminster Fig. 959. From a miniature Royal MS., 20, C, vii, folio 136 Hystoire de Roys de France aprh Philippe III, etc. In the Abbey Church of Westminster, in the Chantry Chapel of King Henry \\ which was planned by the King himself about 1415, among the many and elaborate statuettes and reliefs are to be seen two representations of King Henry. In both these the King is shown galloping full speed, his horse arrayed in a rich wrapper of the royal arms, but apparently unarmoured save for a full, large, and ample chanfron, in which it can be noted that not only are the parts of the chanfron covering the eyes and nose pierced with small holes, but that the truncated tubes which protect the ears are also pierced in a similar manner. We illustrate the north relief (Fig. 958). In a miniature (Royal MS., 20, C, vii, folio 136 —Hystoire de Roys de 152 HORSE ARMOUR France apyds Philippe III) (Fig. 959) we see the charger of a knight emerging from behind a tent. Caparisons of material descend to the horse's fetlocks, beneath which appears chain armour; around the upper portion of its neck are four complete crinet plates, while the chanfron is full —the eyes and ears being protected by metal, which, however, is pierced with clusters of holes for purposes of seeing and hearing. Down the centre of the chanfron is the same cusped ridge which we noted on those of earlier date (page 150). It is interesting to see the manner in which the eye protections are applied : we are able to give an illustration of an existing chanfron in which the construction will be found to be the same as in the case of that represented on the charger in the miniature. The chanfron in question is that rare piece of armour preserved in the Arsenal of Venice which used to go by the name of "the chanfron of Attila "! Above the eye openings in this example are applied deep hoods, limiting the vision of the horse to the ground —but not pierced with holes like those shown in the illuminations. The actual date of the Venice chanfron, which has been variously estimated to be from early XIVth to late XVth century, can be more or less determined by fixing the date of the manuscript in which this type of horse armament figures. This is accepted as being of the early years of the XVth century, to which date therefore it is fairly safe to assign the "Attila" chanfron. The whole surface of the Fig. 960. CuANi-RON Late XI Vth or early XVth century The Arsenal, Venice chanfron, which is now black, has applied to it at regular intervals small five-rayed stars; while down the centre of the forehead runs an applied inverted keel-like form (Fig. 960). The remarkable feature of this chanfron is its excessive length. The attribution to Attila is of no great antiquity; for in the inventory of 161 1 the only mention made of horse armour is that of " a black horse head'-piece." In the 1773 inventory of the Arsenal there is reference to an iron helmet of Attila's; but there is no mention made of a head-piece for a horse. Gravem broch, however, reproduces a drawing of the chanfron, adding as description: Visiera decantata del cavallo di Attila, sta nelle sale del Eccelso Cons", di X. 153 Ill-^ EUROPEAiSI ARMOUR AND ARMS As the XVth century progresses the formation of the chanfron assumes a less cumbersome form, and its development, differing in this respect from that of man's armour, becomes somewhat less protective, inasmuch as it fails to inclose the head completely. In a MS. of the poems of Christine de Pisan, preserved among the Harleian MSS., 4431, folio 114, there is a delightful little miniature executed about 1420 for Isabel, Queen of France, which shows a knight arming (Fig. 961). Beside him is his steed. On it are vandyked flanchards, poitrel, and neck covering of chain mail. The chanfron is somewhat advanced in form, showing the cusped ridge down the front; Fig. 961. Miniature From the Harleian MSS., 4431, folio 114 About 1420. The Poems of Christine de Pisan Fig. 962. Stirrup (the TREAD missing) About 1440 London Museum while the crinet is composed of three comparatively small plates. The saddle shows several points of interest; for here it is represented with the leg shields, which are seemingly of metal, being apparently riveted around the edge. The stirrups are triangular in form, and though indifferently drawn seem to be of the type of which we see an example in the London Museum (Fig. 962). They are stirrups, the chief feature of which is their diminution in circumference towards the front; an arrangement which would prevent the knight with his pointed solleret from "riding home" and so, in the event of his being thrown, would lessen the danger of his being dragged by the stirrup. 154 < J U! a.-r; G H < « OS W o 03 Ci X a > =^ S > o o g 3 < X J Q O 155 '> o 3 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS As we have spoken of the war saddle, a subject which we have barely mentioned until we reached the period with which we are now dealing, we will take the opportunity of describing the saddle reputed to have belonged to Henry V, which hangs over the King's tomb in his Chantry Chapel in the Abbey Church of Westminster. It is perhaps the only existing saddle of war pattern of the first quarter of the XVth century of which the present writer has a record; though there is a saddle of early date in the Royal Armoury of Madrid, not unlike it in construction, which figures in the old catalogues as that of James, first King of Aragon, called the Conqueror, 1213-76! We are able to give an admirable illustration of the Henry V saddle, owing to the courtesy of Dean Robinson, who allowed it to be removed from the beam on which it rests to be photographed for this work (Fig. 963, a, b, c). Making no great show as an accoutrement, being indeed but a shadow of its former self, this saddle is in the present writers opinion by far the most interesting of the three achievements hanging over the tomb of the monarch. Of the type of the helm a few are extant, and the shield has one or two solitary companions ; but of such saddles of the first quarter of the XVth century there now exists, we believe, but this. It was used in the funeral procession of King Henry V. The illustrations of it which we give are so clear that they will render a better account of it, as it now appears, than could be furnished by any mere verbal description. It is most interest ing to note the extraordinary likeness which it bears in construction to the method employed even to-day in making the most improved type of cavalry saddle. It will be seen that the two simple boards that rest upon the back of the horse leave a rather large free passage between them above the horse's back. These boards are connected together by the high burr plate in the front of the saddle and by the cantle-plate at the back, the ends of the latter extending inward so as to give support to the rider. The cantle and burr are connected with one another by the simple padded seat, raised fully five inches from the actual back of the horse, and so allowing ample space for the padded numnah. A feature of the saddle is that above the two hide strap ends to which the double girths were attached, much in the manner of a modern Mexican saddle, is hinged a large rectangular iron buckle, nicely faceted on its outer side, through which must have passed the stirrup leather. Upon the foundation boards of the saddle in front are fastened on either side two strong iron staples with pierced heads, and below them a heavy ring. At the cantle end of the saddle is one similar staple. The staples in front nmst have been for the attachment of the 156 < a: u > O O u H H M o D U H W > CO CO 0\ 157 .u nl 3 cr I H EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS poitrel housings of the horse, and that at the back for that of the croiipiere housing. The office of the iron ring in front we are at a loss to explain; it is placed too low on the saddle to be used as a ring on which to hang a mace or sword. As to the present appearance of this interesting relic, it is wholly of a monotonous drab colour, due to its centuries of exposure; there is not the slightest trace of colour or decoration of any description, with the result that its past splendour can only be left to the imagination. The wood of which it is constructed appears to be oak, but it is entirely covered with canvas that is carefully glued to every part of it. The padded seat, also of canvas, is stuffed with hay; this seems never to have been disturbed. Since the present writer made these notes on the saddle, and on the other achievements hanging above the tomb of King Henry V, Sir St. John Hope has read at the Society of Antiquaries, and published in Archaeologia, his scholarly paper on " The Funeral, Monument and Chantry Chapel of King Henry the Fifth." Alas! His investigations dispose, we fear, of the probability —we will not say possibility —of the shield, saddle, but not perhaps the helm, ever having been actually used by the King himself. According to Sir St. John Hope, the earliest account of the Chantry Chapel, and allusion to the saddle, appear in Monumeiita IVestnionasteriensia, etc., by H. K[eepe], in 1682. Keepe refers to "stairs to ascend into the same, where the Saddle which this heroick Prince used in the wars in ffrance, with his Shield and other warlike furniture, is to be seen." Sandford's " Genealogical History of the Kings of England," published in 1707, contains an engraving of a drawing by F. Barlow of the Chapel, which shows, upon a beam, a square shield with the King's arms, surmounted by the leopard's crest above the cap of state, but no helm or saddle. Dart repro duces F. Barlow's drawing made use of by Sandford, and describes the con tents of the chapel as follows: "There are in this Chapel the Trophies of this Warlike Prince, viz., his Helmet, plac'd oh the Wall overlooking St. Edward's Shrine; his Shield, which is small, the Handfast broken away, and the Colours of it not to be distinguish'd ; his Saddle of blue Velvet, pouder'd with Flowers de-liz of Gold, the Velvet dusty, but substantial, and the Colour tolerably fresh; three large Rests for Spears, a large Capari.son-Cloth tolerably fresh. . . ." Thus we see that, in the XVHIth century, there existed in the Chapel several things not there to-day, the three large rests for spears, the blue velvet cover for the saddle, powdered with fleur-de-lis, and the caparison cloth. This latter we now know formed no part of King Henry's achieve 158 X < U a. < X u si w X o 5 OS ( s H W > > o t: 3 V o « o < X Q < 6 159 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS ment; for Sir St. John Hope recognizes in the arms upon it, described by Dart, those of Stewart of Davington, and thinks that it was a cofifin cloth used at the interment of Ludovic Stewart, second Duke of Lennox, who was buried in the Abbey Church of Westminster in 1623-4. However, by 1796, the saddle-cover and the caparison-cloth had disappeared; for Gough in his " Sepulchral Monuments in Great Britain," published at that date, says: " The saddle, once of blue velvet powdered with fleur-de-lis, or, is now- reduced to bare wood, and the first covering of buckram on the seat. It is twenty seven inches long, fifteen high be fore, and thirteen behind, the length of the buckle from whence hung the stirrups is four inches and a half, and the breadth two." The helm and its probable source we have described in vol. ii, pp. 99 et seqq., and Figs. 449, a, b; the shield in the same volume, p. 230, Figs. 595, a, b, and 596. Of saddles in the bill for the expenses of King Henry's funeral there is only one mention : Item deIVillelnw CaiideivellIP'' selle bastarde cum hernesio prechim pecie. xxvjs viijd. xxvjs viijd. So the saddle, now to be seen hanging above the tomb, must be Fig. 964. From the tomb of Bernabo ViSCONTI Now in the Castle of Milan either one of these bastard saddles, which became the perquisite of the Abbey after the funeral of King Henry, or the saddle used by the Earl who rode, fully armed in "cote armor," before the standard in the procession, and whose entire accoutrements were delivered to the Sacrist. We can find no other allusion to saddles in the few contemporary accounts of the funeral. So, much as we should like to accept Keepe's romantic account of this relic —"The saddle which this heroick Prince used in the wars in France " —we fear we should be nearer the truth if we considered it as merely part of the contemporary furnishing of the great funeral pageant. The reader is referred to the will of Robert, Lord Willoughby de 160 THE BIT Eresby, of 1395, in which there is a bequest of a saddle: " I will that the Master of the said Chantry, being the parish priest of Spillesby, shall have my best horse and best saddle for a mortuary." Thus there appears to have been a custom to give saddles as well as suits of armour and swords as mortuaries. If we look at some of the royal seals, notably the second great seal of Henry III and the seal of Edward I, we see that the war saddle has altered but little; it is cantled high both back and front. Knights rode with the leg straight, necessitating the padding of the saddle seat to an exaggerated degree, as can be seen in the case of the Milan statue of Bernabo Visconti (Fig. 964). Many evidences are extant of the sump tuous military horse furniture of the XIVth and XVth centuries. In the Musee de Cluny is a strong curb bit, with a bar of unusual length and square bosses on either side elaborately enamelled with heraldic bear ings, which appears to date from the middle of the XIVth century. Two others of the same type, made of bronze gilt, are known to the present writer, one in the Royal Armoury of Turin (D 58 in the catalogue of that collection) bearing the arms of the Sicilian family of Bracciforti di Botero, the other, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, furnished with an enamelled square-shaped boss (one is lost). The arms that appear upon this specimen (Fig. 965) have not been recognized. The Riggs Collection, now in the Metro politan Museum of New York, contains a bit of the closing years of the XIVth century, which consists in a most complicated Moorish bar fashioned on the lines of what is known as the " Hanoverian porte" and rendered formidably powerful by the addition of a set of nine rollers. Made of gilded iron, with short, Fig. 965. Bit Gilt bronze, enriched with champlev^ enamel. Middle of the XIVth century Metropolitan Museum, New York III .161 Y EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS wide bars and large plain bosses, it is a fine example of the applied art of the time. In Sir Farnham Burke's Collection is a simple snaffle bit, an undecor ated example we admit, but so fine and simple in outline that we think it worth illustrating (Fig. 966). We should assign it to the latter part of the XII Ith century. Shown now in the museum of the town of Bourges, and Fig. 966. Bit of the snaffle ORDER Possibly late XI I Ith century .Sir Farnham Collection : Burke, K.C.V.O. Fig. 967. Bit Gilded iron, set with coloured stone.«, formerly supposed to have belonged to Louis XI. It is, however, in our opinion, of late XVIth century workmanship. Museum of the town of Bourges formerly preserved in the Treasury of the Cathedral of that town, is a bit that has always been known as "the horse bit of Louis XI." We doubt, however, whether there is valid reason for accepting it as belonging to the end of the XVth century. Judging by its very formation, we should say that a date somewhere within the closing years of the XVIth century would 162 THE BIT appear to be the period of its fashion and manufacture. It is of iron and bronze gilded, the branches set with precious stones. The bosses on either side are circular and profusely studded with coloured stones surrounding a, ("} {b) ('•) (^0 Fig. 968. Pryke spurs {a) Early XII Ith century. London Museum {b) XI I Ith century; with gold enrichments. London Museum (t) Early XIIIth century; with curious bend in the heel-strap. London Museum {d) XIIIth century. London Museum small antique cameo. The groundwork of this setting is enamelled black —a goldsmith's fashion more suggestive of the period of Louis XIII than of that of Louis XL We, however, give an illustration ofthis bit as showing the 163 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS extreme luxury lavished upon horse furniture in certain times (Fig. 967). Many fine bits of the XVth century are to be seen in the Tower and in other public and private collections; some might be reckoned quite cruelly powerful if no account were taken of the massive war horses which they were em ployed to curb. The single snaffle bit was made use of, but more especially for the chase. To the spur —that emblem of knighthood —we have but briefly alluded in vol. i, pp. 29, 106, Figs. 37 and 128. Throughout the Xlllth century spurs appear in three forms, the simple goad, the ball and spike, and occasionally the rowel. Of the Xlllth century prick (pryke) or goad spur we furnish four illustrations showing the varying types. All of the specimens were found in London, and are now to be seen in the London Museum (Fig. 968). We mention the rowel spur of this century because, though it was certainly used, it is but rarely represented. The present writer can indeed supply no illustration of an existing specimen of this early date, but must content himself with giving a representation from a brass of the legs clad entirely in chausses of chain mail, which show the rowel spurs strapped to the heels. These portions of a brass, which are in the Wallace Collection, Nos. 12 Fig. 969. One of two legs from a brass Early Xlllth century Showing the mail chausse and the spur with rowel Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, Nos. 12 and 13) and 13 (Fig. 969), date within the first half of the Xlllth century. Unfortunately there is no record of whence they came; even their nationality is unknown. There is, however, early evidence of the use of the rowel spur on the first great seal of Henry III (1216-1272), where, in order to bring up the rowel to the middle of the heel, the seal engraver has resorted to the singular expedient of raising the field into a sort of hillock, upon which he has represented the star-like rowel. Rowel spurs of the XIVth century we can illustrate from examples in the London Museum, two of which are richly plated with gold (Fig. 970). As regards spurs of fine quality there are probably none superior to that late XIVth century pair which is now unfortunately divided, one being in the collection of the author, its fellow, which still retains the buckle of its instep straps, being preserved in the Riggs Collection, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York. They are very robustly but finely formed of gilded 164 SPURS bronze, the neck and heel straps enriched with a chequered design in black and white champleve enamel, to the heraldic significance of which we have referred to in a note on page 206. In that small elongation of the heel strap which appears immediately above the necks, a customary feature in the late (") {^>) (^) Fig. 970. Rowel spurs (a) Gilded bronze, late XIVth century. Found in London. London Museum (d) Gilded iron, late XIVth century. Found in London. London Museum (c) Bronze, early XVth century. Found near Florence. Collection: Author XIVth century form of spurs, they have a trefoil architectural design delicately engraved. The pair —which are in splendid, almost pristine, con dition —became parted in the middle of the XIXth century. One spur, after sundry peregrinations, became, for a few hundred francs, the property of Mr. Riggs, having been sold with one portion of a property at a country sale 165 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS near Paris. The other, after the lapse of some years, was put up to auction, together with the remaining portion of the same property, at the H6tel Drouot, Paris, and was purchased by M. Orville, a Parisian collector of the Fig. 971. Gilded bronze rowel spur Enamelled with chequering of black and white. Late XIVth century. Collection: Author 'sixties. Mr. Riggs made constant overtures to obtain the fellow to his spur; but considering the price asked for it to be too high, never acquired it; and M. Orville died with the spur still in his possession. The executors offered the Fig. 971a. The companion spur to that illustrated in Fig. 971 The Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York spur to Mr. Riggs, knowing his desire to re-marry the pair; but he, hardly, realizing autres temps aittres iiiocurs as regards the monetary value of objects of art generally, .still refused to make what he thought an unreasonable bid, with the result that the spurs are still parted, the author becoming the owner 166 SPURS of the Orville example, finally obtaining it for as many thousand francs as its fellow fetched hundreds (Fig. 971); while, as we have said, the Riggs spur is now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York (Fig. 971a). A pair of spurs remarkable for their splendid condition and for their complete FlG. 972. VaIK of gilded BRONZK rowel Sl'URS Engraved with the word EsPERANCE in a form of garter. Late XIVth century. Found in the moat of the Chateau du Bouchat near St. Dour^ain-sur-Sioule (Allier) Collection: Author ness, for they still retain their original cloth of gold straps, were some years ago discovered in the dry moat of the Chateau du Bouchat, near St. Dour^ain-sur-Sioule (Allier). They are of bronze gilt and have engraved upon them a form of Garter inscribed with the word Esperance, which 167 («) {b) (c) Fig. 973. Bronze gilt rowel spurs (a) Italian, about 1380 {!>) Italiai>, about 1370 (c) Italian, about 1370 Collection: the late Signor Ressman, Bargello Museum, Florence I-^iG. 974. Bronze rowel spur Probably German, about 1440. Collection : the late Signor Ressman, Bargello Museum, Florence 168 ^< SPURS thoiif(h certainly familiar to us as part of the motto of the House of Percy, RsrEh'ANCR EN D/Eu, OY lispERANCE MA CONFOK7E, was Hkcwise usccl as the K&^ EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS made to the Bargello Museum of Florence by the late Signor Ressman are some fine representa tive spurs, constructed of decor ated and gilded bronze, three of which might be assigned to the latter years of the XIVth century (Fig. 973, a, d, c); while a fourth is a splendid spur of about 1440, of which the upper part of the heel strap is pierced with the word " MARIA " (Fig. 974). Fig. 977. Bone-covered saddle of Wenzel I, King of the Romans About 1380. Imperial Armoury, Vienna Though saddles, apart from those made specifically for pur poses of war, are somewhat out side the scope of our subject, we feel that their knightly use justifies us in enumerating certain beautifully designed examples which are to be seen in some of the more important armouries of Europe. We will deal with them as far as possible in chrono logical order —and quite briefly. First look at the ivory cantle plate in the Musee du Louvre (Fig. 975). It is North Italian in origin, and belongs to the first half of the Xlllth century; indeed, the carving in high relief of a mock combat of horsewomen is quite Romanesque in its style and workman ship. In the full glory of its original state and completeness this saddle, which the Louvre authorities pur chased from the Spitzer Collection,' must indeed have been an odj'e^ de luxe. In the Louvre, too, obtained from the same collection, are some other ivory plates from the cantle of a saddle, which, though of later date, are of even greater interest to us (Fig. 976), the subjects carved upon it representing knights tilting. These knights are habited in the armour of about 1320, which gives us approximately the date of the saddle. One of the knights bears a Fig. 978. Bone-covered saddle Probably Italian, late XIVth century Metropolitan Museum, New York 170 THE SADDLE shield with the arms of Aragon quartered with those of Sicily. A portion of the burr plate of this same saddle was formerly in the collection of M. Sigisnumd Bardac of Paris, and subsequently passed into that of the late Mr. Pierpont Morgan. Both of the fine ivory saddle plates, now in the Louvre, before passing into the Spitzer Collection were in the possession of ofWenzel I, the famous mid-XIXth century musician and antiquary, Strauss. We will next turn to that historical saddle preserved in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna, which dates from the third quarter of the XIVth century, the saddle King of the Romans (Fig. 977). Though the figure subjects represented upon it and the inscriptions are of the greatest interest, the ornament employed in its decoration is a little stunted and meagre if com Viv.. 979. B()\K-C(nKRi:i> saiuh !: Italian, earl)' XVth century. Metropolitan Museum, New York pared with the beautiful Gothic leafage and figures which are depicted on the example now preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of New York. This New York saddle, which came from the collection of the Due de Dino, is a splendid specimen of its particular art; indeed, so fine is it that though it bears an amatory dialogue in Old German characters engraved on the ribands that intertwine the male and female figures, which are carved in low relief, and so would seem to have been made for the German market, we feel quite safe in maintaining that the north of Italy was its provenance. This saddle, which is of late XIVth century manufacture, came from the collection of Herr Miller Aichholtz of Vienna, who purchased it from a castle in Hungary (Fig. 978). When one arrives at the XVth century one still finds the same type of saddle in use on ceremonial occasions. The most elaborate example i7i EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS with which we are acquainted is in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, in the Dino Collection, an Italian saddle in which the elaboration of carving is almost over-exuberant (Fig. 979): In consideration of the fact that the letters M M are found worked into the decoration of the pommel and that the scenes carved upon it generally have been explained as representing episodes in the history of the houses of Palaeologus and Savoy, it was at one time thought that this saddle might have belonged to Jaccjues Paleologue, Marquis of Monferrat (1418-1445).. Such clues, however, are very slight, and little more than mere guesswork. They are indeed about as slender and unconvincing as the supposition that the appearance of a fleur-de-lis in the border ornament of the fine pear-wood saddle in the Musee d'Artillerie of Paris (G 546) entitles it to be accepted as a former possession of the royal house of France or of a Constable of that country. It is interesting to note, however, that both the Dino bone saddle and the pear-wood example in the Musee d'Artillerie of Paris certainly appear to come from the hand of the same artist, and to date from the first half of the XVth century. Next let us examine three saddles that are easily accessible, Nos. 296, 297, and 298 of the Wallace Collection, Gallery \TI. Nos. 296 and 298 are of the same construction, both being of wood, overlaid with polished stag's horn (Figs. 980 and 981). In form the pommels are high and finish in a spiral curve, the seat in one case terminating at the back in two circular plates. Two oblong holes on either side of the seat serve as a passage for the girths. The polished stag's horn with which they are overlaid is carved in low relief and partly stained. No. 296, which was formerly in the Meyrick Collection, is the more interesting of the two. The German duologue en graved upon a scroll held by the two figures forming part of the decoration is perhaps worth translating, though.the orthography is obsolete. The Woman: I I AM here, I know not how, come from somewhere, I know not when. Well a day! thou art never forgotten. Man: I go, I stop, the longer I stop Tlie more infatuated I become. Thine for ever, in your own land. Woman: But if the war should end? Man : I shall be thine for ever. 172 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS The second saddle, No. 298, has carved upon it the subject of St. George and the Dragon. Both are German and date within the first half of the XVth century. Fig. 983. BoxK-coMiKED s.^ddle German, early XVth century. Tower of London, Class VI, No. 95 lii,.'j84. JJ ' 1 ^^ EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS The chanfron has a distinct resemblance to that shown in the Carpaccio picture referred to. Many varieties of individual parts of horse armour of the latter part of the XVth century are extant, chiefly those of chanfrons. We illustrate a few in order to show the different types. In the Royal Armoury of Madrid there is a strange chanfron that was in the collection of arms and armour belonging to the Emperor Charles V (F no). It is Fig. 996. Chanfron In the flamboyant " Gothic " style. French, about 1480. Museum of the Rotunda, Woolwich Fig. 997. Chanfron About 1480 Collection: Sir Edward Barry, Bart. small and almost grotesque in appearance, bordered with a series of spikes and with a rondel of large proportions in the centre. Its date may be assigned to the last quarter of the XVth ceutury (Fig. 994), as may also that of a really beautiful and more complete chanfron (F 113, Fig. 995) which also came from the same collection, and figures in the famous In ventario ilhiminado. The central crest or rondel of this last-mentioned chanfron is now lost. In his fine catalogue of the Royal Madrid Armoury 186 HORSE ARMOUR Count de Valencia suggests that this is possibly the chanfron of the horse ridden by Francis I of France at the battle of Pavia. The nationality of these two chanfrons is uncertain; but we consider the former possibly Spanish. In the Museum of the Rotunda, Woolwich, placed upon the head of the horse that supports the armour known as the Bayard suit, is a chanfron Fig. 998. Chanfron Possibly Italian, 1470 Collection: Mr. Alfred W. Cox, Glendoick, Perthshire Fig. 999. Chanfron Possibly English, about 1500 Collection : H.M. the King, Windsor Castle of great beauty of form and elegance of workmanship (Fig. 996). It is in the flamboyant Gothic manner, and is of its type as fine an example as any with which we are acquainted. It was doubtless part of the armour which is supposed to have been brought from Rhodes; but about this we can get no definite information, although the suit for the man with which it is associated is recorded as having been brought from the Chateau St. Germains. 187 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS We next illustrate that desirable chanfron which came from the collection of the Baron de Cosson, and is now in that of Sir lidward Barry. It is ribbed in the accepted Gothic manner, and has the plume holder attached immediately behind the large rondel that decorates the forehead (Fig. 997). In the collection of Mr. Alfred W. Cox of Glendoick, Perth shire, is a fine and large chanfron of unusual thickness and strength. The main portion of it is of one plate, very broadly grooved, with additional plates added to the sides towards the base, and with the nasal guard added also. The ear-plates are small, as is the rondel in front. P"rom the col lector's point of view it is a most desirable specimen; the metal, thanks to its ne\er having suffered from injudicious over-cleaning, has a splendid surface. Yet such are the accidents of fate, that this most splendid example of late XVth century armour was for years in the London market before a purchaser could be found for it (Fig. 998). We could enumerate other such defences; but such mere repetition would become wearisome. The war horse of the end of the XVth century presented a completely armoured appearance, no part of it being left unprotected; but though we have certain contemporary evidence of the continual use of the charger's full panoply in warfare we cannot help thinking that it was in large measure relegated to occasions of display. Now, too, influenced by the introduction of the solid Maximilian style, the graceful arrangement of channelling and the general flowing lines of the so-called " Gothic ' make way for the fashion of parallel grooving and of straight blunt lines. There was, however, a short transitional period in which the chanfron retained some of the XVth century feeling in respect of form, despite the addition of the cabled borders of the Maximilian order. In the Tower, at Windsor Castle, and at Hampton Court, are many chanfrons of this-intermediate style. They are generally poor in workmanship, and appear to have been turned out in large num bers for some particular occasion, almost suggesting that they were made from moulds or patterns termed " dobbles," upon which sheets of iron, afterwards hardened, were hammered; for though not all alike in point of detail, they seem all to have been founded on the same or perhaps two or three models. Approximately they date from the closing years of the XVth century to the first quarter of the next century. We illustrate an example which has been transferred to the Windsor Armoury from the Tower of London (Fig. 999). Note how roughly fashioned are the ear-guards and what factitious grandeur the exaggerated rondel on the forehead lends to this defence. As an example of horse armour to which an actual ownership 188 HORSE ARMOUR can be assigned we cannot do better than give an illustration of the fine harness in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna, made, as we now know, about 1502 for Rupert, that Count Palatine of the Rhine famous for his feud with Maximilian for the possession of Bavaria, a feud which ended in the conquest of Kufstein and in his own death in 1504 (Fig. 1000). The horse armour is presumably of Augsburg make, fashioned in bright steel and embellished with brilliant fire gilding. The chanfron is embossed with a salamander. The glancing knobs represent lions' heads. The saddle still Fk;. 1000. Equkstrian armour made for Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine Augsburg work, about 1502. Imperial Armourj-, \'ieiina retains the original pads for the thighs. The croupiere is formed by scaled armoured bands, placed crosswise and terminating below in bosses. This horse armour, which bears no armourer's mark, is ascribed in the old in ventories quite erroneously to a Palatinate Rupert of 1352-1410, some times called King of the Romans, an error which was repeated in Schrenck von Nozing's volume of engravings entitled Arinauientariuin heroicum, a volume commenced in 1582 and published in 1601, to which we have already had occasion to refer. Apart from the historical horse armaments in the Tower of London, of which we are about to speak, there are three parts of others that may be assigned to the closing years of the XVth century 189 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS which are worthy of close scrutiny. The croupi^re, the poitrel, and the flanchard plate upon the horse on which is placed the second of the two large suits made for King Henry VIII (Fig. 854) are interesting as excellent examples of the transitional manner of the so-called Gothic Maximilian style. They would appear to be of Milanese make, and are possibly of the Missaglia school; for they display that characteristic, some what wiry, etching and gilding of scrolls, etc., superimposed upon the fan shaped groups of channelling, which at first sight lend to the armaments quite a XVth century feeling in respect of form. There is also in the Tower collection a flanchard from another such suit of horse armour. A fairly complete horse armament in the Tower is a poitrel and croupiere now entirely plain, that might be assigned to the early years of the XVIth century. As it exists to-day it is free from decora but about its whole surface tion ; About 1 Fig. iooi. Poitrel from an equestrian suit 500. Tower of London Class VI, No. 74 are even groups of twin holes that must have once served the purpose of attaching either by aiglettes or even by permanent rivets silver or bronze-gilt enrichments which have probably been removed for their intrinsic value. However, what remains of the armament is fine in workmanship and robustly proportioned (Fig. looi). Another horse armour, historically most important, and in its way of unsurpassed grandeur of decoration, is one of the most treasured possessions ofthis same collection. It is mentioned in the vState Papers of the year 1519 under "Revels" as follows : " Item, a stele Barde silvered prcell gilte wt a payre of Raynes of the same werke wt a fringe of gold and black siIke given by the Emp."^°^" The next record we have of it is in the famous 1547 inventory, a manu script presented to the Society of Antiquaries of London by Gustavus 190 HORSE ARMOUR Brander, F.S.A., in 1775. In that inventory describing the armour then at Greenwich it figures as " In the first house " : " Itm Upon the Third horse a Harnesse given unto the Kings Maiestie by Themperor Maximilian w"' a base of stele and golde smythe worke silver and guilte with A border abowt the same silver and guilte of goldsmythes worke and a barde of stele w'^ a BURGONION CROSSE AND THE FUSYE AND A SADDELL WITH A CRYMMYN AND A SHAFFRON TO THE SAME." To-day we see it as the complete barding of the war horse, chanfron, rein-steels, burr and cantle plates, full poitrel, flanchards, and complete croupiere; but the crinet that now goes with it is associated (Fig. 1002). On this apparel can be found for the first time in our records of plate armour true embossing of a pattern, that is to say, hammering from the back, used for direct surface enrichment. We have noted the employment of this method in the fluting and shaping of a piece; but as a medium for the rendering of floral and other ornaments, this is its first appearance. Upon the croupiere appears a mark which has been much rubbed and has been de ciphered as that used by Merate and brothers of Milan and Arbois, but of the authenticityof this attribution we remain unconvinced. Although this example of horse armour is splendidly effective in the boldness of its enrichment, we may with all reserve suggest that it is somewhat coarse in workmanship; though doubtless when newly made —its whole surface plated with silver and then possiblygilt, like theSeusenhofer suit (Fig. 1016) —it must havepresented a gorgeous spectacle, especially when associated with the splendid housings that would have originally accompanied it. Although no such definite description of it is given in the 1547 inventory, this " Burgundian bard," as it was termed in the XVIIth century Tower inventory, was probably part of the gift made to King Henry VIII by the Emperor Elect Maximilian I, who, out of compliment to his first wife, the daughter of the Duke of Burgundy, had all parts of it decorated with the Burgundian badges, the cross raguly, the briquet or steel, and the firestone emitting flames, in fact, with all the emblems made use of by the Order of the Golden Fleece. On the armour also appears the pomegranate in fruit, the emblem of Catherine of Aragon, which may have led to the belief that the horse armour (Fig. 1002), together with the Seusenhofer suit, was presented to King Henry VIII in celebration of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon in 1509. According, however, to Viscount 191 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Dillon, this belief is to be discredited as he states there exists evidence that the gift was made by " Themperor " to King Henry between 151 1 and 1514. In the case of this particular horse armour the chanfron is large, extend ing over the jaws of the horse, the eyes being protected by pierced bosses. The poitrel is composed of three large plates, and the glancing knobs, termed in French bossoirs, are marked in quite the conventional manner; while Fig. 1002. HoK-SE armour Possibly an Italian foundation worked upon in Germany, about 1500-10. Presented by the Emperor Maximilian Elect to King Henry VIII Tower of London a small narrow triangular plate is riveted point upwards to the extreme base of the outside plates in order to correspond with the angled edge of the flanchard. The croupiere is formed of nine plates riveted solidly together. As we have already said, the whole surface of this horse armour has been plated with silver over the rough tool engraving that accentuates the design; doubtless it was once gilt. Particular fertility of design is to be noted in the rein steels, and in the hinges of the various plates, 192 c Va S EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS which assume the form of the briquet or fire steel. It figures in the 19 17 catalogue of the Tower under Class VI, Nos. 6-12. Let us consider the only other horse armour in the Tower of London which has a recorded historical interest, and which we can assign to a date within the first quarter of the XVIth century. We allude to the barding (Fig. 1003) on which is placed the famous suit made for King Henry VIII by Conrad Seusenhofer, to which we have just alluded. Although this full horse armour is engraved with scenes from the lives of St. George and of St. Barbara, like the suit placed upon it, and has the Garter motto, " Dieu et mon Droyt," several times repeated round the lower edge, and although its surface, like that of the suit, is plated with silver once gilt, this actual horse armour does not figure as part of the Emperor Ma.ximilian's gift to the King. The work apparently of an armourer of rather earlier date, it is of Italian make; for the mark it bears, the letter M surmounted by a crescent, is distinctly Milanese in character. Mr. ffoulkes considers it possible that the armourer who enriched this bard may have been Paul van Vreland, whose name occurs in Royal Bills of Payment from 1514 to 1519 (Record Office, Exchr. T. R. Misc. Books 215): " Bardes of Stele; item a stele Barde gilte wt a Trayle of Roses and pomegranates wt the story of saincte George and saincte Barbara wt a crynney [crinet] and a Shawfron [chan fron] like gilte of the same worke wroughte by Powle wt a fringe of gold and crymson silke." As the spelling of these early records is unreliable, we may take it that Paul and Powle are different spellings of the same name. The 1547 inventory, as quoted on page 191, describes the Henry VIII suit associated with the " Burgundian bard " and not with the one under discussion. It is not until the inventory of 1611-1629 that an allusion occurs which might refer to this horse armour, namely, "one feilde armor of an olde fashion with a base of stele the horses furniture being a barde Crinitt and a shaffron being all silvered and guilte." The more recent inventories do not allude to the horse armour, only mentioning the suit. It figures in the 191 7 catalogue of the Tower under Class II, No. 5. We should also notice in the Tower that connected with the two massive suits made towards the middle of the XVIth century for King Henry VIII, certain of the horse armour still exists in the shape of two complete saddles with their burr and cantle plates, and a small chanfron with its full crinet. To these must be added the remains of the same set which were formerly in the Armoury of Windsor Castle, but which by command of His Majesty King George V were transferred to the Tower in September 1914. These remains 194 HORSE ARMOUR are saddle steels from a third saddle, and an unusual, almost rectangular, plate in three parts which the present writer can only thjnk is part of the croupi^re {sqq posf, p. 238, and Fig. 1028). Before quitting this portion of our subject we cannot omit an allusion Fig. 1004. The haknischmeister of the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, 1480 Showing a complete equestrian armour. From a picture in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna to the famous illustration of the complication of plates to which horse armour of the XVth century is supposed to have eventually arrived. In the Imperial Armoury of Vienna is a picture showing the personal armourer, the Harnischmeister, of the Archduke Maximilian of Austria (Fig. 1004), clad in magnificent harness. It is, however, to the armour of his horse that we 195 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS direct special attention ; for beyond the plates of which we have already made mention, small laminated plates are seen beneath the poitrel, croupi^re, and flanchards. To these are attached actual leg-pieces of plate covering all four legs of the horse right down to his hoof, fashioned on the same principle as were the arm-pieces seen on an ordinary suit made for man. Such armaments for the legs of the horse were, we are informed by Mr. ffoulkes, individually termed esfivnl. In this particular picture the hinges on the outside of the plates, and the turning pins on the interior are clearly shown; while the in side bend of the knee seems to be protected by some flexible mate rial, such asciiain mail or quilted armament. Around the poitrel and flanchards are at intervals suspended bells. This extremely full equipment for the horse is engraved as the frontispiece to Von Leber's M^iens Kaiserliches ZeitgJiaus. We doubt very much Fig. 1005. From Hans Burgkmaier's " Triumph OF Maximilian " whether such completeness in horse armament ever really ex isted. As depicted in the \"ienna portrait, it seems but a form of conceit on the part of the Har nischmeister, who merely wished to show the proficiency of his craft, by portraying his horse entirely clothed in steel. The completeness of this horse defence is certainly almost absolute ; the only apertures occur on either side of the horse, where in the flanchards an opening about the length and breadth of the rider's foot is provided in order to allow for the use of the spur. The present writer believes that this is the sole pictorial evidence of complete armour for horse's legs; though he remembers of course that in Burgkmaier's "Triumph of Maximilian " the chargers of two of the knights, the foremost of which we illustrate, can be seen armed in a strange form of poitrel, which is prolonged by four lames fastened round the upper part of the horse'-s legs like taces in a man's suit (Fig. 1005), and ending in a small curtain of mail. Our conclusion is that if such horse armour 196 HORSE ARMOUR FOR THE TOURNAMENT actually existed, it must have been executed by the armourer, either as a proof of his own superior craftsmanship, or to gratify some vain-glorious whim of his employer. In the portrait that forms the companion picture to that of the Ilarnischineister, it can be noted that the Archduke's own horse is not so completely armoured, and so hampered. We must, however, confess that in the Porte de Hal of Brussels we have come across certain strangely shaped lames of plate armour, which from not resembling any individual defensive body armament that can be distinguished, may be, as described in the older inventories, "armour for the horse's legs"; but wc are bound also to admit that the shape of the plates makes it difficult to say what part of the horse they were originally made to protect. They do not seem applicable to either hind or fore legs. Of the continued use of leather late in the XVth century as part of the horse's equipment, there is ample evidence —the horse armed " coovered with bardes of courbuly." From the writer Paolo Giovio we learn that it was the fashion of the Italians to caparison their horses with leather. The horses of French lancers who accompanied Charles \TII into Rome in 1494 are re Fk;. 1006. Croupiere for a horse in cuir bouilli One ofa large number purcliased in 1 547 for the Scottish campaign. Tower of London, Class VI, No. 87 corded to have been so protected. These leathern horse armaments must, in many cases, have been very beautiful, from the effect of tooling, of gilding, and even of applied embroidery; but none remain. In the Tower of London is preserved a croupi^re of ciiir bouilH, the sole survivor of the many purchased in 1547 for the campaign in Scotland. It is a severely utilitarian piece of defence and now incomplete, all the lower plates being missing (Fig. 1006). It figures in the 1917 catalogue of the Tower under Class VI, No.87. The armoury of Mr. Godfrey Williams of St. Donat's Castle, also possesses an example of leathern horse armour of about the same period. When we look at the accoutrements provided for the horse in the various forms of jousts and tourneys that took place throughout the XVth century, we feci that it is quite impossible to discuss in detail armaments of so extra 197 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS ordinarily complicated a character. We shall content ourselves with giving a few illustrations of horse armour, the sole office of which was for use in these martial pastimes. Those who feel any curiosity about the question of tournament armour should consult the famous Traictdde la Forme et Devis iVun Toiirnoy of Rene d'Anjou, a MS. remarkable for its exhaustive series of illustrations. His minute details of the weapons, defences, and etiquette of the tournament are quite astonishing, and should certainly be consulted by Fig. 1007. Padded poitrel for jousting Known as the /icmrt or Siechkissen. Late XVth century Imperial Armoury, Vienna those who wish to increase their knowledge of the subject. The edition recommended is that of M. Champollion. It has also been reprinted in Mr. Cripps-Day's T/ie Tournament. In the Rene miniatures we see certain of the horse defences strengthened with paddings of straw in the form of stuffed, crescent-shaped bags hung round the chest, over which were drawn the " Ce hourt est fait de paille tongue entre toillesfart porpoinetdes trappings, de cordes defouet, et dedans ledit Iiort y a ting sacplain de paille, enfaeon d'nng croissant. . . . On convre le dit hourt dune converture arnwyde ..." 198 HORSE ARMOUR FOR THE TOURNAMENT We are able to give an illustration (Fig. 1007) of an existing Itoiirt, or Stechkissen, to give it its German name, which is now preserved in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna. It is of considerably later date, being of the end of the XVth century, than those described by Rene d'Anjou; but it will be noted that it is precisely the .same defence. We also give an illustration of one of the knights in tilting apparel from Burgkmaiers Fig. 1008. From Hans Burgkmaier's "Triumph OF Maximilian " Showing the padded hourt in position Fig. 1009. A "blind" CHANFRON Made in 1530 for King Ferdinand I Imperial Armoury, Vienna "Triumph of Maximilian," which shows this padded defence in use, and also represents a caparison for the joust in which the horse is entirely blindfolded, neither the chanfron nor the housing for the head contain ing any apertures for vision (Fig. 1008). This kind of horse harness is also mentioned in the Roi Rente's manuscript. It will be seen that in the Burgkmaier illustration the chanfron, of whatever medium it was, is placed beneath the head housing, with a large circular rondel attached to the outside. A good many blind chanfrons exist, which from the excellence 199 Fig. loio. Model of a German jousting harness of about 1540 with the HORSE ARMOUR Showing the horse and the padded Steclikissen in position National Bavarian Museum of Munich 200 HORSE ARMOUR FOR THE TOURNAMENT of their workmanship must have been worn outside the trappings. At Vienna are a "blind" chanfron of about 1500 made for Philip I of Castile, and an altogether grander chanfron made in 1530 for a tilting set, formerly belonging to King Ferdinand I (Fig. 1009). Other examples may be seen in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris, and at Dresden. The collection of the late Hcrr Max Kuppelmayr, dispersed at Munich in 1895, contained a beautiful contemporary model of a jousting harness of about 1540 on its original doll dummy and toy horse. Perhaps the actual armour is a little clumsily made ; but the housing of the horse is beautifully rendered, and Fig. ioii. Saddle of wood covered with hide and i'artly with canvas Tower of London, Class VI, No. 94 From the collection of the Baron I'euker, Berlin admirably illustrates the padded Stechkissen in use and the horse running its course totally blinded (Fig. loio). Readers of the Weiss Kunig may remember the illustration in which the young Maximilian, is being taught the sport of the tournament with just such a model showing the Stechkissen (edition of 1775, Fig. 15, p. 58). As to tournament saddles, they are to be seen in very many varieties, some making but little difference to the form of the war saddle of the time. But others, such as the most interesting example in the Tower of London, purchased in 1858 from the collection of the Baron Peuker, Berlin, show III an exaggeration of form and of defence, which though entirely satisfactory if a successful course has been run, would be little short of a death-trap were 20I • D u EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the horse to stumble or the rider to be struck by the lance. The saddle we illustrate (Fig. ion) is formed of wood covered with hide, and partially with canvas; on the canvas is a coat ofg'csso upon which there has been paint ing; the front measures, in its greatest length, 3 ft. 1 1 in.; the lower portion, lying over the horse's shoulders, formed a shield for the legs of the knight; there is a distance of 10 inches from the saddle-tree itself to the seat of the rider, who, when fixed for the encounter, would be carried forward rather in a standing than a sitting posture. Despite the fact that the rider has his i HORSE ARMOUR FOR THE TOURNAMENT used; though, like those provided for man, they became less elaborate and complete as the century progressed. Any remarkable instance of mid-XVIth century horse apparel we have mentioned, together with the suit for which it was made, in the chapter dealing with XVIth century suits.-Generally speaking, it may be taken for granted that when we have finished our description of horse armour as it is seen in the opening years of the XVIth century, we have described its complete evolution. Any further description of it beyond this date, when it arrived at its most definite form, does not craft ; show any more effective defence. The marvellously complete equestrian harnesses made for the great Maximilian, for the Emperor Charles V, and even for Philip II, superb works of art as they are, only show surface enrichment added to those various plates of defence, the development of which we have described. The great armourers of the XVIth century associated their finest complete suits for man with hotse armour made en suite, with the result that nearly all the famous historical suits which are e.xtant have at least part of their equestrian apparel intact. The beautiful individual equestrian suits of the first quarter of the XVIth century, from the point of view of design, are superb examples of the armourer's for they display an original scheme of decoration applied to what experience had shown were the plates best suited to the defence of the horse. Let us take, for instance, that set of horse armour made for the Emperor Maximilian I about the year 1508 by some unknown armourer of great skill, doubtless one of the armourers of Augsburg or Nuremberg (Fig. 1012). Upon the complete chanfron is embossed the Imperial Roman eagle and the arms of Austria and Burgundy. On the steel snaffle rein are the arms of Istria, Wendisch Mark, Steier Mark, Pfirdt, Austria, Karnten, Tyrol, Portenau, Elsass, Burgau, and Kyburg. The poitrel takes the form of an angel with outstretched wings. The crinet is remarkably protective: six bands of steel, connected one with the other by chain mail of large links, completely enclose the neck. The plates are etched with the cross of St. Andrew. The flanchards are wanting. The croupi^re is of late XVth century form; but it is most splendidly enriched, with large applied plates on either side, in the shape of the Imperial eagle. The tail of the horse issues through the Schwanzriempanzer, which is in the form of a monster's head. The whole surface of this horse armour is gilded, brilliantly blued and etched, and even to-day is in pristine condition. Again, see the absolute completeness of such a horse apparel as that made in 1554 by Sigismund Wolf of Landshut for Philip II, A 243 to 262, in the Royal 203 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Armoury of Madrid (Fig. 1013). Its protectiveness does not really excel that of the armament of the preceding generation; the principle of its construction is the same, only more elaborated. In the application of its decoration there is exhibited the individual style of the armourer, just in the same way as the hand of a particular painter can be seen in some great picture. This is Fig. 1013. Equestrian armour made by Sigismund Wolf of LANDSHUT in 1554 FOR PHILIP II OF SPAIN A 243 to 262, Royal Armoury, Madrid noticeable in the case of the horse armour of the XVIth century, when produced by artist-armourers of renown; but, as the XVIth century pro gressed the deterioration in workmanship becomes very apparent. So that at its close, horse armour when used was of "stock" patterns, often enriched, but in just such a meretricious fashion as was the ordinary body armour of the time. Many fine individual chanfrons of XVIth century date are extant. Of 204 {a) (rt) (^) (0 Fig. 1014. Chanfrons W From the armourof Henry, Prince ofWales. English, Greenwich School. Early XVllth century. Collection: H.M. the King, Windsor Castle. No. 713, Laking's "Armoury of Windsor (cil) Castle," 1904. (d) Italian, first half of the XVIth century. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 137) (c) English, late XVIth century. From the armour of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, 1558-1605. Tower of London, Class VI, No. 53 German, under Italian influence, first half of the XVIth century. Tower of London, Class VI, No. 55 (e) French (remade), first half of the XVIth century (it bears a Milanese mark now assigned to a considerably earlier date). Metropolitan Museum of New York (/) Probably English, early XVIIth century. Tower of London, Class VI, No. 49 205 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS these we illustrate examples, some to be seen in our national collections, and one in America (Fig. 1014). It must be borne in mind, however, that nearly all horse armaments come down to us lacking their caparisons —merely exhibiting their durable parts of metal, either plain or enriched, as a reminder of their past magnificence. To get any real idea of their original splendour the reader must imagine them with their rich velvet linings, their sumptuous ness of gilded buckles, enriched straps, trimmings of dual-coloured chain mail, and profusion of plumes. The differences of form, richness of medium, and fertility of design found in such portions of the horse apparel as the bit and the stirrup, we have no space here to dwell upon; a volume in itself could be written on the subject. In Figs. 358 and 1053 we have mentioned two famous pairs of stirrups —not as stirrups, but as examples of workmanship to establish some special point as to nationality or style. [Note by the Editor on thepair ofspurs illustrated in Figs. 971 and 971a.] ViOLLET-LE-DUC, when noticing the specimen now in the Riggs Collection at New York (Fig. 97 1a), observed that the whole surface of the spur and its membrets and buckle was chequered in gold and blue-white {plane bleudtrc) enamel, which he read as the heraldic bearings of the princely house of Dreux (vol. v, p. 408), entirely ignoring the crimson bordure which this house in both its branches always bore. An examination of the enamel remaining on the spur in the author's collection shows us that the charge is intended to be chequey or and argent, white enamel being substituted for silver foil, doubtless because of the latter's tendency to tarnish, and one of the membrets bears chequey or and sable. This combination of metal and metal in the close association of a chequey field appears unusual to Western European heralds, but, though rare, it is by no means unknown in Eastern Europe; it is really no more unheraldic than parting or otherwise ordering a coat in two tinctures, a very constant mediaeval practice. This very unusualness considerably aids us in suggesting if not the name, at least the house to which the original owner of these spurs belonged, for the only family known to have borne such a coat of chequey or and argent was that of Wczele or Wcsezele of Poland, a family which sprang originally from Lebno (E. von Zernicki-Szeliga, Der Polnische Adel, 1900, sub " Wczele'"). Wczele is now the family name of the Gurowskis, who became prominent in the XVIIth century, and were in the person of Raphael Gurowski created Prussian Counts Gurowski by Frederick William II in 1787. They were apparently a German family, coming originally from Bergen or Gurowa, and were established in Greater Poland in 1393 (E. von Zernicki-Szeliga, S7ib " Gujvtvski"). Though from early times the coat ofWczele was chequey oft?rand argent (F. Pieko sinski, Heraldyka Polska, 1899, p. 172), it was at various periods considerably modified both in colour and arrangement. On a seal of 1382 it appears as a chessboard of six 206 NOTE BY THE EDITOR teen squares placed lozenge-wise upon the shield, an arrangement which appears again in the great roll of 1461, where the coat is given as azure, a chessboard of 36 squares, l""i(;. 1014A. SwoKi) Probably French and of about 1340, the pommel bears the arms of the House of Dreux Collection: Mr. S. J. VVhawell argent dSi^ gules, placed lozenge-wise. Fig. 42 of this same roll gives another variant of the coat, erroneously placed under the name of "Scelt" (F. Piekosinski, Heraldyka Po/ska, 1899, pp. 373, 374), chequey of three rows of six argent and azure. Boniecki [Herbarz Polski, vol. vii, sub " Gtirowscy") gives the arms of Wczele as chequey of 207 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS or and argent; Gurowscy as argeiit and azure with an escutcheon. Malecki [Stjidya Heraldycztie, 1890, vol. i, p. 14 r, No. 156) gives the same coat of gold and silver for Wczele. Other post-mediaeval variants of the coat are given in Count Uruski's Notices S7tr les Families illustres et titn^es dc la Polognc, Paris, 1862, p. 72, as chequey of or and <75«r^ and or and sable, in which latter connection the reader is reminded of the fact that one of the fuembrets of the spur under consideration is gilt, and enamelled black in place of white. It may be urged that these spurs are too elaborate for a simple Polish knight, but we must bear in mind that during the XIVth and early XVth centuries Marienburg in Eastern Prussia, the headquarters of the Teutonic Order, was the artistic centre of North-eastern Europe, and there would be nothing surprising in the presence of a Polish noble in the ranks of that illustrious Order, armed and equipped with a richness befitting his rank and the cause in which he served. Henry of Bolingbroke, afterwards Henry IV, served in this Order, after his exile from England. There is a mention in the accounts of the expenses of the Order for the years 1402-1404, of a Bertolt von Wcze leyn in Sattler's Handelsrechmtngen des Deutschen Ordens, Leipzig, 1887. There is in the collection of Mr. S. J. Whawell a sword which the author had intended to illustrate and describe in this book. The sword (Fig. 1014a) is one of extraordinary beauty and romantic feeling. The hilt is of gilt copper, chased with conventional scrolls and Gothic lettering on a matted ground. On one face of the guard the inscription runs: ruNOE PER MiVM (i*), and on the other face medio rege. On the upper band of the grip is the letterine coixige : on the lower band, svm: ve: rege. On one side of the circular pommel is a shield of arms in champleve enamel, chequey or and azure, and the ground upon which the shield is borne in the pommel is gules; on the other side is a hollow to receive a relic. The blade is-^^^ inches long and double edged. It is inscribed and bears an armourer's mark, a shield surmounted by a crown. The hilt appears to be of French origin, and dates from about 1340. The heraldic bearing on the pommel would therefore point to this sword having belonged to a great knight of the House of Dreux, probably John de Dreux, a family especially interesting to Englishmen, through the marriage of Aylmer de Valence, ' Earl of Pembroke, with Beatrice, granddaughter of Robert de Dreux. Wc are unable to offer any explanation of the mottoes.^ The Editor is indebted to Mr. Charles Beard for the information contained in this note, who has also referred him to: K. Niesiecki, Korona Polska, 1728-43; J. S. Dunin Borkowski, Rocsnik SrJachty Polskiej, 1 881; W. W. Wieladek, Heraldyka arJachty Polskiej, 1794-96; Adels-Matrikel: Polen; Adolf Krosnowski-Tabasz, Almanack historique, 1846; Hans Maercker, Ges. des Schevetzer Kreises, 1880-88; Feodor von Zychlinski, Zlota Ksiega Sylachty Polskiej, 1879. 208 CHAPTER XXIII THE DAWN OF THE XVItii CENTURY. THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY HE XVIth century brings with it all that sumptuous decoration which many writers on the subject of armour affect to deplore, allef^ing that with the advent of embossing, damascening, surface plating, and general face ornament, the true art of the armourer disappeared. To a certain extent this view of the effect of Renaissance ornamentation on plate surface is correct, because beauty of outline was to a great extent lost sight of. But it is a view that can by no means be accepted as involving any sweeping indictment of XVIth century armour as a type. When the utility of the defence is in no way interfered \\'ith and the ornamentation is strictly auxiliary and in keeping \\ith the medium on which it is applied, nothing can justify a general condemnation of the armourer's craft of the XVIth century. The works of the Negroli, of Campi, of Mondrone, the Picinini of Italy, and of Seusenhofer, the Kolmans, and the Wolfs of Germany, have never been surpassed in any age. That the refined and useful simplicity of the XV^th century has for ever disappeared may be matter for regret; but it must be remembered that in its place forms of surface enrichment of the highest possible merit are introduced. As the century progressed it must be admitted that an over-abundance of decoration set in which must always be the result of a too keen and indiscriminating competition between artist craftsmen. Indeed, we merely state a fact when we say that the desire of the armourer's patrons to vie with one another in the sumptuousness and magnificence of their armour contributed more to its deterioration in the XVIth century than the effectiveness attained in the use of gunpowder and firearms. By the second quarter of the century, however, experience taught the soldier that a \\ar harness offered but slight resistance to an arquebus ball; with the result that in the armour manufactured richness of effect was aimed at rather than genuine protective quality. But, since armoured apparel of some kiud was neces sary to almost every rank, the headguards and bodyguards were still 209 III E E EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS substantial; a very distinct deterioration, however, became apparent in the protective quality of the limb defences. In many cases the thinner the material of the plates the more subject was it to surface enrichment ; since etching, gilding, and even embossing were admirably calculated to conceal indifferent constructional workmanship and even faultiness of material. Rut let us not go too fast; for certainly almost up to the close of the first half of the century there is no reason to suggest a deterioration in the craft of the armourer. Many writers on and enthusiasts in the study ofarmour and of arms profess a very slight appreciation of the robust and somewhat bizarre decora tions of the Maximilian order, forgetting that the vagaries of taste in dress were to blame for these innovations, for the armourer was called upon to try to imitate in stubborn iron the fashions that were in paramount vogue in civil costume. The excessive puffing of the limb-coverings, the cutting and cross cutting of the surfaces, the exaggerated forms, and the general grotesque treatment of the human form must all be assigned to the vogue Maxi milieniie. Such a harness may not have the elegance of form associated with an .Italian or French suit of the previous half century; but its craftsmanship is as good if not better, its construction is as .sound, while its decoration is as ingenious, though to some minds it may seem unsuitable. So much in defence of the art of the XVIth century armourer; a defence which may well appear somewhat supererogatory in vie^^• of the fact that the works of such famous Italian armourers as the brothers Negroli, the great Campi, Mondrone, and the Picinini, and of such German masters as the Kol man family, Seusenhofer, Peffenhauser, and the Wolfs all come within the period. These artists were perfect in their way: they satisfied the demand for enriched plate surface by producing work which was at once beautiful and individual in style. Our defence is prompted by the attack made on XVIth century armour by nearly every writer who deals with the subject. In our opinion this attack seems hardly fair; for although a splendid Gothic harness of the XVth century very rightly deserves the highest prai.se by reason of its beauty of line and soundness of construction, it must be borne in mind that the embossing and enriching of plate surfaces, which are characteristic features of XVIth century armour, \\ere unknown and there fore unpractised in the greater part of the previous century. Those mediums of decoration were not in use, and if we have to regret the loss of contour which is occasionally noticeable in the later armaments, we have some compensation in the superb designs carried out on enriched harnesses. Gorgeous enrichment is to be found, too, even in cases in which the 2IO THE DAWN OF THE XVIth CENTURY graceful and slight outline of an earlier generation is maintained. In that splendid harness made by Seusenhofer for King Henry VIII, to which we shall refer later, all those characteristically graceful forms of an Italian late XVth century harness are present, the XVIth century influence appearing only in the surface etching. What a magnificent display this suit must have made in its original state! Who at that time, looking at this splendid example of the armourer's craft, so graceful in outline, so extremely work manlike, so glittering in the freshness of its silver-gilt plating, its trimmings of gilded brass, would have deplored the advent of the XVIth century? Even to-day, after the passage of over three hundred years, and alas! after much rough handling, the suit still makes a dignified and impressive appeal. Its noble proportions continue to challenge admiration ; its silver plating, now with little trace of its former gilding, still survives on certain less exposed portions of the surface; and, though their gilding has disappeared, the brass trimmings of the interlocked monograms of Katherine and Henry remain to border its tonlets. Part of its glory has indeed faded ; but the essential features which .to our mind distinguish this fine field harness are preserved as thoroughly as in the case of the most complete suit of the XVth century. A horse armament with its surface etched in a fashion similar to that of the Seusenhofer suit, and which was also originally silver plated, can be seen in the Tower Armoury (Fig. 1002). It is this harness, we think, that presents one of the first instances of embossing or hammering from the back being employed so as to give surface decoration in relief. The design is boldly executed, the main theme of the embossed ornamentation being the Burgundian cross raguly, pomegranates, and the flint and steel of the Toison d'Or. The bold engraving upon the surface adds detail to the em bossing, and the pomegranate design is duplicated round the border. The absence of roping and the general features of the harness suggest its date as being very early in the XVIth century, possibly within the first five years. In our anxiety to deal at once with the decorated armour of the XVIth century, we have somewhat got ahead of our subject, and have omitted to mention that transitional type of harness which combined the elegance of the Gothic form with the robustness of the Maximilian order. Here the characteristic plain edging of the principal plates can be seen gradually developing into what is termed the "cabled" or "roped" pattern which represents the form of an actual twisted rope, and giving a finish to the edge of a plate. This roping remained in general fashion until the use of armour was abandoned at the end of the XVIIth century. The full-stomached 21 1 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS globose breastplate is seen rapidly replacing the elegantly attenuated outline of that of the previous century. The placate, or plastron, except in very occasional instances, has indeed almost entirely disappeared, and becomes a short waist plate, laminated beneath the lower edge of the breastplate itself. The attractive so-called " Gothic" channelling of verging flutes, often meeting at obtuse or acute angles, gives way to the channelled armour so uni versally popular in the time of Maximilian. The cuff of the gauntlet again shortens, while the toe plates of the sollerets no longer assume the general outline of the human foot, but spread to widely exaggerated ends, known as "bear paws." Finally the armet a rondeUe ^\\A the open salade are almost universally superseded by the close helmet, opening on a hinge down the side of the cheek-pieces, and by the open casque or burgonet with its protective buffe. The transitional suits of the dawning years of the XVIth century are pleasing, because they are essentially workmanlike, well proportioned, and, as a rule, of the best craftsmanship. * • % * Before attempting a classification of those suits of the XVIth century which have distinctive character, we shall pause in order to examine some of the harnesses in the Tower of London, so easily accessible to the amateur. The most important armour in the Tower belongs to the earlier part of the XVIth century, and the reader is referred to Mr. C. ffoulkes' " The Armouries of the Tower of London " for the catalogue of those harnesses of which we shall give but a brief account. If the visitor to the Tower wonders at the smallness of the collection as compared with those of Continental nations, Mr. ffoulkes' History of the Tower Armoury will tell him that the marvel is that there is so much to be seen, for the collection has been pillaged for pageants, neglected for long periods,.and placed under the charge of ignorant and careless officials, and has only in modern times received care and understanding. The first important royal English armoury of which there is accurate record was brought together at the Palace of Greenwich. The exact date of its formation is not known ; but it may be put as early in the reign of King Henry VIII, and perhaps at the time when that monarch established the new armouries there, that is to say in 1514. It appears that an armoury was attached to the palace and built in the year 1517. For twenty-five years, however, it must have only partially fulfilled its purpose. In an inventory of Greenwich Palace, taken in 1543, arms only are mentioned; but four years after that date, in an inventory of the property 212 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY of Kinj4^ Henry VHI, taken immediately after his death, a collection of arms and armour is carefully described. The volume recording the armour and arms in the Palaces of Westminster and Greenwich, as also those at the Tower, is now preserved in the library of the Society of Antiquaries of London; the remainder of the inventory, which deals with the "household" stuffs in the lesser palaces of King Henry VHI, is in the Harleian Collection of MSS. 1419 Aand B. It is in this 1547 inventory that the first records of the more important suits now preserved in the Tower of London are to be found. Despite the fact that Greenwich Palace contained the' larger armoury, the Tower of London seems to have been the show-place to which distinguished foreigners were taken. There are numerous records of the visits of ambassadors to the great store house and fortress. In 1515, for instance, Pasqualigo, the Venetian, writes that he had seen the Tower,where, besides the lions and leopards, he was shown the King's bronze artillery mounted on 400 carriages, and bows and arrows and pikes for 40,000 infantry. Again, in 1535 Chapuis writes to Charles V: " The French Ambassador showed no pleasure at any attention that was shown him, even at the Tower of London and the Ordnance." Yet again, Soranzo, the Venetian, reports in 1554: "His Majesty has a great quantity of very fine artillery . . . especially at the T(jwer of London, where the ammunition of every sort is preserved." The amalgamation of the Royal Armoury of Greenwich with that of the Tower of London seems to have been effected between 1640 and 1644. There are records of partial removals in the intervening years, the latest being dated 1644. But prior to that date, in addition to artillery and weapons, particular suits of armour must have been exchanged; for in 1598 Paul Hentzner mentions seeing certain suits at the Tower of London which in the 1547 inventory are recorded as being at Greenwich Palace. Much of the older armour in the Tower of London was, by command of Queen Elizabeth, remodelled in 1562, when the order was given for " 9 curates of olde Almaigne rivets, 785 pairs of splynts, 482 sallets, 60 olde hedpec's, and 60 olde curats of dimilances" to be altered and transposed into plates for making 1500 jacks for use of the Navy. In 1635 Charles I issued a commission to Mountjoy, Earl of Newport —which, however, was never carried out —to select armour for 10,000 men from the Tower, and to sell the remainder to persons in the country who had none. The civil wars contributed largely to the abstraction of armour and arms from the Tower Armoury, both sides drawing from it on several occasions. The following account of a visit to the Tower paid in 1672 by Mons. Jorevin de Rochefort, an account interesting as showing the 213 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS state not only of the Tower but of antiquarian knowledge in those days, was published the same year in Paris, and is printed in Grove's "Antiquarian Repertory," iv, 569. "The great Arsenal consists of several great halls, and magazines filled w ith arms of all sorts sufficient to equip an army of a hundred thousand men. Our conductor showed us a great hall, hung with casques and cuirasses for arming both infantry and cavalry; among others were some which had been \\orn by different Kings of England during their wars; they were all gilded and engraved in the utmost perfection. We saw the armour of William the Conqueror, with his great sword; and the armour of his Jester, to whose casque was fixed horns; he had, it is said, a handsome wife. . . . Moreover, they showed us a cuirass made with cloves, another of mother-of-pearl; these two were locked up in a separate closet. We passed into another hall, and there \\as nothing but muskets, pistols, musketoons, bandeliers, swords, pikes, and halberds, arranged in a very handsome order, so as to represent figures of many sorts. We saw William the Conqueror's musket, which is of such length and thickness that it is as much as a man can do to carry it on his shoulders. We descended from this room into another place where there are the magazines of cannons, bullets, powder and match, and other machines of war, each in its particular place. But after all, this is nothing when com pared to that of Venice. It is true that I saw in a cabinet in the King's Palace, many arms, which, for their beauty and exquisite workmanship, sur pas.sed the rarest in the Arsenal of Venice. This was by the permission of Monsieur de la Mare, the King's Armourer." In the XVIIIth century the Tower of London was considered to be the most important of London's show-places. After the Restoration the arma ments were furbished up, Grinling Gibbons himself being entrusted with the task of giving an appropriate setting to the then much depleted armoury; even to-day Gibbons's handiwork is manifest in two of the wooden horses on which certain of the figures are placed. Sir Samuel Mey rick states that the figures of Charles I and his horse and of Charles II and his horse were actually carved by Grinling Gibbons in 1686; which, however, were mysteriously changed into the likeness of James II. One king's face and horse were carved by William Morgan in 1688; in the same year John Nort and Thomas Quillans were each responsible for one, while Marmaduke Townson carved two. Again, in the year 1690, John Nort carved five other faces, while the face of William III was carved by a certain Alcock in 1702. Mistakes as absurd as those of which 214 On EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Mons. Jorevin de Rochefort was guilty in the XVIIth century were made late in the XVIIIth and early XIXth centuries in the descriptions of the armour and weapons. A coloured aquatint after Rowlandson, published in 1809, appearing in Ackermann's " Microcosm of London," shows a view of the so-called horse or royal armoury of the Tower with a row of mounted figures (Fig. 1015). According to the letterpress of Ackermann these were the "effigies of the Kings of England, clad in armour and on horseback, inclusively from William the Conqueror to his late Majesty George II." In the year 1825 Dr. Samuel Rush Meyrick received the royal commands to rearrange the horse and Spanish armouries, as they were then called; but instead of that learned antiquary being given a free hand, he was hampered by the instructions of the War Office, He was allowed to arrange the armour upon the principal equestrian figures in a certain chronological order, and to do away with the gross absurdity of exhibiting a suit of the reign of Elizabeth as one that belonged to William the Conqueror ; but he was not permitted to destroy entirely the "line of kings," or when he did, was ordered to assign the mounted-figure to some great personage. Dr. Meyrick was knighted for his gratuitous services: he did his work conscientiously, exploding nearly all the XVII Ith century absurdities of attribution. After the lapse of a quarter of a century Mr. J. R. Planche, well known in his triple capacity as herald, authority on costume, and writer of extravaganzas, started a crusade against the War Office authorities for permitting the gross irregular ities that disgraced the management of the Tower armouries. It was at this period, from the end of the 'thirties to the 'sixties of the XIXth century, that purchases were made by the authorities in charge. These, for the most part, were puerile forgeries, nearly all the work of one Grimshaw, a clever artificer, who supplied with each of his products an account of its so-called discovery. The building which then contained the armoury was simply an annexe, through the roofs and skylights of which, as Mr. Planchd records, the rain penetrated, forming pools of water in the gang ways, and dripping upon the armour and weapons. Although Mr. Planche started his agitation for the improvement of the Tower Armoury in 1855, it was not until 1869 that he was allowed to do something, and he did all that was possible, in view of the narrow-minded official control of the time. In 1885 the annexe was demolished, and the armoury reinstated in the White Tower. Little attempt was made at a scientific arrangement; indeed, it may be said that, if possible, the care of it relaxed. Only twenty years ago a figure in a suit of Eastern chain mail, and mounted, was described as that of a 216 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY Norman Crusader; there were other anachronisms almost as glaring. The late Mr. Barber, who had charge of the Armouries for many years, was conscientious, but unobserving. The armour, under his care, was vigorously scoured at given intervals by the troops of the garrison, by no means to its advantage. The appointment, however, of Viscount Dillon as Curator of the Armouries in 1895 saved them from continuing to be what they were at one time —the laughing-stock of the continental cognoscenti. On Viscount Dillon's retirement in 1913 Mr. Charles ffoulkes, F.S.A., was chosen as Curator. Mr. ffoulkes has done admirable work in the Tower Armouries, and no appreciation can do justice to the value of the splendid catalogue of our national collection for which he is responsible. * * * Having thus very briefly outlined the past history of the armour at the Tower, v\e will deal individually and in chronological order with certain historical XVIth,century suits preserved there. No suits are likely to have greater interest for the armour lover, and especially the Englishman, than those war harnesses, for they may all be accepted as having truly belonged to the royal and-noble personages to whom they are now accredited. Of the suits in question, one —already referred to —is known for certain to have been the personal property of King Henry \TII, and it is probable that four others also belonged to him. The one known to have been his is that mounted harness, made to measure for King Henry, somewhere between the years 151 1 and 1514 by Conrad Seusenhofer of Innsbruck (Fig. 1016). Until 1895 it was supposed that it was presented to King Henry VHI by the Emperor Maximilian on the occasion of the English monarch's marriage with Katherine of Aragon in 1509. But inasmuch as Viscount Dillon has yet to lay before the Society of Antiquaries his promised notes on the making and despatch to England of this particular suit, the reader must be content with such information as we ourselves can glean as to its history. In the 1547 inventory, to which we have already referred {ante, page 191), this suit is described under the following item in " Grenewich. In the Custodye of S"" Thomas Pastone knight," etc. " In the first House. Itm Upon the Third horse a Harnesse given unto the kings Maiestie by Themperor Maximilian w*'' a' base of stele and goldesmythe worke Silver and guilte with A border abowt the same silver and guilte of Goldesmythes worke and A barde of stele w**" a Burgonion Ill Crosse and a fusye and a Saddell with A crymmyn and A shaffron to the same" (see Fig. 1002). 217 F F EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS t The 1561 inventory gives no details of ornament and says: "Armoure sent to Kinge Henrie the eight by themperor Maximilian one." The 161 1 inventory describes a suit at Greenwich, "in the greene gallery," as: " One feilde Armo"" of an olde fashion with a base of Steele the horses furniture being a barbe crinitt and shafifron all being silvered and guilte." It will be noted that its attribution to King Henry VTII is omitted. The 1629 in\entory records the same entry. The 1660 inventory furnishes evidence of its removal to the Tower of London and for the first time it figures as " Masking armour compleat reported to be made for King Henry the vij " —thus being put back a reign. In the 1676 inxentory is the same entry. In the 1683 and 1688 inventories is the same entry, "maskiilg" being spelt • " masqueing." In the 1688 inventory the suit is valued at ;!{^ioo. In the inventory of 1691 and finally in that of 1693 appear the same entry and valuation. In the archives of Innsbruck [Missiveu, fol. 20) there is the entry that seven armours were ordered and that two cuirasses were already made by Conrad Seusenhofer for the King of England, one gilded and one silvered. The latter in all probability formed part of the harness we refer to; for in 151 1 this harness was put in hand as a present from Maximilian to Henry VHI. On 19 May 151 1 Sir Robert Wingfield writes to King Henry from Innsbruck saying: " Jerningham hath set all your harness . . . also all that harness which the Emperor doth (send to your) grace." This would certainly appear to be the suit in question. In all the inventories from 1660 down to 1827 this historical suit is attributed to the ownership of King Henry VII. The only explanation of this statement must lie in the fact that in the inventories of 1547 and of 1561 a suit is described which has since disappeared —a suit belonging to Henry VII, but resembling the Henry \TII suit. In the former inventory the suit figures as follows: "Westm'. —In the chardge of Hans Hunter armerer. " First. A complete harnesse with a longe bast allow'' engraven and pccll guilte with Rooses and Pomegranetts \\hich was King Henry vii''' his harnesse. " Itm a shaffron to the said harnesse." It is again alluded to in the 1561 inventory: "Armour guilte your Majesties [Queen Elizabeth's] Grandfathers King Henry the Seventh." After this date the suit appears to be no longer in the royal collection, or if it is 218 Fk;. 1016. Sun ui- armulk I'Kkskntki) to HiiNKv VIII Made some time between 151 1 and 15 14 for the Emperor Maximilian I of Germany. The work of Conrad Seusenhofer of Innsbruci<. Tower of London, Class II, No. 5 219 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS it is quite unrecognizable in the subsequent inventories of 1611, 1629, 1660, 1676, 1683, 1691, and 1693. Since the description of this Henry VII suit in the 1547 in\entory accords with the description of the Seusenhofer suit, and since the Seusenhofer suit is newly christened in the 1660 inventory as "masking armour compleat reported to be made for King Henry the vij," the King Henry VIII suit continued to be described as the armour of King Henry V'll until 1827, \\hen Sir JSamuel Meyrick recognized it as being the King Henry VIII suit clearly defined in the 1547 inventory. Fic;. 1017. From a drawing dated 15 10 (signed A. D.) A suit of armour much like the Henry VIII Seusenhofer suit in the Tower. Gallery of Engravings, Berlin •There is a drawing in the (iallery of Engravings, Berlin (Fig. 1017), perhaps by Albrecht Diirer, dated 1510, of a complete suit of horse armour stated to have been made by order of Maximilian, though apparently not for himself, which very closely resembles the Tower suit. In the drawing three view^s of the suit are given, while in the top right-hand corner there are three studies of interchangeable helmets. Can these be pictures, more or less faith ful, of the Henry VIII Seusenhofer suit in the Tower? Mr. J. R. Planche, in his brochure on " British Costume," published in 1849, ^fter alluding to this 220 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY Henry VIII suit in the Tower, states that it is precisely similar in shape to a suit preserved in the little Belvidere palace at Vienna which belonged to Maximilian himself. The present writer, however, is at a loss to know to what suit Mr. Planche can have referred, as he is unacquainted with any suit now at Vienna that resembles it either in decoration or in form. Looking at the suit as one sees it to-day, one can only marvel that it has survived the ruthless treatment of the centuries that have passed since its production. Fortunately a drastic restoration of it suggested in 1841 by the late Mr. John Hewitt never took place. It was his intention "to restore the suit by regilding"; he remarks in his cata logue: "that so desirable a work has so long been delayed is only to be regretted." Fashioned for a youth of twenty and made by a German armourer, this harness is yet by reason of its very elegant propor tions a suit decidedly and strangely Italian in construction. Look at the armet head piece (Vol. ii, Fig. 447), the shape of the breastplate, and form of the elbow cops, and it takes but a very small stretch of the imagination to describe them,as a late production of one of the Missaglia; yet this is perhaps the only suit now extant that bears the mark which \\e now know ONNl.KTS Jmc. 1017A. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum New York was employed by Conrad Seusenhofer. Nothing in this harness is exaggerated in form, save possibly the bases, tonnlets, or skirt, which, after all, were but a conventional rendering in metal of the civil skirt of the time. This curiosity in the way of plate armour is, however, no rarity. In Mr. W. H. Riggs' Collection, given to the Metropolitan Museum of New York, are a pair of tonnlets (Fig. 1017A) of almost precisely similar construction, slashed and etched, and curiously enough there is a tradition attaching to them that they were originally obtained from the Tower of London early in the XIXth century. Mr. Riggs acquired them from Prince Soltikoff, who purchased them at a sale of old iron at the Tower, having been informed by Sir Walter Scott, when he met him at a friend's house at dinner, that there was to be a sale at the Tower of old 221 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS iron, which really consisted of old armour. In more complete form they can be seen on the suits in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna, notably on that beautiful little harness, made in all probability for Charles V when a boy of six, though formerly ascribed in the catalogue of the Vienna Armoury to the ownership of Philip I, King of Castille. There has been some discussion as to the use for which this gift suit of Henry \TII was originally constructed; for it is mentioned in several of the older Tower inventories as "masking" or " masqueing " armour. We are of opinion that this word simply means that the suit was used in pageants, and we do not think that Sir S. R. Meyrick was correct in thinking that the word was a contraction of " damasked " or " damascened." We are strongly of opinion that this Seusenhofer suit was made for use only in actual warfare. The absence of the lance rest on the heavily made breastplate almost prohibits the use of the suit in the lists; while the construction and weight of the armour are quite adequate for purposes of hard fighting. The remains of its surface enrichment, after centuries of neglect and after subsequent vigorous over-cleaning, now consists in a well-drawn though simple and direct design, executed with a broad engraving tool, illustrating the martyrdom of St. George and St. Barbara, groups of the Tudor Rose, the pomegranate, and the portcullis, badges of King Henry VIII, while bundles of arrows, the badge assumed by Ferdinand, the father of Katherine of Aragon, after his conquest of Granada, also appear. A detailed descrip tion of the decoration generally was given by Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick in Archaeologia XXII. Originally the whole surface of the suit was thickly plated with silver, a considerable amount of which, in the less exposed portions of the suit, still exists. This again may have been gilded; for gilding on a foundation of silver is more brilliant than when applied directly upon the steel surface. Bordering the skirt bases is applied an ornament in latten —no doubt also formerly gilt but now polished to a brightened surface —which introduces the duplicated monogram H. K. This applied border had doubtless between it and its steel foundation a layer of velvet, or even of cloth of gold, as in the case of the little suit made for Charles V, already mentioned, in which traces of the textile enrichment are still extant. What a thing of beauty it must originally have been with its brilliantly silvered or gilded surface and its applied gilded ornaments! However, little is missing to-day of the foundation of the suit save the gauntlets. This famous harness tells its historical .story to-day in a few broken records; but for the armour enthusiast it has the additional interest of being a suit which can claim a recorded 222 Fig. ioi8. Suit ok armour for fighting on foot, made for King Henrv VIII English (?), first quarter of the XVIth century. Tower of London, Class II, No. 6 {(i) Front view {/>) Back view 223 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS provenance and a more or less definite date of production, a date which serves to provide the \\riter on armour \\ith one or two careful starting points. \'iscount Dillon, in his description of the suit, states that the armour for the man alone weighs 64 lb. 13 oz., and that the accompanying armour for the horse weighs 69 lb. 3 oz. We have alluded to the horse armour made to match it [ante, page 194). Next, in striking evidence of King Henry's athletic figure at the age of about twenty-five, may be seen that splendid fighting suit in the To\\er of London, Class II, No. 6, intended for use on foot alone (Fig. 1018). It is a suit of war armour in the truest sense of the word. Every idea of ease in wear and all possibility of quick movement have been .sacrificed to its ingenious protective quality. Once arrayed in this harness the wearer could neither sit nor ride, nor could he raise his elbows more than a little above the waist line as here shown in the illustration. The suit weighs 94 lb., and no less than 235 separate parts go to make it. Though doubtless it is recorded, we are unable definitely to identify this suit either in the 1547 or in the 1561 inventory; but there is recorded at Greenwich a suit that might be it, viz.: ."Armour complete for the Body of your Mat" late father King Henry the Higth." In the 161 1 inventory there is mentioned at Greenwich in Mr. Pickering's " woorkehouse " : "One Footemans armo'' compleate made for King Henry the Eight." This seems to describe the suit. In the 1629 inventory of Greenwich of the contents of the workhouse is the same entry: " One footemans arm' Compleate made for King Henry Eighte." In the 1660 inventory of the "closet \\ithin the armoury at the Tower" it is again recorded with an additional identification: "Armour of King Henry the 8''' cap-a-pe, being rough from the hammer." In the 1676 inventory it figures as: "Armour Capape rough from y*" hammer said to be King Henry y'' 8^''. I suite." In the 1683 inxentory it is entered as: "Compleate black armour rough from the hammer said to have been made for King Henry the Eighth." In the 1688 inventory and valuation it appears as: "Armour for K. H. 8"' rough from the Hammer . . . £,\oy This same description and valuation figures in the inventories of 1691 and 1693. The statement that it was left rough from the hammer is hardly correct; but its present brightened surface certainly has not that finish generally associated with fine harnesses of this time. Viscount Dillon, \\ho was responsible for the remounting and re strapping of this suit, states that it has evidently been originally "glaised" or freed from all hammer marks, but that its present somewhat uneven surface is due to the ill-advised over-cleaning of the past. 224 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY The Henry VIII suit, the gift of Maximilian, is known to be the work of Seuscnhofer; but in the case of the other Tower suits which presumably belonged to this same monarch, there is no direct evidence to identify the armourer who produced them. The fighting suit we have just described shows, however, traces of German influence, adapted to a fashion that might almost be considered English. It is a harness made essentially for fights on foot in the lists, the weapons used in conjunction w^ith it being the two-handed sword, the estoc, the pole and battle-axe, and the pike. Many of its constructional features are interest ing, foremost, its absolute protective quality; for save the palms of the hands every portion of the body is covered with plate. The inside bend of the knee and arms, the gluteal muscles and privy parts, and even the exposed parts of the armpit have lames of steel for their defence, each lame working on the other by means of the slotted almaine rivets, such as are well shown on the inside view of the culette (Fig. 1019). It should be noted that the toe-caps are grooved and that the elbow-cops have fluted fans at the sides. An interesting feature is that neither the gauntlets nor the sollerets could be wrenched off; for the former fit beneath the inturned lower Fig. 1019. Inside view of the culette OF THE suit (fig. I0I8) Showing the working of the slotted almaine rivets. Tower of London, Class II, No. 6 edges of the vambraces and the latter fit over the ridged lower extremities of the jambs. The last method is also employed for attaching the lower edge of the helmet to the gorget plate. The helmet is illustrated separately in Fig. 498. With the exception of a lame from the gorget and one thumb-piece nothing is now missing from this harness, which is entirely void of decoration. It is probable that it was originally a blue-black colour: indeed, as we have said, it is described as "black" in the 1683 inventory, but that may be on account of the black paint with which most of the armour at the Tower was coated, presumably to preserve it, previous to the reign of William and Mary. in * 225 G G Fig. I020. Suit of armour for fighting on uoot, made for King Henry VIII First quarter of the XVIth century. Possibly English, produced under Italian influence Tower of London, Class II, No. 7 226 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY We ascribe the next Tower suit, Class II, No. 7 (Fig. 1020), to the ownership of King Henry VIII simply by reason of its proportions and period; for it is not assigned to that monarch in any of the inventories of that time. It must be later in date than the one we have just dealt with; for if it is actually the King's harness it shows him grown stouter. In the 1547 inventory it is described as being " In the bigger of the litle Houses " at "Grenewich." " Itm one Tunlett pcell guiltc w' a Basenett complete Lackinge one gauntlett." In the inventory of 1561 we fail to identify it, unless the entry " Footmans Harnesse guilt . . . one " refers to it. In the 161 1 inventory we find it again in " the greene gallery Greenwich ": " One olde fashioned armo"" called a Trundlett parcell guilte and graven." In the 1629 inventory of " the greene gallery Greenwich," we again come across it —but on a mounted figure; though how a suit with such a skirt was placed upon a horse we are at a loss to comprehend: " And upon one other horse one old-fashioned armo'' called a Trundlett parcell guilte and graven." In the subsequent inventories of 1660, 1676, 1688, 1691, and 1693 we fail to recog nize it unless it is the " Foote armour of Henry viij"', richly guilt consisting of backe, brest, and placket, Taces, gorget, a burgonet with a bufie or chin one" mentioned in the 1660 inventory of the Tower. But as peece . . . that entry clearly assigns a burgonet with a buffe as the head-piece to the foot armour, and omits to mention the arm defences, we are very doubtful whether it is the one we are looking for. It will therefore be seen that in the only two passages in the' inventories in which we are able to identify it, there is no mention of the armour as having belonged to King Henry VIII. We are again quite in the dark as to who made the actual body armour, for it is without an armourer's mark; but it strangely resembles in its work manship, more especially as regards the etched ornament, the hor.se armour shown in Fig. 1024. The slightly globose breastplate and its deep skirt or tonnlet of nine lames is ridged in the Maximilian fashion, and the etching on the alternate flutes of the breastplate and on the tonnlet is .so arranged as to show a chequer pattern. The pauldrons are ample, and in their fashioning show a very distinct Italian influence. The complete arms are of somewhat small proportions and are quite in accordance with the period, laminated plates protecting the inner bend of the arm. The gauntlets, which are unfortunately missing, have been replaced by two massive mitten gauntlets, out of scale with the rest of the harness. The suit has now no leg defences, the skirt 227 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS falling to the knees; but undoubtedly it must have originally possessed them, for there is evidence that such tonnlet suits, in all completeness, existed; witness those to be seen in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna. The large bascinet head-piece on this suit, though supplied to it doubtless at the time at which it was put together, is from the hand of one of the Missaglia of Milan, probably the work of Antonio; but we have to admit that the mark of this family of armourers that appears at the back of the bascinet is almost obliter ated. On referring to Vol. i, Figs. 212 and 213, the reader will note similar head-pieces by foreign armourers added to otherwise homogeneous suits. We have described this particular helm or great bascinet on page 159 of Vol. ii (Fig. 497); but we omitted to mention there that the collar of the Order of the (iarter boldly etched around the gorget plate is the chief decoration of this very fine head-piece. We have claimed, but on no con temporary evidence, that this suit once belonged to King Henry VIII; it is so like in proportions to the harness we have just described, and so significant is the circumstance of the garter chain being etched around the gorget of the helmet, that it may fairly be accepted, we think, as having once been worn by him. It is very apparent that this type of skirted harness was only used for fighting on foot in the lists, the combatants being armed either with pikes, pole arms, two-handed or foining swords. The construction of the skirt would make it quite impossible for its wearer to sit a horse, as it is only flexible in a vertical direction, and so is unlike the bases on the first of the Henry VIII suits described, which, extending in a solid plate from the waist downwards, have at the front and at the back shaped plates which could be removed so as to enable the wearer to bestride a horse. According to Viscount Dillon these skirted suits were called " tonnelets " and "tonnes," though in later inventories they are described as " trundlets." The remaining two suits, or rather one very complete suit on two figures (Class II, Nos. 8 and 9), which were in the Tower Armoury until 1914 and ascribed to the ownership of King Henry VIII, are of the most generous proportions, and if ever worn by him, which is more than likely, must have been made for use in his latter years. They cannot be definitely identified in the 1547 or later inventories; but when we arrive at the 1660 inventory, two white and gilt suits which were then in the Tower are stated to have been the respective properties of King Henry VIII and of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. There is the likelihood that this particular suit, in its two parts, formed those two harnesses referred to. The inventories after 1660 228 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY continue to record these Henry VHI and Brandon suits; but it is now quite impossible to say whether they refer to this double Henry VHI suit we are Fig. 102 1. Suit of armour for man and horse Probably of French make, dated 1537. Probably made for Jacques Gourdon de Genouilhac, Grand Master of Artillery to Francis I (a) The armour on a mounted figure, with the saddle and horse armour (d) The armour on a dismounted figure Formerly in the possession of the Duchesse d'Uzes. Now in the Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York now considering. Both these Henry VHI suits, as we will continue to call them, are from the same unknown hand; indeed, the exact resemblance to 229 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS one another, since they vary but slightly in the arrangement of their border ornament, has led the author to consider them to be one complete suit, with interchangeable parts. Now as to the nationality of this double suit and the armourer who produced them. Here we are in the region of conjecture, for we have no record of them save in the 1660 inventory, which may or may not refer to them. They do not appear to be the work of the Almaine or (ierman armourers in the employ of the King; for the fashion of the various plates and the method of their etched and gilt enrichment inclines to be Italian. Yet they are not wholly in accordance with Italian harnesses. Can they be French? And may they not have been presented to Henry VIII by Francis I? For if, as is attested by the Comptes des Bdtiments, the French monarch . ordered fighting harnesses made by the French armourers Rend de Champ damour, Laurnes Senet, and Loys Merveilles, to be sent as gifts to the Due de Guise, to Cardinal de Lorraine, and to the Constable of France, may he not have ordered one as a similar token of friendship to be sent to the King of England? The author hazards this surmise after the personal examination of a very famous suit which he had the opportunity of examining, though, unfor tunately, not very thoroughly, a suit until recently in the Chateau de Bonnelle, and the property of the Duchcsse d'Uzes, and now in the Riggs Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of New York (Fig. 1021). Now the tradition at taching to this suit, which is dated in the ornamentation in four places, 1527, is that it belonged to Sieur Jacques Gourdon de Genouilhac or " Galiot," born 1466, died 1546, a distinguished warrior at the court of Louis XII and Francis I, in whose latter reign he held the office of Grand Master of Artillery. Dr. Bashford Dean lias given his reasons for corroborating this tradition [Bullefm of the Metropolitan Mtiseum of New York, vol. xiv. No. 10), but states that at present no documentary evidence is forthcoming to prove it. What is certain is that the Genouilhac suit must have been made by the .same armourer who produced the great double suit in the Tower of London with which we are[]dealing. Allowing for the differences in decoration due to the personal preferences of the wearers, they correspond plate for plate in con struction. The Tower suits are cleaned and polished down to a plane far below the original surface level; although, considering the harassing times through which they have pas.sed, they are fairly sound —thanks to their original thick and heavy make. But the Genouilhac suit is even to-day in almost its pristine 230 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY glory, a wealth of thick gold plating and etching of which we illustrate parts (Figs. I022 and io28a). Indeed, we have no "hesitation in pronouncing it to be one of the grandest suits of armour extant. There is surely no improb ability in the idea of a French Grand Master of Artillery having a suit made by French armourers who, though now unknown, produced work which con forms neither to German nor to Italian fashion. And if it is reasonable to consider the Genouilhac suit as the product of France, then the double great suit in the Tower must be held to come from the same source. The workmanship of this great double suit is of the most perfect finish throughout, and the decoration simple and satisfying in its balance of orna FiG. I022. Locking gauntlet of the Genouilhac suit Showing the design of the etching ment. Each plate is finely formed and very characteristic of the fashion of the period, about 1530-40. The iron used is hard, close, and black in texture. All the borders, slightly recessed, are thinly etched with conventional duplicated scrollwork, gilt, which, in places, introduces the pomegranate and rose. The rivets connecting plate to plate are steel-headed and the border-rivets securing the lining have hemispherical heads cased in latten. We shall refer again to the suit at the end of the chapter {post, page 239). Our first illustration (Fig. 1023) shows part of the Henry VIII double suit mounted, which the author remembers being labelled as having be longed to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, a tradition we have already mentioned. Upon this armour is a simply-fashioned close helmet with a low but very finely moulded skull-piece; the visor is interchangeable with others, 231 Fig. 1023. OiMC I'ART OF THE (;reat suit ov armour made for King Henry VIII Probably of French make, about 1 540. With the exception of the saddle steels, the horse armour is associated. Removed from the Tower of London to Windsor Castle in 1914 by command of His Majesty the King 232 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY and there is a full and high gorget. The arms are complete, furnished with ample pauldrons which ha\e upright neck-guards. There is a large tilting Fig. 1024. The other part of the great suit of armour made for King Henry VIII Probably of French make, about 1540. The poitrel and croupiere of the horse armour are associated. Tower of London, Class II, No. 8 III gauntlet on the left hand. The breastplate, which is slightly globose and of huge girth, is fitted with holes for the attachment of the tilting lance-rest, and with a staple in front to fasten the grand guard. To the breastplate are attached the taces and tassets. There is the backplate, with the garde-de 233 H H EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS rein; also fine large cuisses, knee-cops, jambs, and large sollerets laminated at the ankle; the bear's paw formation of the toe-cap is not exaggerated. The saddle steels, together \\'\\\\ the stirrups both belong to it. The rest of the horse armour is associated, as is the right-hand gauntlet. In September 1914 this portion of the great Henry VIII suit was dismounted and sent to the armoury of Windsor Castle in part exchange for armour sent from Windsor as to the Tower of London. Our frontispiece in Vol. i shows it dismounted and as now to be seen in theWindsor Castle Armoury. Upon the other horse in the To\\er of London, Class II, No. 8 (Fig. 1024), there is an almost similar group of armour, though there are differences in the formation of certain of the plates Fig. 1025. A "falling" bukfe, ETCHED WITH ORNAMENTS Tower of London, Class II, No. 8 R Fig. 1026. Brayette From the Henry VIII suit (Figs. 1023 and 1024). Removed from Windsor Castle to the Tower of London in 1914 by command of His Majesty the King —mainly in the case of the pauldrons, which are a little more ample in pro portions, though the right upright shoulder guard is no^^ missing. The interior bend of the arm-pieces is in this suit protected by laminated plates; the cuisses of the leg defences are formed of small and insignificant plates; there are no sollerets, but simple toe-caps of metal; the rest of the foot defence must have been of chain mail; there is a large tilting gauntlet for the left hand. The saddle steels, stirrups, somewhat small chanfron, and crinet of ten plates, belong to this suit; the other horse armour is associated. The extra reinforcing and interchangeable plates, now in theTower of London, belonging to these two harnesses are: a grand-guard, a plate for reinforcing the left arm, a pair of arms finishing at the turners immediately above the rerebraces, a set of faces 234 c w 1) Q c ^2-5 2 > U BO V 4-* a. o O '^ to c a! .b c nj ^ ™ — M- ON O O f^ ^ ?5 o ^-^ . O o d ii a ^ o O " '—"-^ oo X [« = &d ^-^ en cfl is . — I V ECO 3 U u c o « ST'VO O o\ o o o 235 c " y. ^ "^ J3 e 3 C H "3 c-t P o ;: ov a oi c u- o ^ o o >, " ?r. 00 o O » O J3 o o t: 111 •a c EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS and tassets, a culette for the gluteal muscles for use on foot alone, and a pair of jambs now on a fluted suit. The additional pieces for the helmet are as follows: a chin-piece, an umbril, two buffes, one from \\hich all the etching has been obliterated by polishing, the other (Fig. 1025) the whole surface of which has been etched in the shallow manner significant of the armourer with scrolls in the manner of the cantle steels of one of the saddles, two mezails, one ofwhich was removed from a XVIIth century suit in St. James's Palace in 1908 and sent back to the Tower by command of King Edward VII. There were formerly to be seen in the Arm oury of Windsor fourteen separate plates, reinforc ing and otherwise, which all belonged originally to this great suit. We think it will now ever remain a mystery why certain parts of certain suits in the Tower were until recently to be found at Windsor Castle, and vice versa. All the extra tilting pieces belonging to what we call the Henry VTII suit were returned to the Tower of London in Sept ember 1914 by command of His Majesty King George V in exchange for other armour. Of the odd pieces of this large Tower suit, now preserved in the Tower, the brayette (Class Fig. 1028. Pl.\tes I-'rom the croiipicie of the liorse armour (?), Henry VIII suit. Re moved from Windsor Castle to the Tower of London in 1914 by command of His Majesty the King (No. 109, Catalogue of Windsor Armoury, 1904) Cla.ss VI, No. 17 II, 8 J) deservedly ranks' foremost in interest (Fig. 1026), No. 664 in the 1904 Windsor Cata logue. It was found in 1901, concealed beneath a basket of old rubbish in the unused room. No. 656, in the Round Tower, where many important frag ments had been thrown as useless lumber during a certain reorganization of the Windsor Armoury in 1847. There is every reason to believe that it is the actual brayette mentioned for the first time in the 1676 inventory of the Tower of London as follows: " King Henry y*" 8""'" Codpeece parcell Guilt"; mentioned again in the 1683 inventory: " Codpeece of King Henry the Eighths parcel gilt"; and again in the 1688 inventory and valuation: " K: H: 8'^ Codpce parcell Gilt," though no value is placed against this particular armament. The same record appears in the inventories of 1691 and 1693. This codpiece or brayette is certainly one of the most complete examples of this particular defence in existence; for not only does it possess 236 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY the two extra laminated plates on either side of its main plate, but it still retains its original tow packing, covered with coarse linen and crimson velvet. Its exterior surface is russeted to a rich brown colour, and upon the principal plate it is grooved in flutings connected by double chevron bands. These are etched with floral foliage, fully gilt, while the borderings of the various plates are decorated in a like manner, but the bands are wider. The outside plates are l-"i(;. 1028A. RErM-oRCiNG ri,.\TE OF THE Bre.asti'eate oe the Genol'U.h.vc suit Showing the designs of the etching finished by the edge being turned under to a flattened cable; the outline is followed by a row of large hemispherically-headed rivets that retain the lining in position. This largely developed form of brayette was worn A\hen the har ness was used for contests on foot in the champ clos. Next in importance is the gauntlet. No. 106 in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue, now Class II, 8 C, in the Tower (Fig. 1027), known as "locking" on account of the fact that the top lame of finger-mittens could be fastened by a hook and staple to the inner cuff-plate, making it impossible to loosen a mace or other weapon from the 237 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS grip. In 1554 the use of a "locking" gauntlet in a tournament was first prohibited as giving an unfair advantage. Next there is the bridle gauntlet for the left hand, No. 103 in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue, now Class II, 8 H, in the Tower (Fig. 1027), which, besides being remarkable for its fine proportions, presents a feature that is extremely rare —that of the presence of a rondel attached to a stem and riveted above the metacarpal plates, as in the case of the Genouilhac gauntlet. This particular gauntlet is also similar to that now placed on Fig. 1024. What can have been the duty of a rondel upon the gauntlet? Yet it is a feature that appears in Italian XVth century pictures. In the picture by Uccello in the National (iallery (see Vol. i, Fig. 238), we see certain of the knights with such a rondel upon the gauntlet. In the XV^th century armet head-pieces (see Vol. ii. Fig. 438), a rondel is nearly always found at the back of the skull-piece. Its use there cannot be explained, unless it protected the closed joints of the side plates of the helmet; but its presence upon the solid plate of the gauntlet has yet to be explained. Next in interest in this series of pieces from this Henry VIII larger suit are the three small plates. No. 109 in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue, Class VI, No. 17, in the Tower (Fig. 1028), from the croupiere of the horse armour; at least we' imagine they are such, but Mr. S. J. Whawell is inclined to consider them to be a reinforcing piece for the left leg, guarding the thigh, and attached to the tasset by a rivet in the centre of the top plate. They are similar to those of the Genouilhac suit, and described by Dr. Bashford Dean as a defence worn within the breastplate. Next are the splendid pair of cuisses, or thigh pieces, Nos. 96 and 100 in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue (Fig. 1027). Apart from their large and fine proportions, which render them good examples of this particular defence, they present no special feature in construction. They almost duplicate those set on one portion of the double suit (Fig. 1023). The less important odd pieces of this suit formerly at Windsor include {a) the two grand-guards, Nos. 114 and 114A in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue (Fig. 1027), exactly alike in all details, conventional in form, but presenting, as does the Tower example, illustrated detached from the suit in Fig. 1023, the grill on the right-hand side of the face-guard, (d) a pair of mitten gauntlets, Nos. 92 and 94 in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue (Fig. 1027), (c) the large tilting guard used for reinforcing the left arm. No. 102 in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue (Fig. 1027), {(/) two plates from the right-hand saddle burr, No. 105 in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue, (^) three plates from the cantle of the saddle, No. 107 in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue 238 THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMOURY (Fig. 1027), and {/) two plates from the left-hand saddle burr, No. 108 in the 1904 Windsor Catalogue. Before closing this chapter we will quote Dr. Bashford Dean's account of the composition of the Genouilhac suit, for the reader will wish to know more about the details of this armour, and to compare them with what we think is the work of the same armourer in the possession of the nation. " The entire suit is without the blemish of a modern piece in any essential part. . . . Not merely is the suit . . . complete, but with it a series of extra pieces, a locking gauntlet (Fig. 1022), a reinforcing plate for the plastron (Fig. 1028A) with a large lance rest, a supplemental plate for the abdomen, and a rare defence worn within the breastplate,' of which I have seen but a single other specimen (see Fig. 1028). For a harness of this kind it has a greater number of ihesa pieces de renfort than any other armour described. And, sad to tell, it has lost still other pieces; for studying the pegs or the pinions which \\ere arranged for supporting supplemental pieces, we can see clearly that at one time it has had a heavy face defence, an extra armplate, and a shoulder guard. Then, too, it has with it the high-plated saddle, the long neck defence for the horse, and a beautiful horse-helmet . . . original straps are in many cases preserved, their rivets neatly tinned to protect them from the perspiration of the wearer; but, rarest of all, the surface of the armour is in excellent state —at certain points thegildjng is practically as fresh as when it left the hands of its maker . . . the armour is dated; the number 1527 occurring in the ornamentation no less than three times." ' See ante, p. 238. 239 Fu;. io2y. TuK K.\irEKOR Maximilian at his armuuklr's ir/c dcrjiiHitg Weysz Kiiuig, gar k-uiistluhcn wcis, in der Platneny, 11lid Haniiscliinaisterrj• Taken from the IVi'iss Kiniig chaptp:r XXIV THE MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL SUITS WITH THE UNCHANNELLED SURFACE URNTNC from those s-uits preserved in the Tower —which, on account of their historical interest, we have refrained from des cribing under this particular heading to which they really belong — we will endeavour now to follow more closely the general evolu tion of the styles that so quickly made their successive appear ances throughout the XVIth century. There is but one way in which we can simplify our explanation of the intricate and quick evolution of XVIth century arms and armour, and that is by simply dividing them into the three or four styles, and by dealing with each on as broad lines as possible. We have now, however, another difficult factor to reckon with, a factor which more than ever complicates our subject —that of the fashion of the civil dress of the 240 THE MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL period. During the last half of the XVth century, certainly as regards the decoration of plate armour, except that which had come under the influence of the early Renaissance, military harness was little affected by the civil dress of the time. But in the XVIth century matters were different. Fashion in costume is for many reasons always subject to change. In the first half of the XVIth century it is found exercising a decided influence on the armourer's craft, all the more so by reason of the fact that the primary use of armour, that of self-defence, became increasingly a secondary considera tion, as the perfecting of offensive weapons developed. We shall divide the fashions broadly according to their distinct styles, asking the reader to remember all the time that one fashion overlapped (a) Fig. 1029A. Gothic pauldrons The Rotunda, Woolwich w another, the borrowed continental styles being superimposed one on the other in the most perplexing manner. We will start by taking the complete suits under the headings of their fashions of decoration, as in the case of modes in clothes, rather than under those illustrating various types of defence. We shall have to speak of the Maximilian style, of the grotesque Maximilian, of the simple Landsknecht (not applying to Germany alone), of armour under classical influence, of the Milan fashions and enrichments, and finally of that miscellaneous mixture of styles so difficult to put into any category which was characteristic of the third quarter of the XVIth century. The fashion of armour made in parallel, or almost parallel, fluting would appear to have come from Milan, whence it was taken to Germany by the III Emperor Maximilian —hence the name given to this fluted armour. At what II 241 Fig. 1030. Suit of armour Stated to have been made for Count Andreas von Sonnenburg about 1508 by Koloman Kolman of Augsburg. Imperial Armoury.'I^Vienna Fig. 1 03 1. Suit of armour (.slightly composite) Probably Italian, but in the German fashion. First quarter of the XVIth century. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 316) 242 THE MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL date was the so-called Maximilian style invented? A drawing which we have already reproduced (Fig. 1017), dated 15 10, and preserved in the Kupferstich Kabinett, appears to be a sketch of an armour made for the Emperor Maximilian, which shows that at that date it possessed all the essential features of Maximilian armour, although it still retained gauntlets with pointed cuffs. But in a. portrait of the Iimperor, engraved by Hans Burgkmaier and dated 1518, the Maxi milian armour appears grooved and per fected as one sees it so frequently in the museums of Europe. No document of the end of the XVth century is known in which the Maximilian type of armour is described. It is, therefore, probable that after a short transitional period this style of armour was introduced about 1510. It is distinguished by a very con vex breastplate, mitten gauntlets gener ally rectangular in form, sollerets with broad toe-caps, and 'pauldrons so differ ent from the old Gothic type (Figs. 1029A, a, b). From that date onwards it finally replaced the so-called Gothic harnesses of the latter part of the XVth century. Thus, we have the plain suit, the fluted suit, and the grotesque suit — the latter either plain or fluted —all com ing under the heading of the Maximilian order. Suits of the robust Maximilian Fig. 1 03 1 a. Breastplate Early XVIth century bearing the marks of one of the Seusenhofer familj' Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell type which have an unchannelled surface are practically contemporary with fluted Maximilian suits. To Vienna we turn first for an excellent illustration of an unchannelled harness, an example which from our knowledge about its original owner, the Count Andreas von Sonnenburg, we can place within the first fifteen years of the XVIth century (Fig. 1030). Here is a suit of superb workmanship, with recessed radiating bands on the elbow-cops and on the broad toe-caps. These are etched and gilded, as are the bands that surround the edge of the plates generally. This suit may be safely considered to be the work of Koloman 243 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Fig. 1032. Suit of armour (slightly composite) German (Nuremberg), first quarter of the XVIth century Collection: the late Mr. Frederick Stibbert, Florence Kolman of Augsburg; as it bears the mark of the Kolman family and that of the town of Augsburg. The most striking point of this harness is its splendid completeness and useKilness. The change from the graceful armour 244 THE MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL of the previous century to the warlike bluntness of the plain Maximilian style is very striking, but in the early work the old Gothic grace of outline is still strongly marked as is^seen in a breastplate in the collection of Mr. S. J. Whawell (Fig. 1031A). As we have previously remarked, the fluctua \P/u7t('graph Anderson, Roiiif Fig. 1033. St. George From the picture of " St. George and the Dragon," by Pari.s Bordone tion in the civil costume of the time was mainly responsible for the change. The puffing and slashing of the sleeves of the doublets and of the trunks, together with a universal tendency in the opening years of the XVIth century towards sacrificing the lines of height for those of breadth, necessitated the invention of differently proportioned plates. A fine harness that may safely 245 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS be regarded as oi Italian provenance owing to certain technicalities of its workmanship, No. 316 of the Wallace Collection (Fig. 1031), shows in marked degree this fashion of breadth as opposed to height. This suit, now slightly restored, we shall examine in detail, since it is easily accessible to the reader. Sir Richard Wallace obtained it with the collection of the Count de Nieuwerkerke, previous to which its principal plates were in the possession of Monsieur E. Juste of Paris. The borders of the whole suit are of triangular section. The head-piece is a close helmet of the armet type, the chin-piece opening down the centre, with a pointed visor and mezail in one plate; to the back of the helmet is attached the rondel. The rest of the suit is composed of gorget, globose breastplate with laminated gussets, taces of four plates, and tassets of four plates; while upon the breastplate is etched a crowned W, and a ribbon beneath containing the initials d. i. d. m. e. Under this is the inscription: ihesvs . nazarenvs . rex . ivdeorv. To the backplate is attached a garde-de-rein of three plates, the shoulders being protected by pauldrons to which are attached upright shoulder guards, rere- and vambraces, large and shapely elbow-cops, and mitten gauntlets. The leg armour comprises cuisses, knee-cops, jambs, and square-toed sollerets. The difficulty of distinguishing the nationality of a harness, a difficulty upon which we have laid stress more than once, is again exemplified when we come to examine the well-mounted suit of much the same character preserved in the Stibbert Collection, Florence (Fig. 1032). It differs but little, in form from the last Italian suit described; yet in several places it bears a Nuremberg armourer's mark. Again, look at the beautiful figure of St. George in the picture of " St. George and the Dragon " by Paris Bordone (Fig. 1033), and you .see a German suit figuring in a strictly Italian picture. Thus it is throughout the XVIth century. Unless the name of the armourer who produced a harness is known, it is often a matter of mere guesswork to attempt to credit a suit to a particular country, even if it possesses some characteristic features, such features being liable to contemporary imitation in other countries. MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL—SUITS WITH CHANNELLED SURFACES We will now take the channelled armour of the so-called Maximilian form. It was, as we have said, during the reign of the Emperor Maximilian I that in Germany this type of armour took the place of the Gothic armour still 246 THE MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL worn in the beginning of his reign. It was probably at Milan, during the first few years of the XVIth century, that parallel grooving was introduced, the channelling which took the place of the very varied ner vnres of the Gothic armour. Such armour is sometimes called Milanese. But in the armour of Milan the bottom of the groov ing is always flat; whereas in the German type the bottom is nearly always concave. We give an illustration of this Italian type of fluting almost in an exaggerated form, as shown in that wonderfully com plete harness preserved in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna (Fig. 1034), a harness made very early in the XVIth century for Count Eitel Friedrich vonZollern,but which, according to the late Herr Boeheim, is not Italian, but probably by Israhel van Mecke nem, reputed to have worked at Nuremberg. Fig. 1034A. CuissE, KNEE-COl', JAMB, AND SOLLEKET From the so-called Bayard suit The Rotunda, Wool wich Boeheim made this statement solely from the style of its orna mentation. Here the broad flattened groov ing is almost too ex aggerated to be pleas ing in effect. The con struction of the suit, however, presents .several points of inter est, among others the 247 Fig. 1034. Suit of armour Said ' to have been made for Count Eitel Friedrich von Zollern about 1503. It is of" Italian fashion, but, according to the late Herr W. Boeheim, possibly the work of Israhel van Meckenem of Nuremberg. Imperial Armoury, Vienna EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS fine proportions of the elbow-cops which, though well enveloping the elbows, are fashioned on the shell principle, and do not entirely encircle the arm. Attached to the very large tace plates, and fully overlapping them, are large and full tuilles, so shaped as to meet in front, though the arch-shaped opening is wide enough to enable the wearer comfortably to bestride a saddle. Fig. 1035. Part of a suit of armour Probably made for Charles de Bourbon, Constable of France. Italian (Milanese), Missaglia School, first quarter of the XVIth century Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York The cuisses, jambs, and sollerets are to be compared, though much inferior, to the beautiful corresponding pieces on the so-called Bayard suit in the Rotunda, Woolwich (Fig. 1034A). The surface of the Von Zollern suit is brightened; but the recesses are blued and have an etched design of foliage, etc., assisted by beautiful gold plating. For our next illustration (Fig. 1035) we turn to the Riggs Collection, 248 THE MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL formerly in Paris, where in a beautiful half suit can be seen all the character istics of the Milanese fluted armour of the finest order, as opposed to that of German make. It is probable that this armour is the work of a Missaglia or Negroli ; for a suit of armour of very similar workmanship and engraving. No. G 8 in the Mus(^e d'Artillerie bears the Missaglia mark on several of its plates. From the early part of the XIXth century until 1868 the Riggs suit was in the collection of Ambrogio Uboldo, Nobile di Villareggio, at Milan; but there is good reason for believing that originally it was made for Charles de Bourbon, Constable of France and victor at Marignano. In the Imperial Armoury at Vienna are shown a helmet and shield identical in every respect in design and decoration with this half suit, and which have every appearance of having belonged to it. They are those which since 1570, the time at which the Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol formed the Ambras Collection, have been attributed to the Constable de Bourbon. The breastplate of the Riggs suit was taken to Vienna to be compared with them. Charles de Bourbon was named Governor of the Duchy of Milan after the victory of Marignano in 1515, and spent much of his time there. It is therefore quite possible that, when Ferdinand was collecting armour and arms worn by distinguished princes and captains of every court in Europe, he obtained the helmet and shield from Milan, and that the suit was thus left without a helmet, a circumstance which would otherwise appear strange in the case of so remarkable a harness. As seen to-day it is really only part of a suit of armour, consisting of the gorget, the globose breastplate with its taces, the backplate with its garde de-rein, and the two arms complete from the shoulder to wrist. These pieces are examples of the finest work of the Milanese armourers of the first years of the XVIth century, the design and decoration being remarkable for richness and purity of taste. The surface consists in portions entirely covered with etching and gilding, the remainder being fluted with alternate bands of bright steel and bands etched and fully gilt, separated by ridges in low relief. On the upper part of the breast is a broad gilt band, on which are figured in the Lombard style of the XVth century the Virgin and Child, with an architectural background, and on either side St. Paul and St. George, each in glory. Below, in two lines, is the following inscription in large capital letters: cristvs res \sic\ venit in pace et devs homo factvs es[t]. The backplate has iesvs avtem transiens per medivm illorvm III IBAT., \\ith a large triangular space below, covered with etching and gilding, and flutings on either side of it. On the front of the gorget, on a similar K K 249 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS triangular space, etched and gilt, is a representation of the Holy Trinity on a nimbus. The decora tion on the back of the gorget and the arms is similar to that of the other pieces. Before this half suit came into the Riggs Col lection it was in that of the Baron de Cosson. When we consider the Ger man type of this channelled Maxi milian armour we can find no more complete or illustrati\'e ex ample than that very fine suit \\hich came originally from the armoury of Lord Stafford at Cos tessey Hall, and which was sold at Christie's in May 1885 (Fig. 1036). It was purchased by the Baron de Cosson, afterwards pass ing into the collection of the late Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant. It is now on loan at the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Of Nurem berg make, it bears on several ofits pieces the mark of its armourer, the letters l b surmounted by a demi-lion. It is one of the finest l'"iG. 1036. Slit ok akmouk C.erinan (Nuremberg), first quarter of the XVIth century. Kx collections : Lord Stafford at Costessey Hall, Norfolk, Haron 't!>i.-^ Fig. 104715. The armour of THE Constable de Mont MORENCi IN Wilton House Collection: The Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery Fig. 1047c. The ARMOUR of Louis de Bourbon,Dug de Montpensier in Wilton House Collection: The Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery 267 Fig. 10471). The armour of THE Constable de Mont MORENCI, with THE HEL met worn by him at Dreux Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS ayant servi a Jeanne (TArc' The author further states that the inscription was composed by a member of the Institute of France. ... As a matter of fact, as Guilhermy states, the slab was copied from a suit of armour now in the Musde d'Artillerie (G 178) (Fig. 1046)." Thus is history made even in our own times, and were it not for such observant critics as Mr. ffoulkes, the ridiculous mistake of crediting the suit to the ownership of Jeanne d'Arc might still be accepted by the uninitiated. Let us look at the suit itself. The head-piece is what might even be termed the great bascinet helm, with a large bellows visor allowing ample space within for respiration, a most needful provision, for foot exercise in such a harness must have been "winding" in the extreme. The ample pauldrons are of eleven lames a lafaeon dltalie; to them are attached small upright shoulder guards. The taces and culette encircling the loins and gluteal muscles are of very protective character; but, as in the case of the other suit described in the Musde d'Artillerie, and as in that of the Tower suit, it entirely prohibits any really free movement. We make the possible objection that the jambs, sollerets, and even the gauntlets now on this suit were not those originally made for it, but were substituted for the original at a later date. [It is convenient here to refer to another tradition attaching to two historic suits. The nation is and was justly proud of the possession of two complete harnesses which for 370 years have belonged to Earls of Pembroke. One of the suits bore the tradition that it had been worn by Anne de Montmorenci (1493-15*^7) when he was wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of St. Quentin on the loth of August 1557, and when the English contingent of the allied army was commanded by William Herbert, the first Earl of Pembroke. The other suit bore the tradition that it had been worn by Louis de Bourbon, Due de Montpensier (1513-82), who was also taken prisoner in the same battle. Both suits passed to the first Earl of Pembroke as "loot" according to the custom of the time. In 1917 the present Earl decided to part with these possessions, and they were catalogued for sale by auction to be held on the loth of July 1917. In the July number of the " Burlington Magazine " an article appeared raising the question whether these two suits could have been worn by the two French nobles in 1557. Lord Pembroke answered the criticism in the "Times" of the loth of July. The opinion of the Baron de Cosson on the matter is printed in " The Wilton Suits —a Controversy," published by Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson, and Hodge, in 1918. We print his letter to Lord Pembroke: 268 THE MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL Dear Lord Pembroke, Your letter in "The Times" of July loth has been brought to my notice and, as you do me the honour to cite opinions which I have expressed on the subject, I wish to tell you that I entirely hold the attribution of your two very grand suits of armour to Anne de Montmorenci and Louis de Bourbon to be correct. I may add that I have also read Mr. Charles ffoulkes's article in The Burlington Magazine. I do not think that the comparison which he makes between the old false attributions of suits in the Tower and the attributions of your suits is quite a fair one. The Tower suits came there from Greenwich and other places, and the false attributions were of fairly late date. Your suits have never moved from Wilton, and the tradition concerning them has, I understand, been constant in your family; nor does it appear that there was ever a large number of suits at Wilton which might have led to confusion of attributions. You can tell me if I am riofht in that surmise. I do not know when these suits were first mentioned, and it would be of the greatest importance if some documentary evidence could be found in your archives establishing the antiquity of the tradition. However that may be, I think that a very strong point is that they are certainly not English. A glance at the first Earl's suit is sufficient to show the difference between the Montmorency and de Bourbon suits and those made at Greenwich in the days of your ancestor. These are portrayed in the Album in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and many of them yet exist in a more or less complete state. To my mind the fashion of the Constable's and Louis de Bourbon's suit is French. Not much is yet known of French armour, but a certain amount of it no doubt still exists, and I believe I could point to a certain number of pieces in the Musee d'Artillerie in Paris which were made in France. I think that I established long ago in my work on the Dino Collection, published in Paris in 1901, that a certain series of richly decorated shields and other pieces of armour, many of which were formerly ascribed to Benvenuto Cellini, were French work, and I see in the July issue of The Burlington Magazine (page 26) that Sir Guy Laking entirely adopts my view. From the reign of Louis XII downwards French art was largely inspired by that of Italy, and many Italian artists were called to France; but, inspired as it was by Italy, the art of those times acquired a peculiar flavour when executed by French hands, a flavour which can be easily recognized by comparison and study of existing specimens. We find the same thing in Germany and the Low Countries, each race adding something of its own, whilst drawing its models from Italy. Now my impression strongly is, that your two suits show something French in their forms. They may have been executed in Italy, for it can be shown that Milan made suits of Spanish fashion for Spain, German fashion for Germany, French fashion for France. Or they may have been made in France, and the decoration carried out by Italian craftsmen working there. I could not form an opinion on that point without a close examination. That a very important school of armourers working for the French kings and their great nobles existed at Tours and Paris in the i6th century will be abundantly proved when I can publish the " Dictionary of Armourers and Weapon Makers," which I am preparing. To come to the practical point in relation to your two suits, led up to by this long digression, it appears to me difficult to explain the presence at Wilton for 269 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS centuries of two suits of rich armour, apparently French, in company with the undoubted suit of the first Earl, unless they were those of his two illustrious prisoners. I will admit that certain features found in these two suits might be met with in suits worn ten or twelve years later than 1557, but there is not the slightest approach in the breastplate of either of them to X}n&peascod iorva which came into vogue at the beginning of the last quarter of the i6th century, nor do they show the marked medial line characteristic of breastplates of about 1570, but have still the rather rounded, burly form in fashion in the reign of Henri II. Indeed, the shape of the breastplates seems to me to point con clusively to their production during that reign, and Mr. ffoulkes is constrained to admit that the Constable's breastplate appears of earlier date than that suggested by the rest of the suit. Now, as that armour is certainly not made up, but all of a piece, he here rather contradicts himself. Mr. ffoulkes lays stress on the volutes on the shoulder pieces of that suit. In the collection at Vienna is a half suit of armour which bears a very close resemblance to that of the Constable. It is that of the Venetian Admiral Agostino Barbarigo, and is engraved in Boheim's Album of the Vienna collection. Part I, plate XXXI, Wien, 1894. It came from Ambras, so the attribution is fairly certain. We find here the same helmet with its bevor, the same splinted breastplate and the same very marked volutes on the shoulder-pieces and elbow guards. Now Boheim, although I sometimes differ with him on his attributions of certain pieces to certain artists, had a very profound knowledge of the styles of armour at different epochs, and he attributes this suit to about 1560, which is very close to the date of the battle of St. Ouentin. Mr. ffoulkes also seems to think that the Montmorenci suit is not rich enough to have been worn by the Constable. I will only observe that the suit of armour of this same Anne of Montmorenci, preserved in the Musee d'Artillerie, Paris (Fig. 10470), which came from the celebrated Ambras Collection formed by the Archduke Ferdinand of the Tyrol in the i6th century, and the attribution of which is practically certain, is plainer still, being a workmanlike black suit of fighting armour, decorated only with very few depressed gilt bands. The helmet in which he received his death wound, a helmet much of the type of yours, and having nothing to do with the suit just mentioned, which has a close one, is simply decorated with etching. Princes and Commanders did not fight in rich pageant armour, and the suit worn by the Emperor Charles V at the battle of Miihlberg in 1547, still preserved at Madrid, is a robust fighting harness, but slightly decorated, and totally different in character from the splendid pageant suits made for the Emperor in Italy. Consequently that objection of Mr. ffoulkes breaks down. In conclusion, I see no real reason to doubt the attributions given to your two suits of armour, which I remember seeing many years ago at the Tudor Exhibition, and which I described in the " Magazine of Art" for July, 1890, as well as in "The Antiquary." Yours very sincerely, C. A. DE COSSON. 77, Via Ghibei.i.ina, Fl.ORKNCE, 11th July, 191 7. 270 THE MAXIMILIAN SCHOOL The two suits are illustrated in Figs. 1047B and 1047c. Fig. 1047D is an illustration of the armour of the Constable de Montmorenci, preserved in the Musee d'Artillerie, and Fig. 1047A shows his efifigy preserved in the Louvre. Fig. 1047E is a reproduction of the portrait of the Constable de Montmorenci from the series of engravings of XVIth century princes and captains published in 1601 by Jakob Shrenck von Nozing. Those who are interested in the controversy will find the armours described in great detail, and all the arguments in favour of and against the tradition printed in the brochure to Which we have referred. —Editor.] Fig. 1047E. Portrait of the Constable de Montmorenci From Jakob Shrenck von Nozing's series published in 1601 271 CHAPTER XXV ARMOUR OF A TYPE NOW VAGUELY TERMED LANDSKNECHT AND XVlTii CENTURY ARMOUR UNDER CLASSICAL INFLUENCE T this point we find ourselves in an attitude of mental hesitation; for, having now arrived at a period towards the close of the first half of the XVIth century, we are in some doubt as to whether we should follow our natural desire to march straight ahead in order to carry on our sequence of suits directly influenced by the later Maximilian feeling, or whether we should go back to the early years of the XVIth century, so as to deal with those harnesses in which the classicism of the Italian Renaissance made itself felt so strongly both as regards decoration and even form. We have decided to proceed to the next class of defence immediately evolved from the Maximilian style, viz., " Landsknecht " armour. We agree that the true Landsknecht soldier fought on foot, but when we refer to this armour the reader will see that it is a type suitable for both mounted and foot soldier. The term may seem to some an unsuitable one, but to the author, who has lived, as it were, entangled in armourjargon, and to all collectors, it connotes a definite class of harness. This armour was in use in almost all civilized countries, and was less influenced by the civil fashion in dress of the time than the direct Maximilian; though that which we see to-day is, as a rule, the product of Germany. We wish to imply by the term a class of armour which is of almost stock pattern but which occasionally is distinguished by the work of the most skilled of armourers. If we describe three suits of the class it will suffice; for these will take us well into the second half of the XVIth century, and we shall have no occasion to return to the type again. Among the possessions of the Musee d'Artillerie of Paris is a fine suit of armour of this not uncommon type, but of the high class to which we have alluded (G 117) (Fig. 1048). It is a work wrought under the direct influence of Kolman of Augsburg, and belongs certainly to the so-called Landsknecht group. In this instance the suit is of fairly well established 272 LANDSKNECHT TYPE OF ARMOUR historical importance, being known as the armour of Francis I. The official catalogue of the Musee d'Artillerie states that it was ordered by the Arch duke Ferdinand from Jorg Seusenhofer for the King of France, when the two countries were at peace, i.e., probably between 1529 and 1536. It was made in Germany, but, in the author's opinion, by one of the Kolmans c^f Augsburg. It must be supposed that immediately after its completion a fresh rupture arose between France and Germany, with the result that the suit never reached its destination, but remained in the Ambras Collection, whence it was brought back by the French after the wars of the first Empire in 1806. It was then placed in the Musee des Souverains, but sub se(jucntly, in 1872, was removed to the Musee d'Artillerie. The suit is of large and fine proportions, made essentially for field wear, its right pauldron hollowed for the couching of the lance, the left very full a la faeon ifltalie: both have the upright shoulder guards. It is now im possible to say how its traditional ascription to the ownership of F"rancis I originated, whether it was from embossing resembling fleurs-de-lis and gilt ornaments appearing on the surface of the suit at intervals, or whether from some documentary evidence now lost. That we shall never know. In any case the evidence derived from the form of ornamentation is not very con clusive; for the embossing, instead of representing the true and simple fleur-de-lis of France, seems rather to depict the fleur-de-lis dpanoiiie of Florence. Until some one makes further investigations into its origin we can but simply regard the suit as what it is —a very beautiful and finely made suit of the ordinary fashion of about 1525-35 and of the Kolman type. In the Wallace Collection, No. 402 (Fig. 1049), is a suit of armour much like it, though of somewhat inferior workmanship, which, according to tradition, was also called the armour of Francis I, doubtless from its resemblance to the suit in the Musee d'Artillerie just mentioned. The Wallace suit bears upon the breastplate the mark employed by the Kolman family, a circumstance which goes to strengthen our belief in the suggestion that the Paris suit came from their worTcshops. Another most interesting feature of agreement between the' two suits is the extraordinary length of the jambs, which are elongated immediately below the knee-cops into almost deformed proportions. There is a difference in the shape of the breastplate, the Musee d'Artillerie suit possessing a tapul down the front, while that in the Wallace Collection is globose ; but, generally speaking, there is a great likeness between the two suits. The Wallace suit has embossed decoration resembling fleurs-de-lis on the tuilles and on the toe-caps 273 III N N Fig. 1048. Suit of armour Said to have been made for King Francis I of France. Probably the work of one of the Kohnans of Auf^sburg about 1530-35. G 117, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris Fig. 1049. Suit of armour On the breastplate is the mark of one of the Kolmans of Augsburg about 1540. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 402) 274 LANDSKNECHT TYPE OF ARMOUR of the sollcrets. The upright shoulder guards attachable to the pauldrons are lost, although the staples for theirattach ment remain. The suit we now choose for illus tration shows the next step in the evo lution of what we have termed the Landsknecht armour. This somewhat later form more than ever constitutes a representative example of this very large family of harness, armour which great nobles wore as complete suits, and which the common soldiers would take as a model for their individual plates. It must have existed in very large quantities ; indeed, in the more ordinary make, it is practically the only type ofgenuine mid-XVTth century armour to be found in the market. Often, as in the case of the harness we are about to describe, these suits are of very fine workmanship, but they present no individual features. Although it is a harness of no very great historical importance and cannot be considered an astonishing produc tion of the armourer's art, the panoply made for Lazarus Schwendi, Freiherr Hohenlandsberg, which is now pre served in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna, is an excellent example of the armour in question (Fig. 1050). The Schwendi suit appears to be the product of Augsburg; though the etched bands with which the surface is enriched certainly show the influ ence of Peter Speier of Annaberg. The designs of terminal figures, trophies, Fig. 1050. Suit of armour Made for Lazarus Schwendi,Freiherr von Hohen landsberg. Probably produced at Augsburg, but decorated by Peter Speier of Annaberg about 1550-60. Imperial Armoury, Vienna 275 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS and strapwork are drawn with the firmest of touches, the groundwork being filled in with a black pigment. The suit is fully protective, but of the simplest construction, with duplicated pauldrons, and the usual mid-XVIth century arm defences with fingered gauntlets. The breastplate has the slight tapul in the fashion of about 1550-60; there are taces of two plates and close fitting laminated tassets overlapping the short cuisses; the jambs are incom plete, and we are inclined to think were originally finished with sollerets of plate now missing. Fitted by a strong staple to the top of the breastplate is a large buffe such as would be used in conjunction with a much more robustly fashioned burgonet helmet than that now found on the suit; and although the casque which is now part of the harness actually belongs to it, it must have been interchangeable with one of heavier construction —now lost. Lazarus Schwendi, soldier and diplomat, was born about 1522 and died in 1583. He is depicted wearing this same harness in the picture now hanging in Room VII, No. 102, in the Castle of Ambras. In this portrait the harness is shown as painted entirely black, doubtless for purposes of war. It was not until 1884 that this black paint was removed from the suit; although the tracing of the etching was always discernible. Thanks to this coating of pigment the surface of the suit is in perfect preservation. XVIth century armour, the actual form of WHICH IS UNDER DIRECT CLASSICAL INFLUENCE Barely had the first quarter of the XVIth century passed before the spirit of the Renaissance affected the taste of the great nobles, especially those of the Latin races. We have already dwelt upon its influence on offensive arms in the latter part of the XVth century (see vol ii, pp. 270 et seq.) and shall deal later in this work with its effect on the essentially pageant armour of shields and helmets. We shall now consider to what extent body armour generally came under its sway. One of the suits we are about to describe is perhaps the only one of its kind that exists to-day in its entirety. This harness was not used in combat but for purely parade purposes —at reviews of troops or on occasions of processional entries into cities —it was made for Charles V and is now in the Royal Armoury of Madrid, A 188 (Fig. 1051). There is record of another worn by Philip II as Prince of Asturias in the Tournament at Valladolid (1544), which, however, to-day no longer exists. The suit in Madrid is perhaps one of the most famous of enriched 276 xvith century armour under classical influence military panoplies known. It was made by the celebrated Bartolommeo Campi, and, according to well-founded tradi tion, was presented to the Emperor Charles V by (iuidobaldo II, Duke of Urbino, in 1546. In his fine Catalogue of the Armoury, its learned Curator, the late Count de Valencia, expresses his unqualified belief in the authenticity of this tradition; and so clearly does he set forth his argument that we refer to it at length. He goes on to say that in his opinion this beautiful work of art belonged to the Emperor, though he has not found it so recorded in any authoritative document nor in any draw ing in that Inventario from which he so often quotes. Very naturally he has no faith in the thqory of the old catalogue that it was presented to the conqueror by the magistrates of Monza in 1529, for the very simple reason that it was made sixteen years later, as he shows by the date it bears. But he holds that various circumstances, well • worthy of consideration, lend credence to the tradition, never disproved, that the armour now under consideration belonged to Charles V and was pre sented to him by Duke Guidobaldo II. In addition to the evidence obtainable from the inscriptions on two of the plates of the suit, i.e., that Campi made it in Pesaro, the biography of Barto lommeo Campi gives us the further in formation that this goldsmith, after vyards the Duke of Alva's right-hand man, in the capacity of military 277 Fig. 1051. Classically FASHIONED SUIT OF ARMOUR Presented to the Emperor CharlesV by Guido baldo II, Duke of Urbino, in 1546. Made and signed by Bartolommeo Campi of Pesaro in 1546. A 188, Royal Armoury, Madrid EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS engineer, was at one time in the service of (iuidobaldo II, Duke of Urbiiio. The latter prince took as his second wife Vittoria, sister of Ottavio Farnese, son-in-law of Charles V, exactly one year after that in which this armour was constructed; and, allowance being made for the anxiety of the princes of the small States of Italy to secure the protection of the Empire, it seems more than likely that the Prince of Urbino showed his gratitude to the conqueror for the new alliance by offering for his acceptance this rich armour. The hypothesis put forward by the Count de Valencia assumes the character of certainty when he is able to add that the monogram of Guido baldo appears on the backplate in gilded embossed letters, surmounted by a crown, identical with those to be found on various pieces of artillery belonging to the Duke. The cro\\'ning proof is afforded by the fact that the measure ments of the armour coincide with those of the other panoplies of the period which belonged to the Emperor Charles V. We have, therefore, if not full proof, at least a fair presumption that (iuidobaldo II commissioned Campi to make this armour and presented it to Charles V.^ Before we describe this most beautiful suit of armour and its curious technical detail, let us see what the famous Signor A. Angelucci in his work, Docnmenti ineditiper la storia delle armi da fiwco italiane, Turin, 1869, says of the wonderful armourer who produced it. Signor Angelucci's notes were amplified by the late Count de Valencia, who was allowed to make further researches into the history of this armourer-soldier among the historical archives of the Duke ofAlva. The double research has resulted in bringing to light the following facts: Bartolommeo Campi, who was born in Pesaro at the beginning of the XVIth century, followed in his youth the trade of a goldsmith or engraver of metals, and made weapons and armour of great richness, which merited the eulogies bestowed upon them by the notorious literary blackmailer, Pietro Aretino, in letters sent from Venice to Bartolommeo Egnazio(i545), about the time Campi was employed upon this armour for Charles V. In 1547 he had charge of the festivities celebrated in Pesaro on the occasion of the wedding of Guidobaldo II and Vittoria Farnese, and two years later he finished the admirable work of art in gold and silver which the Municipality of Pesaro presented to the new-born son of that Prince. From 1554 to 1560 he served successively the Republic of Siena, the Republic of Venice, and the French monarch, Henri II, as military engineer. He assisted at the siege of Calais. ' In the Inventario of the Royal Armoury for 1594, we find mentioned among the arms of the Emperor: " Another set of armour in the ancient style, after the trophies made with stroke of the black hammer." 278 xvith century armour under classical influence In 1560, backed by Cardinal (iranvella, he endeavoured, but without success, to enter the Spanish army. He then returned to France and took the part of the Catholics against the Huguenots. In 1568 he succeeded in serving in Flanders under the command of the Duke of Alva. This celebrated com mander gave him a commission, which may be seen in the archives of the house of Alva, appointing him chief engineer of the works of fortification and besieging of fortresses, at a monthly salary of 500 ordinary and 50 extra ordinary escudos. In addition to this salary, his son, Escipion, was given 25 escudos per month for pocket money. The Duke of Alva held Campi in such high esteem that, in a letter to the Emperor dated the 3rd June 1569, he said: " I tell your Majesty that in Captain B. Campi you have a good thing, because by profession he is a soldier, and he is also possessed of art, although it has not the same foundation as that of Pachote (Cristobal Pacheco), and he is the best man that I have worked with since I had anything to do with men—I do not mean engineers only, but men of any class. He is very homely and very merry at his work " {tmnslatioii). Campi died from the result of a head-wound from an arquebus ball at the siege of Haarlem on the 7th of March 1573. Now as regards the suit itself. At the first glance one might suppose that one was looking at the harness on some life-sized statue of classical times, so closely has the fashion of the antique armour been copied. The breastplate, which is moulded on the lines of the male torso, is a better defence than the bronze tiwpa'i aralio^ of antiquity, as far as we can judge from those that have been preserved, from the fact that it is composed of three parts, a device which gives it a certain flexibility. It would appear that even Campi must have been well satisfied with his work on this suit; for in a pro minent place on the breastplate he has not only recorded his name in full, but also the effort he made to comply with the mandate of his master by executing the work in two months, an effort which in an ordinary way would have required a year to complete. To that effect he expresses himself in the following inscription : bartholomevs . campi . avrifex . totivs . operis . NVTVI . SVI . PRINCIPIS . INDIGEBAT . INTH(;R0 . ANNO . QVOD . ARTIFEX . OHTEMPPIRANS . (;eminato . MENSE . PERFECiT. On the backplate appears nothing but the initials B C.F. {Bartoloinnieo Campi Fecit). Around the base of the breast- and backplate, hinged in front and stapled behind, are a series of cockle-shell pendants from which are sus pended four rectangular plates, almost in slavish imitation of the antique. With the possible exception of the casque, the gorget is the only part of the 279 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS suit in which Campi has had recourse to the customary shaped plates of the XV^Ith century. The espaliers are composed of large hollow plates to which are applied masks, dependent from the mouths of which are a series of rectangular plates, similar to those seen round the skirt. Both the edging of the espaliers, and the foundation of the skirt are of fine riveted mail \\ith xvith century armour under classical influence could be more splendid than its colour effect. Like some of the finest work of the Negroli, the actual surface of the steel is of a bronze-black colour, showing that slight indication of the hammer mark that renders it such a satisfactory field upon A\hich to apply ornamentation. The main theme of the decoration is carried out in fine scrollwork and in applied ornaments in gilded bronze, such as masks, rays ofJupiter, biicrania, unicorns, and other analogous figures. Beside this, the purest gold and silver damascening enriches many of the principal plates, introducing a profusion of vine-like tendrils and other incrustations of gold and silver. Applied round the skull-piece of the casque is a triumphal crown of oak leaves in gilt bronze. Wecannot now determine what under-garments the Emperor would have worn when he was caparisoned in this armour. As now set up in the Madrid Armoury, the skilfully modelled figure is clad in slashed sleeves and trunk hose. In an early XVIIth century picture formerly in the collection of the late Sir Charles Robinson (Fig. 1052), which used to be attributed to Velasquez, but is more probably the work of Jacinto Geronimo de Espinosa — a picture representing the Biblical subject of " Jael and Sisera" —Sisera, who is lying prone on the ground, with the nail driven through his temples, can be seen wearing armour which is a careful copy of the Campi suit we are discussing. In this case, simple red trunk hose cover the exposed portions of the legs, and a long-sleeved hauberk of chain mail appears beneath the body armour. Possibly this was the original complete costume worn with the Campi suit; for when the picture was painted, the suit was hardly ninety years old, and the coslume worn with it may have been in the Royal Armoury, where the study for it must have been made. Before finishing our description of this suit, we must record the com paratively recent discovery of the .stirrups that appear to have formed part ofthe original panoply. In 1896, at the sale of the Earl ofWarwick's Collection, great was the astonishment when a pair of stirrups realized the sum of jCi,^gi. The stirrups were purchased at the sale by the late Mr. Charles Davis, who almost immediately ceded them to the late Mr. George Salting (Fig. 1053). The author was responsible for the long description of them given in the sale catalogue, and also for their attribution to the hand of Caradosso, who it was known had occasionally turned from his usual medium of gold, silver, and bronze, and the like, to work in the more stubborn material of iron, and had III also on occasions produced weapons and armour, though such works of his, if in existence to-day, pass unrecognized. Upon the Warwick stirrups, as described in the sale catalogue, are the initials that fitted most conveniently 281 o o EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS with the name of Ambrosio Foppa, called Caradosso, A.C.-F. It also appeared that the armourers work was more akin to that of the goldsmith, appliquds of silver and bronze gilt being plentifully used in the general decoration. At the sale the extreme simplicity of their outline and the ultra classical form of their enrichment caused these stirrups to be universally admired; though, save for the fact that they had been in Warwick Castle for some time, their past history and original ownership were unknown. At the private \iew of the Fxhibition of the Toison d'Or held at Bruges Fig. 1053. Apparently made for the suit, Fig. 105 1. Pair of stirrups Salting Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum on 28 June 1907, the present writer had the privilege of seeing for the first time a few of the fine suits of armour lent from the world-famed Royal Armoury of Madrid by His Majesty, the King of Spain. He examined each suit very carefully, and the magnificent harness of Roman fashion under discussion attracted his particular attention. Its splendid proportions, its correctness of classical form, and, moreover, its elaborate decoration of gold, silver, and gilt bronze, kept the author spellbound while he closely scrutin ized every detail and every plate. Though he had never seen the suit itself before, the ornamentation seemed strangely familiar. A mental review of all suits or separate armaments he had seen failed, however, to recall to his 282 XVlTH CENTURY ARMOUR UNDER CLASSICAL INFLUENCE memory any arms or armour distinguished by these details of ornamentation. On the following day, after the ceremony of the opening of the exhibition had been performed, the author again carefully examined this particular harness, still haunted the while by the memory of having noted a like ornamentation elsewhere. Suddenly the explanation of his familiarity with the method of enrichment became apparent: the damascening of the suit exactly corre sponded with that of the Warwick stirrups, repeating the design of the vine leaves and curiously arranged foliage. Then came a difficulty. As before stated, the stirrups are signed in large Roman characters A.C.-F., whilst on the backplate of the suit in question, above the shoulder blades, in exactly similar characters, there are the initials B.C.-F. We can only get over the difficulty and establish our claim that the Warwick stirrups were made by the armourer Campi in the year 1546 en suite and for use with this classically fashioned armour of Charles V by regarding the substitution in the monogram of A.C.-F. for B.C.-F. as aproofthat Campi, besides the name Bartolommeo, had some other Christian name beginning with the initial A. This we frankly confess is a very weak explanation of the difference in the signatures ; but since detail for detail the decoration of the stirrups corresponds with that of the suit, it would seem hardly likely that they can be the work of any other hand than Campi's. It would be interesting to know when this pair of stirrups passed into the possession of the Warwick family, and when they were originally separated from the harness to which they apparently belong. The separation may have taken place in 1839, when many small pieces of armour, a few suits, and very many swords, rapiers, and daggers were stolen from the Royal Spanish storehouse by an unscrupulous custodian, and shipped to England for sale. To this incident the present writer has referred in other chapters dealing with the armour from the Madrid Armoury ; but it is not out of place here to record the circumstances of the theft. The armour and arms were stolen in 1838 from Madrid, and in January of the year follow ing they were sent by a firm of Spanish lawyers to London to be sold by auction. The sale was held by Messrs. Christie on 23 and 24 January 1839, and the property was described in the sale catalogue as " a very important assemblage of ancient armour and arms recently received from Spain." But so little did the public then appreciate the art of the armourer that the two days' sale of over 270 items only realized the absurdly small sum of ;!^983. Yet in that sale were some of the choicest examples of armour of the first half of the XVIth century, more especially of the Kolman and Wolf of Landshut schools. Recent investigations have led to the discovery that the 283 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS " very important assemblage of ancient armour and arms " was composed of nothing less than many of the extra pieces and pieces d'exchaiige of the famous suits of the Emperor Charles X and of Philip II. It is certainly no exaggeration to say that at the present rate of prices this two days' sale of armour and arms would certainly have realized not less than from ;i^8o,oooto ;^ioo,ooo. The baldness of the accounts given in the sale catalogue renders an attempt to recognize many of the objects therein described an almost hopeless task; for all that, it remains true that many of the historical pieces that shed lustre on some now famous private or public collection can be traced to this sale. Some of the pieces have even found their Avay back to the actual armoury from which they were stolen. Looking through the 1839 sale catalogue we find that many pairs of stirrups are recorded; but it is quite impossible now to say if any of them could have been those afterwards sold at the auction of the Warwick Collection, no description of them being given. The Warwick stirrups are' now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, to which institution they were bequeathed along with the remainder of the Salting Collection. The theft of the armour and weapons from Madrid took place many years of course before the Armoury was first arranged for public exhibition by Don Martinez de Romero. Until quite recent years the signed Bartolommeo Campi suit was believed to be the only existing example of this goldsmith-armourer's work; but now, thanks to researches made in 1914 by the Baron de Cosson, there is little doubt that other armour from his hand has come to light. When we come to that section of this work which deals with the burgonet or open helmet of the XVIth century we shall discuss three pieces of Campi's which have recently been discovered —a helmet in the Museum of Tsarskoje-Selo, Petrograd (Fig. 1220), a breastplate and a single pauldron belonging to it in the Bargello Museum, Florence (Figs. 1221 and 1222), and a companion pauldron in the Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York (Fig. 1223). But, as the panoply of which these are pieces is wholly grotesque, and is marked by no classicism in its design, we will make no allusion to it here. However, a companion breastplate to this same group in the Bargello arrests our attention, for it is the counterpart, or even the model, from which the "antique" Madrid harness is taken. The Baron de Cosson, writing in LArte of Signor Adolfo Venturi,^ reports on divers pieces of armour from the ancient armoury of the Medici ' ('. A. tie Co.s.son, Notizie sii divcrsipezrji darinatuia proveuieuti dnW mitica arinoia Medicae I'sislcuti uel Museo Nazioiiale di Firenze. {L'Arte di Adolfo Veiituri. Fasc. v, vi, Roma, 1914.) 284 XVIm CENTURY ARMOUR UNDER CLASSICAL INFLUENCE as follows: we give a translation of the passage by the Baron de Cosson, as it explains the history of the second classically designed breastplate which he unhesitatingly believes to be the work of Bartolomeo Campi. "Of the very rich armoury of Lorenzo the Magnificent only the memory remains, preserved in the inventory compiled at his death in 1492. It is probable that the armoury was dispersed when Piero de Medici fled from Florence at the approach of Charles VIII of France in 1494, and the houses of the Medici were pillaged by the populace. It contained arms and suits of armour of great value, adorned with gold and silver. Among others, we may mention the armour of Piero il Gottoso, gilt throughout, the jousting cuirass of Lorenzo, covered with violet ^ velvet, that of (iiuliano, covered with white velvet, both with their waist-pieces, lance-rests, and shoulder-pieces,"^ the armour of (iiuliano di Lorenzo, entirely gilt, and numerous other weapons and highly enriched pieces of armour, including iin cimiero di tin elmetfo, (fiina daina in mat10 doro una vesta indosso ricamato di perle. But unfortunately, of all these pieces not one can no\v be traced. Later, the (irand Duke Francesco I placed in several rooms of the Ufifizi ( jallery weapons and suits of armour belonging to his family, forming a collection which, in 1631, was augmented by the rich arnis in herited from the Dukes of Urbino. In the XXTIth century, however, at a time when only classical antiquities were in fashion, the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo, in order to make room for numerous ancient sculptures with which he had enriched his own collection, had a great quantity of pieces which belonged to the armoury of the Medici put up for sale. The English painter, Zoffany, then in Florence, was able before the auction to purchase for 450 lire seventy-four pieces, which, doubtless, later found their way into the famous Meyrick Collection, and some of them from that source passed into the Wallace Collection in London. A very few pieces, esteemed to be ' The Italian word is Alessaitdrino, a violet colour obtained from the orkella, a rock lichen imported from the East, which, when treated with urine, gave a dye much esteemed in Florence, ^ and called alcssaiidriuo ox pavoiuxzzo. A Florentine merchant named Bernardo or Nardo brought this plant from the Levant in the Xlllth century, and from it his descendants derived great wealth and fame, together with the family name of Oricellai, and later Rucellai. The family still exists, and the Rucellai palace, gardens, and loggia are famous in Florence. A Traltato dclln Seta of 1453 describes how white silk may be dyed alessaudrino with oriccllo. (Note by the Baron de Cosson.) These cuirasses are described as having " la vite, resta e spaletta," here translated as " waist pieces, lance-rests, and shoulder-pieces." Vite is properly a " screw," but here the word is more probably used for vita, a waist. With respect to the velvet covering the Baron de Cosson calls the attention of the author to a cuirass covered with cloth of gold at Madrid, and he refers to two Italian XVth century breastplates covered with velvet in the collection of one of his friend.s. 285 1-"1G. 1054. liKEASTl'LATE I'ASIIIONKI) ON CLASSICAL LIXLS Made by IJartolommeo Campi of Pesaro about 1540 probably for Duke Guidobaldo II of Urbino. From the ancient armoury of the Medici. Bargelio Museum, Florence 286 xvith century armour under classical influence of great importance, were preserved in Florence, and now form part of the collection in the National Museum at the Bargello. Gold and siher to the value of ten thousand lire were ruthlessly extracted from the damascening and incrustations of the remaining arms and armour and sent to the Mint, while those pieces, deprived of the precious metals which had adorned them, were sent to the ham mer in the Hall of the Two Hundred in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, and sold for a few pence a pound as old iron! The pieces which remain from the Armoury of the Medici are consequently few —we may say very few —and of these I wish to illustrate some of the most import ant, supplying the few details which 1 have been able to gather from the researches I have carried out." The first of these new discoveries in the Bargello to which Baron de Cosson alludes is the breastplate with its accompanying pauldron, the di verting history of which we shall dis cuss in the next volume (Figs. 1221 and 1222). It is, however, the third item that here concerns us, the classic ally fashioned breastplate which he goes on to describe as follows: " Breastplate of a cuirass imi tated from the antique, embossed and engraved in relief at the throat Fig. 1055. llALi- SUIT OF armour Made for Antonio Martinengo III. Italian, Milanese (?), about 1560. C 1 1, Royal Armoury, Turin with an imitation of chain mail. On the forefront is a head of Medusa, and at the base are two gilded grififins. This breastplate so closely resembles that of a suit of armour in the Roman style(Fig. 1051) which belonged to Charles V (now at Madrid) that I consider it confidently to be the work of Bartolommeo Campi and to have belonged, in all probability, to Guidobaldo H of L'rbino. 287 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Indeed, on the suit of armour signed by Campi there are to be seen the same imitation mail, the head of Medusa, and the volutes. Like the breast plate of Madrid, that at the Bargello terminated at its lower edge in a series of small hanging scales, which now have disappeared, but the hinges of which yet remain. I should consider this breastplate slightly earlier than the one given to the PImperor, and that it may have suggested to the Duke the idea of ordering the complete suit of armour later presented to Charles V." The Baron de Cosson was good enough to supply the present writer with an e.xcellent photograph of the breastplate (Fig. 1054) which, on comparison with that on the suit Fig. 1051, shows the great likeness between the two plates, and the very excellent reason the Baron has for stating "confidently" his belief that it comes from the hand of Campi. Perhaps, after these —the Madrid Campi suits and the breastplate by the same armourer in the Bargello, Florence —the most classically conceived harness extant is that now in the I'ioyal Armoury of Turin, C 11, made for Antonio Martinengo III (Fig. 1055). In the catalogue of the ducal armoury of 1604 {Arch. Gonzaga, x, i. No. 9, Ba 3884) it figures as Una ariiiatura bianca da cavaII airantica cliera a Canriana ednna niazza d'oftone lavorata artificiosaniente in mano. It was a tradition in the Martinengo family that this harness was made for and belonged to Antonio I ; but as Antonio Martinengo I lived in the middle of the XVth century, and the period of this classic harness is well that of the X\Tth century, the third Antonio must have been confused with the first. In other words, the armour of Antonio III was, in the old inventory, described as being that of his great-grandfather, quite irrespective of the fact that it is quite a hundred years later in style. It is a half suit, with a somewhat long-waisted breastplate having a slight central ridge with tassets of five plates attached, riveted to the taces. The head-piece is an open casque with a high comb and hinged ear-pieces. The classical appearance of the harness is due to the form of the shoulder-plates or espaliers; for they are quite in the Roman fashion, beautifully modelled of single plates, from the lower edge of which hangs a double row of rectangular scales as seen on the Charles V suit by Campi (Fig. 1051). The classical feeling is also shown in the very unusual method of enrichment which is employed in the surface decoration. It may be described as being broadly fluted, the recessed parts of the surface being etched and gilded, and the raised surfaces entirely etched with a clever representation of interlinked chain mail. This is the theme of ornament of the entire suit, the only other decoration being on the c(\^c of the comb of the casque, which is embossed with a design 288 XVIm CENTURY ARMOUR UNDER CLASSICAL INFLUENCE sug'gestive of duplicated tulip flowers. There is to be seen in the Palace of Martinengo della Fabbrica a statue erected to the memory of Antonio Martinengo I by Count Silvio Martinengo. On the statue is represented the armour under discussion —a circumstance which goes to prove how very real was the former belief in its having belonged to Antonio I, a family belief indeed that nothing could have upset except the irrefutable evidence of the real period of the harness. It is many years since we have had an opportunity of examining the harness at Turin; but it was then our im pression that it was of Milanese make, though from the hand of an armourer unfamiliar to us, and that part of the gilding had been subject to restoration. In the official catalogue of the Royal Turin Armoury it is described as the work of one "of the best Brescian armourers." But this attribution probably rests on no more valid foundation than the idea that, inasmuch as the Martinengo family held estates at Pavona and Gabiano in the district of Brescia, such armour as they required would be commissioned from a Brescian armourer. Of such gorgeous sets of pageant armour as the suits we have just described, in making which, from a desire to pander to the wearer's love of display, the armourer has been tempted almost to disregard the traditional lines of body defence, no other examples have been preserved in their entirety even in the foremost armouries of Europe. Certainly we have, for instance, the Armiire aiix Lions (see Fig. 1060) in the Musee d'Artillerie, the breastplate, backplate, and helmet made for Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol (see Fig. 1059), the halfarmour ofVespasian Gonzaga, Herzog von Sabbioneta, which is also to be seen in the Imperial Armoury of V^ienna, and in the same collection the half suit attributed to the Admiral Agostino Barbarigo; but all these suits, though under classical influence, show a much stronger leaning towards the shapes and fashions of ordinary XYIth century armour. There are, however, certain separate breastplates, etc., apart from these sets, which must originally have formed part of complete harnesses, closely rivalling in grandeur the Campi suit. Of these ultra enriched parts of harnesses, we can illustrate no better example than that embossed breastplate from the famous Magniac Collection, \\hich is now in the Riggs Collection (Fig. 1056). Con sidered as a specimen of artistic metal-working this piece of armour certainly Ill ranks amongst the foremost decorative productions of the Italian Cinqiiecoito. It is, moreover, signed in a very conspicuous manner by the arti.st Paolo Negroli, one of the two famous brothers of Milan. The signature is etched on a ril)l)on scroll in the lower part of the breastplate as follows: .S*^.0. 289 • p P EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Mi>: • Nec.rolis • DE • Pavlvs • FECIT. The breastplate is of lar^e size and very massixe, of an oval shape and very convex in the lower part, a fashion which was much affected during the second cjuarter of the XVIth century and Fig. 1056. Breastplate Italian (Milanese), about 1540. Signed by Paolo Ncgroli Ex collection: Magniac. Now Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York which may be considered to have been founded on the shape of the bronze cuirasses of antiquity. It is entirely covered with bold arabestjue scrollwork of the most admirable design, in unusually high relief. The principal motifs are, in the lower part, two terminal sirens w ith grotesque masks in profile, 290 xvith century armour under classical influence which are phiced one on each side regardant, their lower extremities terminat ing in a scroll or stalk, the involutions of which, richly ornamented with Fig. 1057. Breastplate, taces, and tassets Undoubtedly the work of Filippo Xegroli of Milan about 1540. Musee du Louvre acanthus leaves, tendrils, rosettes, etc., rise to the summit of the plate. In the upper part these two scrolls are coupled together in the centre by a female sphinx, with outstretched wings boldly displayed. The scroll foliage is 291 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS elaborated by birds perched on the branches. Round the margin, at the summit, where the gorget meets the breastplate, is a broad band orna mented with a cabling. The roped laminated gussets and the space immedi ately below the roped turnover at the top of the breastplate is deeply but somewhat more coarsely etched with a frieze of tritons and sea-nymphs on a I-IG. 1058. BaCKPLATE AND GAKlJli-l)E REIN lielonging to the breastplate, Fig. 1057 smaller scale tlian the remainder of the decoration. The breastplate is now polished to a brightened surface; but in its original state it was doubtless gilded, russeted, or blued, similar ornamentation being visible on the Henri II suit (see Fig. 1090). Nothing is known of its provenance prior to its coming into the possession of Hollingsworth Magniac. Needless to say, however, a history was inxented for it, the story being that it was the breastplate of the 292 xvith century armour under classical influence cclebnitcd Elector Maurice of Saxony, and was worn by him at the fatal Battle of Sievershausen ( 1 553)t the perforation on the right hand side of the plate being sup posed to have been caused by the musket ball that killed him. A more recent and \\holly unfounded theory has also been mooted, that it was originally worn by King Henry \'III of England, an attri bution based solely on the sup posed likeness of the floral rosettes appearing in its decoration to the rose of the Tudors. To proceed with our enu meration of these detached pieces of armour there are, in the Mu seum of the Louvre, the breast plate (Fig. 1057) with its taces, short tassets, and the backplate (Fig. 1058) with a garde-de-rein of one plate, belonging to just such another parade set as that of which the Magniac breastplate formed part. It comes without doubt from the hand of a Negroli, this time of Philip. Their surface is cleaned to an unpleasant leaden colour; but originally it was blue black. This we know from a com parison of them with the actual parade helmet of the harness, now in the collection of Mr. S. J. Whawell, which still retains its fine original colour (Fig. 1233). In the migratory collection of M. Bachereau of Paris are other ^^tB^^^%^\\-j^^^^ EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS plates from parade armour of excessive richness strongly under the classical influence. As might be expected, in the case of most suits produced in the second half of the XVIth century, the motifs of enrichment are more or less influenced by the classicism of the Renaissance ; but the ornamentation, unlike that of the few we have just referred to, is on a foundation plate which varies, of course, with the changing fashion of the time, but is devoid of any classical feeling as to form and outline. While we are on the subject of this classically influenced armour we will describe an example to which we have already referred, that half armour now in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna, which was formerly in the iVmbras Collection and was known as the " Milanese Harness" (Fig. 1059). This must certainly be included in our history, and so must the parade shield which accompanies it, which we shall mention later; for they are the work of an armourer whose name is recorded by the late Herr Boehemi, but the author, after the recent investigations of the Baron de Cosson, doubts very much if such a person ever existed. The suit once belonged to the Archduke Ferdinand- of Tyrol, and in the inventory of his collection made in 1596 it is described as a Milanese harness which the Archduke bought from a merchant of the name of Serebei, a person whom Boeheim endeavours to identify with Giovanni Battista Serabaglio, a member of the famous Busti family of Milan. This mid-XVIth century achievement of Milan, while conforming to the Italian fashion of the day, is yet conceived somewhat on the lines of old Roman suits of antiquity. According to the old inventory Serebei delivered the harness to the Archduke in the year 1560 for twenty-four hundred Kronen. The breast- and backplates fit accurately together, extending from the top plate of the gorget in fourteen lames or splints to the base of the taces. These lames, since they work upon slotted rivets, ensure a very free movement of the body. The tassets are of six plates and follow the lines of the taces. The shoulder defences take the f(jrm of very small pauldrons, finishing immediately below the turners of the rerebraces in a band of escalloped ornament quite classical in appearance. As to decoration, the torso of this very beautiful half suit is divided into three diverging bands starting from the wholly decorated gorget plate to the lowest plate of the tassets. The embossed work is splendid in quality, and on the cuirass plates is in sufficiently low relief to enable the plates to slide freely one over the other. Forms of strapwork, trophies of arms, and motifs and figures chosen from pagan mythology constitute the theme of the ornamentation, which is rendered in a manner reminiscent of the mid period of the work 294 XVlTH CENTURY ARMOUR UNDER CLASSICAL INFLUENCE of Lucio Picinino. The borders of the various lames and the details of the embossed work are most skilfully damascened with the purest of Italian foliated designs in gold. The helmet upon the suit is a burgonet, of classical form, surmounted^ by the figure of a monster. This burgonet must not be confused with that described and illustrated in Vol. iv, Fig. 1224. As in the case of the Campi suit at Madrid, full sleeves of mail may have protected the arms, though the fingered gauntlets are still in existence. Possibly this half armour formed part of a whole suit which was subsequently broken up; this, however, is certainly not the inference to be deriveci from the record in the 1596 inventory. We may add that the suit retains much of its original lining of velvet and gold embroidery. No mark used by Battista Serabaglio is re corded or known, and were it not for the inventory of 1596 in which the name of Serebei is associated with this harness, armour students would be in ^complete ignorance as to the supposed productions of this Milanese armourer-artist. We are unable to attribute to him any other known suit or part of a suit. The late Herr Boeheim was responsible for the form of the name, Serabaglio. There is probably no suit of armour that has been more frequently described and illustrated than that in the Musde d'Artillerie known as the Arniure aux Lions. It was preserved in the Arsenal of Chantilly during the XVIIIth century, and was moved to the Musec d'Artillerie in the early years of the XIXth century. It now figures there under the heading of Ci 50 (Fig. 1060). Although it is not now credited to the ownership of any- king of France, this remarkable harness was until comparatively recently on no authority whatsoever associated with the names first of Francis I and then of Henry II. Certainly the top of the breastplate is embossed with the collar and order of St. Michael; but that was not the sole prerogative of the royal house of France (see the suit of the Earl of Leicester, Fig. 1102), nor, in our opinion, is the suit French in fashion or make. It is, however, a very beautiful parade harness, and from the character of its bizarre decoration we place it in the category of the suits which, both as regards form and enrichment, have been influenced by the classical feeling. It is without an armourer's mark of any kind, and although the embossing on it seems to have been done by an artist with whose style we are familiar, we are unable to ascribe the harness itself to any armourer w ith whose work and name we are acquainted. We certainly regard it as a production of Northern Italy, possibly Milan, and of the middle of the XVIth century. The recessed borders ornamented with embossed acanthus foliage are reminiscent, both in craftsmanship and design, of the 295 Fig. 1060. L'Akmurk aux Lions Italian (probably Milanese), about 1560. G 50, Musce d'Artilleric, Paris 296 XVlTH CENTURY ARMOUR UNDER CLASSICAL INFLUENCE works of Piciniiio, and the bold masks of lions would not be outside such provenance; but the gold azshnina damascening which enriches the non embossed portions of the suit in parallel bands, fails to suggest that armourer's method of gold application. W^e must therefore for the present content ourselves with the expression of the opinion that the Anmire aux Lions is of North Italian provenance, that it was made for some highly-placed personage entitled to wear the order of St. Michael, and that it cannot be assigned to any known maker. The open casque of the suit has the fore part of the skull-piece boldly embossed with the mask of a lion, the form of the ears, mane, etc., being suggested in an extension of the embossing down the back. Both pauldrons are also embossed with the masks of lions from whose mouths appear the plates of which the last are riveted to the turners of the rerebraces. The coudes and the cuffs of the gauntlets are also em bossed with lions' masks. It is, doubtless, the elongated breastplate \\ith its laminated plates at the base, together with the sweep of the taces and tassets, and the open, classically-fashioned helmet that lend to the harness its general Romanesque appearance as regards main outline. Like all fine decorated armour of North Italian origin which has not suffered from unskilful cleaning, this suit possesses that fine tone, at once sombre and rich, which distinguishes the repousse work of the Milanese craftsman. An analogue to this half-suit may be seen in the Tower of London, in a small-proportioned cap-a-pie harness of fine workmanship, but of a later date (Fig. 1061). Mr. Charles ffoulkes conside'rs, with some plausibility, that it may be identified with a gift sent by the Ambassador of Savoy to Anne of Denmark, Queen of James I; for in State Papers, Domestic, Jac. /, ixxiv, 22, there is an entry from which we learn that the Ambassador of Savoy sent to the (Jueen a casket of crystal supported on 8 lions of silver, and to the Prince a suit of Milanese armour after the model of those made for Charles V and Francis I. He also sent a lynx, lioness, and a tiger. The suit \\as doubtless intended for Prince Henry; but as that Prince died in 1612 at eighteen years of age it was passed on t(^ Prince Charles, afterwards Charles I. We cannot, however, definitely accept this Tower suit as the one referred to; but certainly all the gifts sent by the ambassador to the Queen bear a leonine character! As the Tower suit certainly resembles the Arinure atix Lions in the-Musde d'Artillerie, which was at one time III credited to the ownership of Francis I (see Fig. 1060), and the Campi suit at Madrid (see Fig. 1051) which was made for the Emperor Charles V, and 297 y o EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS it has also lions' nriasks upon it, Mr. ffoulkes' ingenious theory has some force. It is, however, a very remark able thing that, despite the fact that is so unlike any other suit with which we are acquainted in the Tower Collection, we can find no definite de scription of it in any of the inventories, unless the following item in the 1660 inventory has reference to it : " Upon a horse statue of wood, one compleat tilt armor cap-a-pe, richly guilt, part engraven, part damasked, made for Prince Henry, with two gauntlets and one guilt grand-guard, the horse furni ture being one shaffroone of the same sort, one old leather sadle and bitt." In the 1676 inventory is the same entry, which reappears in the inventory and valuation of 1688, where the value of the suit is placed at ;^2o8. We cannot help thinking, however, that \ague and undescriptive as' are the old inventories, some allusion, however slight, would have been made to its remarkable decoration if this entryreally had reference to the lion suit; so that although we give the quotation from the 1660 inventory as we find it, we have little or no belief that it has reference 1-"k;. io6i. Slit uj' armour kok a youth Probably of French workmanship under Italian influence, late XVIthorearly XVIIth century. Tower of London, Class II, No. 89 be con.strued as being that plate. to the lion suit. To the idea of it being a suit made for Prince Henry the ob jection can be raised that it is too large if compared with any of those which there is reason to believe were his pro perty ; moreover there is no grand-guard, unless the reinforcing breastplate could To the fact that the suit now possesses 298 xvith century armour under classical influence no chanfron cu suite we attach little importance; as that could very well have been lost or stolen. The only circumstance that might make it pos sible, we will not say probable, that this is the suit referred to in the inventory, is that it is described as being " richly guilt," while parts of the suit described as " part engraven " might mean embossed; "part damasked" it certainly is. Although we are thereby taking it out of its chronological order, we propose at this point to illustrate this Tower suit (Fig. 1061); for by com parison with the Ariniire aiix Lions from which we think its enrichment must have been copied, it serves as an excellent demonstration of the decadence of the armourer's craft towards the close of the XVIth century —even when there was a fine model at hand to imitate. It is curiously contradictory in the evidence of the period of its make. The close helmet, the pauldrons, the arms, the gauntlets, and the leg defences might be accepted generally as belonging to the last quarter of the XVIth century; but the breastplate, with its reinforcing plate and the heavy detachable gorget made en suite seem to be of the fashion of the first quarter of the XVI Ith century. The theory might very fairly be put forward that the breastplate has been altered in fashion and that the presence of certain laminated splints at the base which now are missing —there is but one left —would cause it to assume a form more closely resembling that of the breastplate of the Armure mix Lions. But against this theory must be placed the fact that the reinforcing breastplate that goes with the suit fits perfectly the present proportions of the breastplate, splaying out with an additional plate to cover the spread of the tace plates. It would appear, there fore, that this was the original shape of the breastplate, and if that is so, the date of the suit is within the early years of the XX'IIth century. In the decoration may be noted another puzzling contradiction in respect of period and style. The really spirited embossing and its accompanying gilding and azzimina damascening might be accepted as Italian work of late XVIth century date; but, were we only shown one of the bands of gold enrichment upon the additional gorget, or even on the suit itself, we should unhesitatingly pronounce it to be French work of the early years of the XVIIth century produced under Dutch influence. The author has the following alternative suggestion to make. As early as 1607 Henry, Prince of Wales, the- elder son of King James I, received from Louis the Dauphin, son of Henry IV of L*"rance, a gift which comprised "a suit of armour well gilt and enamelled, together with pistols and a sword of the same kind and armour for a horse." Although the description is not very definite, we fancy that this Tower suit may perhaps be the one to which allusion is made. We admit 299 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS that it is rather large for a Prince only thirteen years old; but we see a like ness in the gold damascened work to that upon the sword no\\- in the Musee d'Artillerie, and to that on a dagger in the Wallace Collection, both of which were made for Henri IV in Paris, and presented to him by the citizens of his capital on the occasion of his wedding to Marie de Mddicis in 1599. Might this and not the one sent by the Ambassador of Savoy be the suit in question made in Paris and sent to Henry, Prince of Wales? And if it was made in Paris, was it founded on the model of the Armiire aux Lions, which, though collected from the gallery of the Sedan, may have been in the French capital early in the XVHth century? This would to a certain extent explain its anomalies in shape and decoration. We put this second proposition forward merely with a view of helping to explain the existence of the one example of embossed armour in the Tower of London. It might be argued that the small suit in the Windsor Armoury, No. 574 in the catalogue of 1904, could as readily answer the description of "a suit of armour well gilt and enamelled "; but we distinctly recognize a certain French influence in the make of the Tower suit which is not to be discerned in that of the little suit at Windsor, which is essentially Italian. Whatever its history is, the " lion " suit at the Tower of London speaks for itself as a finely artistic pro duction, influenced by a classical feeling as to form and decoration, though of a somewhat decadent type. Sir Samuel Meyrick, in his " Antient Armour " (1842, vol. iii, page 112), states that \\hen he was called up to rearrange the Tower Armoury this suit was described as that of Charles II. All the Tower guide-books of the second half of the XYHIth century say that this —the so-called Charles II —suit was used for the W^estminster Hall challenging ceremony at the Coronation of (ieorge I or (ieorge II. But the suit issued for that purpo.se is described in the Armoury Issue Book as being "white and gold"; these records are, however, very loosely worded. Certainly Meyrick saw it only forty years after the last guide-book was written, and none of the other suits seem to have been changed. Hewitt (1841) gives the Greenwich "Smith" suit (Vol. iv, Fig. 1 1 19) as the champion's suit worn at the coronation cere mony of George II; but there is no evidence whatever to support this claim. The pictures of the coronation banquet all show plain early XVI Ith century armour; but these are evidently done from imagination, being repeated in each succeeding coronation record. In the first half of the XVIIIth century the "lion" suit at the Tower 300 xvith century armour under classical influence was called the armour of the Black Prince, which title for some mysterious reason in the "line of Kinirs " was afterwards given to the Worcester suit (Vol. iv, FiCharles V when he was Prince of Spain and sovereign Duke of Burgundy (1550-58). The initials " K.D.," a species of monogram of unusual size, which appear recessed, etched, and gilt on the left upright shoulder guard, gave the clue. As the Count de Valencia said, it will readily be seen that it was taken from the Charles's title in Latin, that of Karolus Dux {Biirgipidiae), the highest sovereignty which, I'RiciPLS . at that time, the heir apparent had inherited; for if the reader will examine the equestrian portrait engraved on the great seal, which the young Prince adopted on his coming of age as Count of Flanders, he will find it surrounded by the following legend: s . caroli . dei . gra . hispaniarv . BVRG .COMIT . FLAi) . zc . Howcver, above Ducis . AVST . archid . and beyond all other proofs is one fact which leaves no room for doubt that this series of suits belonged to Charles V, and that is the fact that we find them sketched in the famous I/iventario Ilunimado of Charles V, and recapitulated in the Relacion de Valladolid. We imagine that this was the most important and the most comprehensive panoply which Charles possessed in his early years (this last supposition is confirmed by the seal before mentioned, which bears the date 1515), and so was possibly the first complete harness which Koloman Kolman made for him. Kolman's mark and the guild mark of the city of Augsburg, the pine-apple, are stamped on a few of the pieces. The portion of the panoply which we propose to illustrate is that w hich figures under the heading A 19 (Fig. 1062). It comprises the complete armour for the field, armour which is at once simple and most beautiful in shape. The head-piece is a fine close helmet of the armet type, with which are as.sociated various adjustable and interchangeable plates: the coronet and the crest 303 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS are restorations. The graceful, globose pally seen in those of around the neck is the Golden Fleece, front with great ex single deep tace plate, by buckle and strap of three plates ; the posed of elongated jambs, and broad arm defences differ The right has the hollowed in front to breastplate is of that form which is princi the Kolman make; engraved the collar of The backplate fits the actitude; there is a to which are attached the tuille-like tassets leg defences are com cuisses, knee-cops, toed sollerets. one from the other, The espalier pauldron allow for the couch ing of the lance, the by a rondel; the left large and full paul shoulder guard, upon monogram K.L). to luded. The mitten separate compart present no peculiar thing may be said of braces. This accounts the principal suit of complete panoply; it takes four figures to able parts. The illus this set is sufficient to tions and protective (^ther parts, we may figure, A 26, and a play a nuniber of the nament plates; while 28, is the remainder is cavitybeing protected composed of a dron with the upright which appears the which we have al gauntlets, which have ments for the fingers, ity; and the .same the rere- and vam for the chief plates on this wonderfully but, as we have said, hold its interchange tration (Fig. 1062) of prove its fine propor powers. As to the addthat anequestrian third figure, A27, di.s cxtra joust and tour on a fourth figure, A of theharness, includ FlG. 1062. Part OK A SERIES OK SUIT.S (all ONE SKT) Maile for the Emperor Charles V by Kolom.in Kolman of Augsburg in the second (jLiarter of the .XV'Ith century. It is known as the " K. O.'' armour. This particular set is numbered .\ 19, Royal Armour)-, Madrid ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" ing the chanfron and steels of the saddle. The surface of all the armour of which the panoply is composed is white, or brightened steel, with slightly recessed, etched, and gilded ornaments. Round the borders of the whole runs a band of diamantine protuberances. It is only on ihcpieces de renfort that these borders do not appear; for in the first place they are fashioned of too thick a plate to emboss or to dentate, and again, any protuberance might furnish a hold for the adversary's lance. It has been suggested, and on good grounds, that the actual etched ornaments on this wonderful harness are from the hand of Daniel Hopfer of Augsburg. This attribution is the result of a comparison of the details of the design on the suit with the similar ornamenta tion which is found on designs by Daniel Hopfer which can be consulted in the Bibliotheque Nationale of Paris. In the superb harness made for the Emperor Charles V by the brothers Negroli of Milan, in 1539, a harness distinguished by a splendid simplicity and a magnificent grandeur, we can see how great an incentive to excellence of workmanship was induced by the keen spirit of emulation w^hich prevailed among the jealous German armourers of the day. It is the present writer's opinion that of all the wonderful Charles V and Philip II harnesses, one suit alone, showing the combined craftsmanship of Koloman Kolman and Cieorge Sigman which we will deal with later, approaches the standard of excellence of this Negroli suit. When one comes to consider that this very advanced form of harness was made in 1539, the great art of the Negroli is un questionable, and yet this harness, as it is seen to-day, must bear biit a poor semblance to its magnificence in its original condition. True, its beautiful form is the same, and its ornamentation shows the exquisite skill of the embosser; but these features are no longer heightened by the colour scheme which the suit originally possessed. It is probably the most important work of the Negroli which is known, a veritable triumph for that great school of artificers, who, from the Missaglia of Ello of the XVth century to the Negroli of the century following, maintained for Milan her world-famed supremacy in the armourer's art. Though the interchangeable parts which are extant are "Still more than sufficient to clothe two figures, many of the pieces which belong to the suit, which is known as "The armour of the great masks," and figures in the Inventario Iliiminado of Charles V, have long since disappeared. Originally there were thirty-eight parts; to-day only twenty-four of the more important remain. The Inventario devotes three pages to a summary of all the pieces, \\ hich are drawn and coloured. This shows that the ground colour of the steel when originally finished was not 305 III RR EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS burnished bright, but of a lustrous black finish, serving as a background for the bands and contours of gold and silver damascened work, which, crossing the principal plates in a horizontal direction, still constitute their most delicate ornamentation. It can also be seen from the Inventario that the embossed masks, etc., which are now burnished brilliantly bright, appear to have been originally gilt. In a private collection in England are two of the lesser auxiliary elbow-cops of this harness (Fig. 1063); they were bought at the 1839 sale to A\hich we have referred. So it may be taken for granted that they were taken from the Royal Spanish Armoury about that time ; as were also probably at least two of the pieces now missing from the suit itself. The elbow-cops, like the suit, have no\\- a brightened surface; but the damascen FiG. 1063. Interchangeable elbow-cops from the suit (fig. 1064) In an English private collection ing, an unusual ornamentation to apply to the Negroli plate, is in pristine condition round the borders. As we have said, two figures and a panoply display the suit as it exists to-day in Madrid (A 139 to A 146). Ofthese, we illustrate A 139 (Fig. 1064). It comprises a breast- and backplate with wide laminated gussets, and a splinted under plate and single tace, to which are attached the tassets of seven plates, which for convenience could, when the wearer was mounted, be shortened at the second lame. In the top centre of the breastplate there must originally have been an oval applied plaque containing the figure of the Virgin, as we find on nearly all suits worn by the Emperor after the year 1531; but this has been replaced by one of metal crudely worked. A similar act of vandalism on the backplate may be noted, the plaque missing from which 306 ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" must, as we find from the evidence afforded by its presence on other suits, have contained the figure of St. Barbara. The principal pauldron plates, the elbow and knee-cops, are the only field for the embossing save the beautiful open casque, which repeats the mask ornament, and is clearly inscribed with the name of the makers, Philip, and his brotherorbrothers, sons of the famous Jacopo Filippo, the inscription running : philippvs . JACOBI ET FRATR . NEGROLI FACIEBANT MDXxxix. A buffe protects the face. The arm defences comprise vambraces and shell rerebraces; the gauntlets are lost. On this figure are laminated cuisses, knee-cops, and demi-jambs. On the other figure, besides parts for use in the field, are reinforcing plates and certain portions of the horse armour. Of the suits made for the Emperor Charles V at a subsequent period in his life none is so famous as that known as the "Miihlberg" armour in the Royal Armoury ofMadrid, A 164 to A 187 (Fig. 1065). This great suit was considered by the late Count de Valencia to be one of the last ever worn by the Em peror in his famous campaign against the Elector of Saxony. Four complete figures are covered with the interchange able parts of this extraordinarily com plete suit, to say nothing of many in dividual pieces. The variation in its measurements show that the Emperor, who, at the close of his career, was the Fig. 1064. Fart of a series ok suits (all one set) Made for the Emperor Charles V by the brothers Negroli of Milan and dated 1539. This particular set is numbered A 139, Royal Armoury, Madrid victim of frequent attacks of gout, must have cast aside his more elegantly proportioned suits, and have replaced 307 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS them with the suit we are now about to discuss. Though this reinarkable suit is.still of very symmetrical shape, its whole construction shows a greater robustness in its width; the enclosing plates for the limbs are likewise large in circumference. Its date —1544 — appears in two small circles, engraved and placed back to back on the right arm guard. The decoration upon nearly all the plates, none of which bears an armourer's mark, consists in narrow slightly recessed bands, etched and gilt, each band having a flanking ornament made up of a series of petal-shaped panels, issuing at right angles from the main band. The ground colour of the harness is white or brightened steel. All the breast plates of this very full suit display the image of the Virgin, and on the backplate that of St. Barbara. This suit, which shows all the character istics' of the work of either Kolman of Augsburg or of Wolf of Land shut, is most closely identified with the Emperor; for famous artists and sculptors have left to posterity por traits and statues of the Emperor in which he is seen wearing it. Of these none is more famous than Titian's Fig. 10G5. Part of a series of suits (all one set) German work, dated 1544. It is known as the Miihlberg armour. Royal Armoury, Madrid splendid portrait painted at Augsburg in 1548, which shows the Emperor on horseback at the battle of Miihl berg, 1547 (Fig. 1066), a circumstance that has given to the suit its name. So accurate are the details given in this portrait, that by its aid the late Count de Valencia was able, with little 308 < as O a, Z < fe U £ u ^^ as H CO Z o o _ o X si o en 11 J § < 2 ^ ^ < c Z o C/3 Fu;. 1068. Suit of aRxMOUR with its intekchan(;eai5LE parts Probably the work of Desiderius Kolman of Augsburg, about 1550. Ex collections: Bernal, Londesborough, and Dino. Now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" difficulty, to reconstruct a mounted figure, its counterpart representation, A 164 in the Madrid Armoury (Fig. 1067). A witness who was present at the battle, the Comendador Alcantara, Don Luis de Avila y Zuiiiga, the favourite " gentleman " of the monarch, confirms with his pen the veracity of that superb picture in the following terms: {Translation) "The Emperor rode on a dark chestnut Spanish horse, which had been presented to him by Signor de Ri, Chevalier of the Golden Fleece and his first equerry; he wore a caparison of crimson velvet, with trimmings ofgold and some armour, white and gilded, and over it nothing else save the very wide band of crimson taffeta striped with gold, and a morrion tudesco, with a short lance, almost a javelin, in his hands." This white and gilded armour was confined to a breast- and backplate, large and strong tassets, gorget, and espalier pauldrons prolonged to the elbow. Beneath were sleeves of chain mail, and finally strong gauntlets with finger plates joined together two by two to protect the hands. These pieces, in combination with the triple-combed helmet, the javelin, and the wheel lock pistol, which is fastened to the front saddle steel, constituted a war apparel known in Spain at the time as de herrernelos, an apparel which was first worn in this campaign, according to the account given by Nufiez de Alba in his Didlogos del Soldado. Space scarcely permits us to give details of that multitude of extant pieces that renders the Miihlberg harness one of the most complete suits known; for, as we have said, they require more than four figures for their full display. But we have alluded especially to the Miihlberg armour because it is a splendid type of German make a la facoit d'Espagne, and because, thanks to the existence of Titian's portrait, we are able to give, as we always wish to give, an illustration of a contemporary painting which shows the type of armour in use, and which is, in this case, a representation of the actual suit described. The Metropolitan Museum of New York is fortunate in possessing, through their purchase of the Due de Dino's Collection, two suits of this German armour of Spanish fashion, the more complete of the two coming from the famous Bernal and Londesborough Collections. Though naturally they are not as complete as some of the magnificent series at Madrid and Vienna, we illustrate these suits as being less universally known, and as being interesting as examples of the fine armour which passed by some manner or other, during the subsequent troublesome times, from Spain, to which country they rightfully belong, into the hands of private owners. We Avill first speak of the more important of these two German-Spanish harnesses 311 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS (Fig. 1068). It is probable that this suit found its way to England at the same time as many other pieces preserved in the great European collections, and was without doubt armour stolen from the Royal Spanish Armoury during the Carlist War. We have alluded many times to the great number of individual pieces of armour which came from Madrid and were sold by auction at Christie's in 1839; but this suit of armour we are about to describe does not figure in the catalogue. An examination of the various suits of armour of the same type in Madrid and Vienna enables us to fix the date of this harness almost exactly. In the form of all its parts, as well as in its workmanship and ornamentation, it shows the greatest resemblance to a half suit made in Germany in 1549 for Philip II when Infante. This particular Madrid suit came without doubt from the work shops of Desiderius Kolman of Augsburg, and is the one in which Titian represented the Prince in 1549 or 1550 in the portrait which is to be seen in the Museum of the Prado, Madrid. It is also the identical suit worn by Philip II in the posthumous equestrian portrait of him —also in the Prado — painted by Rubens thirty years after Philip's death. The suit is also repre sented on a medallion by Jacopo daTrezza, dated 1555; while about a century later Velasquez made use of the same armour to clothe Don Antonio Alonso de Pimentel,'Count de Benevente, when he painted his portrait which is also in the Museum of the Prado. It was therefore towards the end of the reign of Charles V that the suit now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York was made, and probably by Desiderius Kolman of Augsburg. It is engraved in the sale catalogue of Bernal (1855), and by Fairholt in the Miscellanea Gnipiiica, which was published in London at Lord Londesborough's expense in 1857. The ornamentation of the armour consists of band's and edgings, etched and gilt, the principal features of the design being accentuated by light embossed work. In order not to afford any hold to the lance, this embossing, which is identical in style with that found on the K.D. armour of the Emperor Charles V (Fig. 1062), is absent from the reinforcing pieces for the joust which are too thick to receive it; but it is to be seen on the lighter pieces of the war cuirass. The manteait d'arnies for jousting is decorated with a latticed etching which imitates an iron lattice. In each lozenge formed by the lattice is a leopard's head, langued, engraved and gilt. This same head, which was probably the blazon of the owner of the armour, is found on the lower part of the jousting chin-piece, on the upper part of the jousting breastplate, on the elbow-cop and the tilting gauntlet, on the escutcheon of the demi-chanfron, 312 ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" and on the two plates of the saddle steel. But on the three last-named pieces it is embossed instead of being simply etched. This suit is composed of two close helmets, an open helmet, and a breastplate for the field provided with its lance-rest, and its taces and tassets of four lames. There is also a breastplate for the joust with its taces and tuille-like tassets in a single piece, the left one being longer than the right. On to this breastplate are screwed the tilting chin-piece and the nianteau d'armes. The arm-guards consist in espaliers, rere- and vambraces, and gauntlets. The right-hand espalier is provided with a rondelle, and the elbow-cop of the left side has a powerful strengthening piece for the joust. The right gauntlet has the fingers separate; the left being a large tilting mitten of heavy proportions, and protecting the bridle hand and fore-arm. The cuisses are composed of seven lames; the jambs terminate at the ankle. The sollerets are of mail and have steel toe-caps. The following reinforcing plates belong to the suit, strengthening it for use in the field: a crest for the top of the helmet, Spanish in shape, and called an escqfia or sobre-caha (Fig. 1207), a spare chin-piece for the left side and part of the right side of the visor, a strengthening piece for the left pauldron furnished with a little neck-guard, and a piece for strengthening the elbow-cop oi"w the same side. This suit is accompanied by its demi-chanfron and by two plates for the saddle-bow of the fighting or joust saddle. We should here record that after the sale of this suit from the Londesborough Collection, and previous to it passing into that of the Due de Dino, the ornamentation of all the parts was subject to re-gilding, a process of restoration which is much to be regretted. Represented in our illustration of this suit is a circular shield which, though it is the work of the same school of armourers, is not actually in accord with the rest of the harness. Before we allude to the second suit of armour of this same school in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, we will here make mention of a very beautiful half suit, accessible to all English collectors, to be seen in the Wallace Collection, No. 428 (Fig. 1069). In the descriptive catalogue which he made for that collection the author described this armament as being probably the work of Wolf of Landshut. He now admits his error and unhesitatingly attributes the harness to the workshops of the Kolman family; but he assigns its workmanship and style to the direct influence of Koloman, rather than of Desiderius, Kolman. As now seen, it terminates at the waist, and all that is preserved is without restoration of an) kind. III Its elegant outline, the excellence of its workmanship, and the 313 ss Fig. 1069. Portions 01- a suit of armour Cierman work, probably that of Koloman Kolman of Augsburg, about 1 540 Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 428) 314 ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" restrained method of its decoration, render it, in our opinion, one of the most precious possessions of the Wallace Collection. Sir Richard Wallace obtained it with that portion of the Count de Nieuwerkerke Collection which he purchased en bloc. Before it formed part of the Nieuwerkerke Col lection it was in the possession of Monsieur E. Juste, a pedigree that takes it back almost to the end of the first half of the XIXth century. If its previous history could be traced it is more than likely that it would turn out to be one of the harnesses already alluded to which were abstracted from the Royal Spanish Collection early in the XIXth century. Perhaps, when the remainder of the suit comes to light in Madrid or elsewhere, and some record is dis covered of the original ownership of this remainder, we shall get some clue which will enable us to trace the history of this beautiful half harness. To proceed to an account of the suit. The edges of the various plates are recessed to a fine scale pattern ; a band of the same work follows the contour of the border; inside this band is an embossed escalloped edging. The plain surfaces on the coudes and taces are either embossed or recessed with trefoil panels. The whole of the borders and panels are etched and gilt with scrollwork, cornucopiae, etc. The form of the armour presents no peculiarities; though in the construction of the elbow defences an arrange ment can be seen whereby the point of an adversary's weapon is prevented from becoming fixed beneath the elbow-cops. This is effected by the elonga tion to a flanged form of the under plate of the vambrace, which is thus made to cover the lower lame and part of the cop itself. We have illustrated the close helmet on this suit in Fig. 1188. We will now return to the armoury of the Metropolitan Museum of New York, and examine the second German-Spanish suit to which we have referred on page 313 (Fig. 1070). The provenance" of this suit we are able to trace to the .sale held at Christie's in 1839, and so know that previous to that date it was in the Royal Armoury of Madrid. In the Christie sale it was lot 264 in the catalogue, when it fetched jQ<^^ i\s.\ after some years it found its way into the celebrated Fountaine Collection of Narford Hall, Norfolk, subsequently passing into that of the Due de Dino, and so to the Metropolitan Museum of New York. According to the pieces worn, this suit could be used for the joust, as a demi-armour for light horse, or for fighting on foot; it also comprises a series of saddles, chanfrons, and lance-rondelles. The various parts of this suit which are still preserved in Madrid would suffice to arm five figures: they are numbered A 243 to A 262 in the official catalogue. The late Count de Valencia believed that this armour, which is 315 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS one of the most comprehensixe pano plies which the Royal Spanish Armoury possesses, was made for Philip, then In fante, on the occasion of his marriaQ;e with Queen Mary of England, in 1554; for the escutcheons of the chanfron show the arms of Philip II, with a shield of pretence with the P2ng4ish Royal Arms (Fig. 1071). The nine pieces of this armour \\'hich are now shown in the Metropolitan Museum of New York are: a finely proportioned open helmet, the complete arm defences consisting of the espaliers, the rere- and \ambraces, the elbow-cops, the left gauntlet with sepa rate fingers, the tilting mitten for the bridle hand, the full armour for the legs, comprising cuisses in two parts which could be worn either long or short,and the jambs and sollerets. A tenth piece, the brayette, was given by the Due de Dino to the late Signor Ressman, and is now in the Bargello Museum at Florence. All these pieces are decorated with etched bands, ha\-ing an undulating design of very finished workmanship gilded on a ground filled in with black pigment. In ' Flli. 1070. C;o.Ml'O.SlTE SUIT Ol- ARMOUR Which, with the exception of the breastplate, back plate, gorget, taces, and tassets, is part of a great harness made for King Philip of Spain in about 1554 by Wolf of Landshut. Ex collection: Dino Now Metropolitan Museum, New York the Madrid Armoury are still two sample steel plates on which this design has been etched \\ith two combinations of gold and black (A 261 and 262). These plates are belie\ed to have been sent by the armourer as specimens to Philip, in order that he might select the orna mentation which pleased him best. The gorget, the backplate, the breastplate with its lance-rest, and its taces and tassets belong to a different suit of 316 ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" armour of about the same period. These pieces, too, are decorated with etched and gilt bands, but with bands of a different pattern; the borders again, instead of ha\ ing the cabled edge, are dentated. The cross of Calatrava or ofAlcantara is engraved on the left side of the breastplate. The forms of these two crosses is alike, but that of Calatrava is red, whereas that of Alcantara is green. Judging from the pattern of the etching the Count de Valencia belie\ed that these pieces which complete the suit belonged to the Onate family; for ex amples of harness made for this family can still be .seen in the Madrid Armoury. Since we know that the suit made for Philip II, now at Madrid, is the work ofWolf of Landshut, the close imitator of Kolman, we may fairly assume that the remainder of the harness in the Metropolitan Museum comes from the same hand. A very full suit of the same Philip II pattern, which has two forms of Fig. 1071. Escutcheon fro.m the chanfron of the Philip II (1554) harness Showing the arms of England borne in pretence on the arms of Philip II A 261 and 262, Royal Armoury, Madrid breastplate, is in the Imperial Collection, Vienna. It must formerly ha\e been part of the Madrid harness. The late curator of the Vienna Armoury, Herr Wendelin Boeheim, was mistaken in describing the suit as the work of \Villiam Worms the younger; for the Count de Valencia of Madrid has produced very ample proof that the Madrid suit came direct from the hand of Wolf of Landshut. Although we have already figured a suit which we know to be the work of Koloman Kolman, the K.D. suit made for the Emperor Charles V (Fig. 1062), we have no hesitation in giving another example of the work of that family of armourers, this time a famous harness made by Desiderius, Koloman's son. We refer to the suit of parade armour con structed for King Philip II when he was heir apparent, Nos. A 239-239 bis, A 240-240 bis, and A 242, now in the Royal Armoury of Madrid (Fig. 1072). The descriptive inventories of the Madrid Armoury made in the X\Tth century are brief and garbled, so that without the sketches of the armour to which they refer —sketches such as are to be found in the Inventario 317 / EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Iluminado of Charles V—it is next to impossible to connect that which exists to-day with the written description alone. Even the late Count de Valencia, whose knowledge of the possessions of the Madrid Armoury was most remarkable, had some hesitation about crediting this suit to the ownership of King Philip II until he discovered, in Sir William Stirling Maxwell's great work on " Don John of Austria," the woodcut of a portrait of that Prince painted by Alonzo Sanchez Coello, and owned by Sir William, in which Philip can be seen wearing this very same armour. The woodcut fails to repre sent the armour accurately; but a photo graph of the actual picture enables one to see immediately that Philip is painted wearing this same Kolman parade suit. Though some difficulty was experienced at first in recognizing the identity of the original owner of this superb suit, the evidence of identificationof the armourer has always been overwhelming. Not only are the name of Desiderius Kol man and the date 1550 engraved in full ' Fig. 1072. Suit of armour Made for Philip, when Infante, by Desiderius Kolman of Augsburg, assisted by Jorg Sig man, between 1549 and 1552. A 239-242, Royal Armoury, Madrid on account of 3,000 the which he on the open casque and on the buckler, which we shall describe in vol. v, but various MS. records made by Philip at Augsburg in 1550, where he was then stopping, are preserved in the archives of Simancas relating to the suit. We select the following extract from the accounts of the wardrobe of Don Phil lipe of Austria, Prince of Spain: "To Kolman . . . 2,000 crowns of gold, has to receive on account of certain 318 ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" arms which he made in my service. Augusta 22nd October 1550." The date 1550 agrees with the inscription on the helmet. The balance of 1,000 crowns was doubtless only paid to Kolman after the delivery of the entire set: the shield belonging to this harness is dated 1552. P'lG. 1073. Portrait of Philip II Painted by Alonzo Sanchez Coello about 1570. The King is seen wearing the armour shown in Fig. 1072, made for him as Infante between 1549 and 1552 Collection: Sir John Stirling Maxwell On undertaking this important example of embossing and of gold inlaying, Kolman used his knowledge of the armourer's art to essay a form of ornamentation entirely different from that which one expects to see on armour coming from his hand. Despising apparently such enrich ments as one is in the habit of associating with his known war and tilting 319 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS harnesses, which required only superficial (M-namentation in the nature of etching and gilding.- and very slight embossing on the parts least exposed to the shock of the opposing lance, he attempted in this suit to excel also in the construction of armour de luxe, and even to improve on the work of his ri\als, the brothers Negroli of Milan. But, in spite of this spirit of emulation, Kolman seems to have felt that he lacked the necessary combina tion of talents to produce, entirely by himself, a work of such sumptuous ness; the fact that he permitted another armourer-goldsmith to place his signature by the side of his own on the principal piece of this suit is indeed proof conclusive that the finished suit is a collaboration, and a collaboration done with one whom Kolman fully recognized as his equal as an artist. The collaborator was a (ierman goldsmith, by name Jorg Sigman. Desiderius Kolman must ha\"e appreciated in the work of this goldsmith a talent which he thought would enable him to rival the Negrolis in the ornamentation of this armour of parade. Accordingly he accepted Sigman's collaboration and agreed in return to help the goldsmith to obtain his indentures as a master craftsman in Augsburg, which he had failed hitherto to acquire from the municipality; for save by special permission of the Burgomaster and of the Senate no one was allowed to hold the position of master craftsman, or to have a public shop, unless he were a citizen or had been resident in the city for four years. Kolman then, with his infl:uence at the Imperial Court, was able to help Sigman to make good his claim and to bear witness that he had spent four years in assisting him to decorate the armour made for the young Prince, Don Philip. In this way Jorg Sigman obtained the permission for which he craved, that of being allowed to pursue his art as a master craftsman. It was the keeper of the archives of the city of Augsburg, Herr Adolf Buff, who first discovered these details about Jorg Sigman and im parted them to the Count de Valencia. Nearly two years were spent in making this suit of armour, notwithstanding the comparatively small number of parts of which it is composed, Sigman being responsible solely for the delicate ornamentation of relief work, and for the engraved and gold inlaying which make the suit one of the finest extant examples of XVIth century decorated harnesses. This magnificent parade harness, as we see it to-day in Madrid, consists of a suit of simple armour with a few interchangeable parts and a saddle with its steels. Parts of the suit had long been missing; for prior to the issue of the catalogue of 1849 by Martinez del Romero, the gauntlets, the chanfron for the horse, two additional elbow-cops of the arm guards, and the two 320 ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" 1 1 circular palettes had disappeared from the Armoury. The last five pieces, until early in 1914, were to be seen in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris, before which they figured in the respective collections of Lepage, of Nolivos, of Debruge Dumenil, and of Soltikoff, from the last named of whom Napoleon III acquired them in 1861 for his Armoury at Pierrefonds. By a decree dated January 1914, the French Government had the generosity to restore these pieces to the Royal Armoury of Madrid, in order that they might be placed with the suit to which they belong. The decoration on this Kolman-Sigman suit consists of wide vertical bands embossed in low relief with all those classical motifs which the gold smith of the Italian Renaissance delighted to borrow. The German render ing of the ornament is hardly apparent, and even were it so, it would be compensated for by the very high quality of the workmanship. These wide bands are bordered with beautiful acanthus foliage incrusted with gold, which is contained within a narrow border edged with a duplicated trefoil ornament. The entire groundwork of the suit is of a fine blue-black colour. Gilding and silver plating sparingly enrich the embossed bands. The whole suit, indeed, is a monument of admirable taste and worthy even of the Negrolis, to rival whose masterpieces was, as we have said, the main stimulus to its production. It may, of course, have been Desiderius Kolman's taste alone that was responsible for the dignified simplicity of its outline and for . the restraint of its enrichment; but we fancy that in the details of its em bossed bands we see the hand of someone accustomed to work upon a surface smaller than that of a suit of armour. It is known that King Philip II himself provided drawings for his armour; so possibly the general scheme of Italian Renaissance ornamentation seen on this particular suit is the result of a collaboration between Philip and the painter Diego de Arroyo, whose cleverness in interpreting the ideas of the Italian Renaissance, and infusing into them a slight Hispano-Moorish tincture, is known to have delighted Philip. Diego de Arroyo accompanied the prince to Augsburg, and it is on record that he assisted in designing armour and saddles for him. Looking at the suit we cannot help feeling that the open casque fails to harmonize with the comparative simplicity of the remainder of the harness. Except in the case of the crest, which bears a laurel wreath, the whole surface is occupied with small figures, strapwork, birds and festoons, grouped and interlaced in perplexing richness. On either side of the skull-piece are two medallions surrounded by laurel and containing combats between warriors. All the work is embossed and chased with great delicacy, and notwithstanding III 321 TT EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS our criticism, is admirably rendered. Any suggestion, however, that the casque is not eti suite with the rest of the harness is at once negatived by a Fig. 1074. Saddle belonging to the suit (fig. 1072) Showing the front .saddle steel Royal Armoury, Madrid Fig. 1075. Back saddle steel ok the same saddle A 242, Royal Armoury, Madrid IN . CoLMAN . De.siderio . reference to the inscription immediately above the umbril which reads: AvGVSO \sic\ 1550. Above, there is a cartouche enclosing a monogram, and at the sides the initials I.S. The monogram and 322 ARMOUR TERMED " SPANISH " the initials I.S. together constitute the mark employed by Jorg Sigman; it can be seen in various works from his hand, and especially on that table of punch-marks of silversmiths which is in the Museum of Augsburg and which Herr Buffdiscovered.' Not content with inscribing his monogram and initials by the side of those of Kolman on the front of the helmet, Sigman repeated his initials I.S., and also the date 1549, below the base of the plume-holder (now lost), no doubt in order to make it clear that he had spent more than three years on the work; for as we have said the entire panoply was not completed until 1552, a circumstance that obtained for him his coveted indentures as silversmith. The breastplate is of laminated plates from the neck to the waist; on it is displayed the order of the (iolden Fleece. The backplate is of similar construction; the arm-defences are simple, with espaliers, rere-, vambraces, and elbow-cops. There are faces of two lames, to which are attached the tas.sets, which are detachable at the fourth and seventh lame, and so could be worn at any length. The jambs only protect the outside of the leg; upon the knee-cops are embossed masks of satyrs similar to those seen on the elbow-cops. There is a brayette. On the saddle steels, which are preserved in the Madrid Armoury, at the sides of the central bands are to be seen marks of Desiderius Kolman and the guild mark of Augsburg (Figs. 1074 and 1075). The beautiful chanfron, of which we have already spoken, is decorated in the same taste as the rest of the suit, and bears on an escutcheon the arms used by King Philip II when he was Hereditary Prince (Fig. 1076), The tw^o palettes (Fig. 1077), formerly in the Musde d'Artillerie, are now on the suit as set up in the Royal Armoury, Madrid. The extra elbow cops (Fig. 1078), as we can judge from the eyelet holes in them for the passage of the aiglettes, were intended to be used in conjunction with an additional gorget (Fig. 1079), still at Madrid, when only a long-sleeved shirt of mail was worn without other plate armour for the body. At Madrid is also to be seen a narrow pair of plates made for the same harness that could be attached to leggings of mail or even leather, and so could enable the other plate armour for the legs to be dispensed with. That very eminent writer, M. Charles Buttin, has described the whole of this wonderful harness to the minutest detail in La Revue de rArt nncien et moderne, 19.14, the careful perusal of which we strongly recommend. Allied to the suit just described by the proportions of its parts and its general effect is that harness which, according to the Count de Valencia, ' Urkundliche Nachrichten iiber den Augsbiirger Goldschinied Jiirg Sigman. 1 548-1601. By Adolf Buff. Fig. 1077 Fig. 1078 Fig. 107; F'iG. 1076 Fig. 1078 Fig. 1076. Chanfron belonging to the suit (Fig. 1072) Fig. 1077. Palettes from the .suit (Fig. 1072) Fig. 1078. Interchangeable elbow-cops belonging to the suit (Fig. 1072) to be worn over a chaip mail shirt All the.se pieces were formerly in the Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris, but are now in the Royal Armoury, Madrid 324 ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" belonged to King Sebastian of Portugal, who was killed at the battle of Alcazarquivir in Africa in the year 1578 (A 290 in the Royal Armoury, Madrid). We give an illustration of it as another example of the skill of the Augsburg armourer (Fig. 1080). It comes from the hand of Anton Peffen hauser, an armourer who, by his second marriage, became a connettion of the famous Koloman Kolman. The late Herr Boeheim considered that the suit in question was presented to King Sebastian of Portugal by Philip II of Spain. For this statement the Count de Valencia could find no authority. In the 1849 catalogue of the Madrid Armoury the absurd statement is made that this suit was presented to King Philip II by King Manuel of Portugal; as a matter of fact the latter monarch died in 1521, six years before the birth of the former. No records exist as to the origin of this most im FiG. 1079. Interchangeable gorget, belonging to the suit (kig. 1072) To be worn with the elbow-cops (Fig. 1078) over a chain mail .shirt Royal Armoury, Madrid portant suit in the numerous inventories of the royal weapons and armour which are to be found in the archives of Simancas; neither was the late Count de Valencia able to discover at what period it was placed in the Royal Armoury of Madrid. For purposes of identification he, therefore, found it necessary to rely on the data supplied by the various emblems that enrich the armour. An examination of these details enabled him to deduce, without much difficulty, that the suit was made for a Portuguese prince of Hispano Austrian pedigree. Some of the rivet plates are stamped with the armillary sphere which, having its origin in Portugal, came to be the arms of Brazil; others bear the cross of Avis, and the rest the complete escutcheon of the Lusitanian kingdom. It is also to be noticed that PefTenhauser has repeatedly introduced the Austrian eagle with two heads, the lion, and the pomegranate, all of them emblems of the reigning house of Spain. These authoritative indications 325 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS point to the fact that the suit must have belonged to one of two Portuguese princes of Austrian origin in the mater nal line, who lived in the second half of the XVIth century, either to Prince John, who died at the age of seventeen without having occupied the throne, or to his brother, the King Sebastian, who, as we have stated, was killed, at the age of twenty-four, in the year 1578. It is impossible that Prince John at the age of seventeen could have worn a harness of such adult proportions, and as the armour is of advanced XVIth Juan." ^ century form, it more closely corresponds with the epoch of King Sebastian, who was, according to a reference in a con temporary Spanish report, {'I ransla tion) "of good proportions, a little taller than the king [Philip II] as well as more robust and stout, very white-skinned with slight beard, and fair like Don These historical facts agree so well with the peculiarities of this armour as to justify, to a very large extent, the presumption that it belonged to King Sebastian, whose mother, the Princess Juana, must have removed it to Spain after the catastrophe of Alcazarquivir. For a harness of its period, the end of the third quarter of the XVIth century, it is remarkably shapely and Fig. 1080. Suit of armour Said to have been made for King Sebastian of Portugal (1554-1578), the work of Anton Peffenhauser of Augsburg. A 290, Royal Armoury, Madrid very restrained in taste as regards colour; inasmuch as, though richly embossed ' Morel Fatio, L'Espagm nu XVI et XVII siecle, page 141: "Reception which the King, our lord gave to the King of Portugal at Guadalupe on the loth of December, 1576." {Translation.) 326 ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" with band.s.of ornament, it has a wholly blue-black surface free from j^ilclinj^^ the latter alone appearing on the rivet heads and on its accomi)anying buckler. It is certainly a monument to the craftsmanship of Peffenhauser, and a suit which we certainly may say almost places his productions on an equality with those of the foremost Italian armourers of this somewhat de cadent period of the craft. True, like Picinino in his later productions, Peffen hauser panders to the taste of the day in over-elaborating the ornament; his modelling of the figures, too, is weak and nerveless; but, on the other hand, his general composition is more virile, and his embossing is in bolder relief than even Kolman's. Herr Hefner-Alteneck takes, however, a little from Peffenhauser's credit by suggesting that he was doubtless assisted in the decoration of this particular suit by the inventive genius of Hans Mielich, the artist of Munich. There are no details in the construction of the suit particularly worthy of note; in general shape it is reminiscent of one of slightly earlier date, save that the pauldrons are full after the fashion of the suits of the last quarter of the XVIth century. On the upper edge of the breast- and backplates are stamped a tripod and the guild mark of Augsburg, emblems which Herr Boeheim identifies as the marks of Anton Peffenhauser. We will terminate our very general survey of these suits, the shape and fashion of which were almost entirely influenced by the productions made for the Spanish Court by the Negroli, the Kolman, and the Wolf families, with the description of a suit of armour, most probably the work of Wolf of Landshut, a suit decorated in that armourer's usual fashion, but showing strangely in its general form the late XVth century Italian influence. We refer to the suit of armour mounted on a horse that now stands in the middle of the principal gallery of the Arsenal of Venice (Fig. 1081). For nearly two hundred years this suit was believed to have belonged to F2rasmo da Narni, surnamed Gatta melata, the famous XVth century general in the service of the Venetian Republic; but it is hardly necessary to remark that a suit which at its earliest is a production of about 1540, could not have belonged to a general \\ho died in 1443. It would be interesting to know when and why this suit was originally placed in the Arsenal of Venice, and to whom it originally belonged. No clue to its ownership can be gleaned from the harness itself; for beyond a lion's mask flanked by hounds' heads upon the saddle steel and knee cops it is free from any emblematic ornamentation. As far back as the 161 1 inventory of the Arsenal the armour is attributed to Gattamelata in the following entry: {Translation) " The armour of Gattamella, white and gold, with its arm 327 Fig. 1081. Suit of ariMOUR A lafaqon d'ltalie, but probably the work of a Wolf of Landshut, about 1550 The Arsenal, Venice 328 ARMOUR TERMED "SPANISH" pieces, j^auntlets, intricate lej^-pieces, and its lance helmet. Its iron shield, shoulder-piece da bayrieni, another celada da barriera, a half-visor, the shaft of the lance, his sword without scabbard and his iron mace. The saddle of purple damask Cordova leather and the charger with all its furnishings and the plume of feathers on the head of the horse, and another plume of feathers on the helm of the head of Gattamella." And to follow on: "On the stair the wooden horse in imitation bronze, upon which there is the armour of Gattamella." In the inventory of 1773 the suit is alluded to as follows: " Horse of wood, with iron armour, iron mace in hand, stirrup of brass, in memory of the late Gattamella, who fought underBraccio di Montone in Italian wars in 1435; created a General of the Venetian soldiers, he made notable conquests for the Republic, who caused to be erected in his honour an equestrian statue close to the Church of S. Antonio, at Padua." In another record of 1799 there is a further brief reference: " Horse of wood with its fur nishings, and above, the armour of Gattamella with the iron-tipped mace in hand." Apart from the ocular evidence as to the true age of the suit, it is as well here to note that in the inventory of the Arsenal for the year 1548 there is no mention of the armour of Gattamelata or of a suit corresponding with it; so we may safely ascribe the period of the acquisition of the suit and of its attribution to the said general to the first half of the XVIth century. Although in the modern official catalogue the suit is described as being of Brescian make, we have little hesitation in stating that it is of German manufacture, and probably the work of one of the Wolfs ofLandshut; but as we ha\'e never had the opportunity of taking it apart or of making a minute examination of it, we are unable to state whether or not it bears an armourer's mark. Its decoration belongs to the school which is so closely associated with Augsburg and Landshut, distinguished, that is to say, by slightly raised or recessed bands etched with duplicated gilt ornaments. The suit appears almost intact, with the steels of the saddle; the sollerets are associated with it, and are of earlier date; the pauldrons are remarkable for their great size and for the manner in which they wrap over the breastplate in front, almost meeting, and show a similar formation at the back, a feature quite in the accepted Italian XVth century style (Vol. i, Fig. 217). They have permanently attached to them large upright shoulder guards, below which are four deep lames. The whole construction of these large shoulder defences appears most cumber- ' some; but, as we have said, it is in strict accordance with that of XVth century suits made a lafagon d'Italie. Ill 329 u u CHAPTER XXVII THE SCHOOL OF LUCIO PICININO IF that ever-popular school of decorated armour produced under the influence of LucioPicinino of Milan, one work alone, a shield, bears the actual impress of his signature; but his method of workmanship and his decorative motifs enable us to recognize his work in other quarters and to trace in it almost three dis tincti\e styles. The earliest is the finest and, as may be supposed, the grandest, and to this period belong most of his individual shields and parade helmets that have historical importance, together with a single suit; while to the later styles we are able to assign quite a number of suits and parts of suits. Dealing broadly, as we must with the classification of suits of the XVTth century, we will content ourselves by illustrating the single suit which is in the earliest manner of Picinino, and three which are in the later manners. Of the first period is the suit fashioned for Don Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, Duke of Sessa and Baena, Governor of the State of Milan in 1560, and grandson of the great captain of the same name, which is now with the Due de Dino Collection in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (Fig. 1082). This harness, which now terminates at the waist, came from the collection of the Duke of Osuna, part of which originally constituted the armoury of the Duke of Infantado. In the inventory of the armoury of Don Rodrigo de Mendoza vSandoval y Rojas de la Vega y Luna, Marquis of Zenete and Duke of Infantado, made at Guadalajara in 1643, it is described in the following terms: {Translation) "A suit with embossed bands and engraved de taiichie dorde, lined with gold-coloured velvet with gold braid, which is said to have belonged to the Due de Sessa, and which has the Golden Fleece on the front of the breastplate, with backplate, gorget, .arm pieces, elbow-pieces, gauntlets, tassets, cuisses, and greaves, the helmet having a buffe as reinforcing piece and a chanfron."^ Although this armour, which is of the finest workmanship and splendidly preserved, ' Dociimcutos Ineditos para la liistoria de Espafla, vol. Ix.xiv, Madrid, 1882. F"l(;. 1082. A HALK SUIT OF ARMOUR Probably made for Don Gonzalo de Cordoba, Duke of Sessa. Italian, in the first manner of Liicio Picinino of Milan, about 1560. Metropolitan Museum, New York EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS appears to be a parade harness, we find, on careful examination, that it was also intended for use in the field. The weight of the helmet is very considerable, its crest being especially thick. There is a screw hole on the richt side of the mezail which served to receive the screw which fixed the chin-piece or reinforcing buffe mentioned in the inventory, a reinforcement used only in combat. The right shoulder-piece is hollowed out for the lance, although a lance-rest has never been actually attached to this breastplate. This is explained by the fact that the lancc-rcst was usually placed in position on the breastplate according to the taste of the wearer, and would prove that, although, as we have said, the suit was made equally for fighting purposes, it has only been used for parade purposes. As a particular mark which points to the personage for whom it was made, we may notice that, although it is of medium size, the gauntlets arc of very large dimensions, the fingers of the gauntlets being of an extraordinary length. The reinforcing buffe and the leg armour mentioned in the 1643 inventory have disappeared; but what is left of the suit is a marvellous specimen of the art of this particular Milanese armourer of the commencement of the second half of the XVIth century. The close helmet, with the visor and mezail and large gorget plates, is typical of the latter half of the XVIth century, but grand in proportions. Upon the gorget itself, which is partly hidden by the gorget plates of the helmet, can be seen a Medusa mask, and below it the order of the Golden Fleece, suspended by a small chain with the two letters CM. represented as though attached by a cord to the Fleece. Herr Wendelin Boeheim read the first letter inscribed on the plate as C, not C, and accord ingly believed there was reason to attribute this piece to Ciasparo Mola, an embosser working in Rome during the first half of the XVIIth century. But the first letter is undoubtedly a C, an-d the very prominent position occupied by these two letters together, with the fact that they are so closely connected with the (iolden Fleece, would rather prove that they are not the signature of the armourer, but that of the personage for whom the armour was made. The letter C is the first in the paternal name of the Duke of Sessa, Cordoba. As for the letter M, we do not know the name of the Duke's mother; but as in Spain both paternal and maternal names are used, if that name began with an M the explanation of the cipher would be found. One might also interpret the initial to mean Captain (ieneral of Milan; but this reading seems too ven turesome. The collar of the Golden Fleece is embossed on the front of the breastplate, each link of the collar being enriched with gold damascening. This embossing of the collar is continued on the backplate. Above the 332 THE SCHOOL OF LUCIO PICININO VICTORIA . collar is an oval cartouche, on which is engraved the motto: avt . mors . avt . LETA, together with the figure of a woman standing and holding a skull in her right hand. On the upper portion of the backpiece is the figure of a giant grasping the collar of the (iolden Fleece with his hands. The principal design of the ornamentation consists in embossed bands alternating with plain bands blued, in the midst of which are continuous etched ribbons fully gilt. The embossing takes the form of a profusion of mythological Fk;. 1083. Chanfron belonginc; to tue Sessa .suit (kig. 1082) Italian, in the first manner of Lucio Picinino of Milan,.about 1560. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York personages, warriors, terms, fancy figures, cupids, trophies, flowers, fruits, birds, and musical instruments, the style and drawing of which are admir able. We remarked that in the inventory prepared at Guadalajara in 1643 the complete suit, inclusive of the leg defences, the strengthening bufife and chanfron, are mentioned as being then in existence. When, however, the Sessa suit was sold at Paris with the Spitzer Collection in 1893 the leg defences, the strengthening buffe, and the chanfron were no longer with it. Where the former pieces now are is unfortunately still unknown; but we may say 333 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS that we recognized the chanfron in the Rig'u's Collection, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, though now it is when it sadly overcleaned. Mr. Riggs obtained this piece from the Magniac Collection was dispersed at Christie's in 1892 (No. 1045 in the sale catalogue of that collection) (Fig. 1083). As the Mag niac Collection was brought together in the first half of the XIXth century, it is probable that the chanfron got separated from the suit to which it belongs at the time when the people of Madrid searched the city for arms with which to repel the French invasion of 1808; for a good deal of looting was indulged in on this occa sion, a circumstance which may account for the disappearance of the other parts of the suit which are still missing. Probably the best known achieve ment of Lucio Picinino is the suit pre served in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna (Fig. 1084). It is a much later work than the Sessa suit, but a wonder ful and elaborate production; it shows, however, that slight deterioration in the method of enrichment that marks it out as belonging to a later decade. It may certainly be classed as the finest known work in Picinino's second manner. ]"i(;. 1084. Suit of armour Probably made forAlessandroFarnese, Duke of Parma. Italian, in a later manner of Liicio I'icinino of Milan, about 1570. Imperial Armourj-, Vienna Morigia, in his work Nobilta di Milano, 1595, remarks that his con temporary Lucio Picinino has, "in his ornamentation of iron in relief with figures, animals, and grotesque masks, etc., and likewise in his damascene work, produced masterpieces which are among the most choice and precious." He adds 334 THE SCHOOL OF LUCIO PICININO "that Picinino had alsc) produced a matchlessly beautiful suit {ciyiiiatiinx) for His Grace Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma, and for

記載日

　２０２５年９月２７日