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

f^^ 0^) A RECORD OF EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS VOL. II ^^^ . in ikr rtJLtUon «jtkt .AtUiun- A RECORD OF EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS THROUGH SEVEN CENTURIES BY SIR GUY FRANCIS LAKING, BART. C.B., M.V.O., F.S.A. LATE KEEPER OF THE KING'S ARMOURY VOL. 11 LONDON G. BELL AND SONS, LTD. MCMXX r Sf =N 3Y SERVICES AUG 2 3 1991 DATE. u V. '^ LOKDON: PRINTED AT THK CMISWICK PRESS TCKJKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE PREFACE SIR GUY LAKING died on the 22nd of November 1919, a few days after his publishers had been able to send him the first volume of his European Armour and Arms. The other four volumes were in type. Not long before he died he expressed a wish that I should do what was necessary to complete the publication of his book. He left a consider- able number of notes and illustrations which he had intended to introduce into his text. I have endeavoured to carry out those intentions. Like Sir Guy I have, when in difficulty, turned to Mr. S. J. Whawell, who has generously given me the benefit of his great knowledge. The Baron de Cosson has spared himself neither time nor trouble in courteously replying to the many inquiries that I have addressed him. In writing his book Sir Guy Laking did not think it necessary to give precise references to the authorities from which he quoted; moreover, his authorities were often opinions of experts expressed to him viva voce. If I have succeeded in verifying most of the references to books, it has been mainly due to the help of Mr. Charles Beard, who possesses a wide and accurate acquaintance with the literature of Arms and Armour. K.C.V.O., The author's old friends, Sir Edward Barry, Bart., Sir Henry Farnham Burke, Garter Mr. J. Seymour Mr. H. Plowman, Lucas, King R.A., of Mr. Arms, F. F.S.A. have all helped sincerely. A. Mr. W. H. Harman Gates, me, and I Fenton, J. P., F.S.A., and thank them most FRANCIS HENRY CRIPPS-DAY. 38 York Terrace, N.W.i June 1920. V CONTENTS OF VOLUME II CHAPTER X THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE The salade, a very marked family of head-pieces — Probably used as a form of helmet late iti the XlVth century, but most representations of it and extant examples belong to the XVth — The derivation of the name — The rarity of the true German Schallern — The Italian Celata — Some famous examples extant, the work of noted armourers — The continuance in use of the Venetian Celata for purposes of pageantry down to the early years of the XVI Ith century — The Hispano-Mauresque influence occasionally noticeable in their decoration — The salade of the French type ; some extant examples of the first half of the XVth century — Allusion to Joan of Arc— The appearance of the salade in England — Extant examples to be found in England— The tailed salade — The German use of the same head-piece in its lighter form — The English made salade — The Italian salade in the latter years of the XVth century, very closely associated with those of the German Maximilian order of the same epoch — The German and Italian salade when under the influence of great armourers — Their appearance in contemporary painting — The English fighting salade of the time of the Wars of the Roses; examples in English churches — The enrichment of the salade head-piece— Was the crest ever worn upon a salade in actual warfare? — The bevor, bavier or baviere, and suggestion as to as the derivation of its name — Pictured as used with the " tailed " salade — The salade a tournament helmet — Burgkmaier's many representations of them — Some existing examples and other contemporary pictorial representations— The latest salade used, known as " The Saxon jousting helm " — Its affinity with the ordinary close helmet of the middle of the XVIth century — Extant examples CHAPTER XI THE . HEAD-PIECE CALLED THE CHAPEL-DEFER OR CHAPAWE The " chapawe " or war hat of the XVth century — Mentioned in documents of the Xllth century as a head-piece; the close connection it bears to other early head-pieces; its portrayal in the early years of the XII Ith century — M. Viollet-le-Duc's many recon- structions of such a tively late Spanish head-piece — Extant examples of the XVth century — Some compara- types — Certain German war hats — The chapel-de-fer as figuring in the Pageant of William Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick — The barbate as a recorded form of helmet from the middle of the XlVth century until a century later— The uncertainty as to what it was; M. Viollet-le-Duc's explanation — Description of it by Olivier de la Marche — An extant barbate as a company of men . helmet, that . vii might be a barbate — Allusion to a PACK i 57 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS CHAPTER XII THE THE ARMET HEAD-IMP.CB FROM THE EARI.Y YEARS OF THE XVTH CENTURY TO COMMENCEMENT OF THE NEXT CENTURY The armet — The first close helmet which was modelled to the outline of the head, and actually endoacd it— Armour collector! used not to group the annet as a scjwrate family of XVth centur)> head defences —What may have been the origin of its name— The armet's CArliest portrayal in contemporary sculpture and the mention of it by XVth ccntur)' writers — The advantages of such a head-piece — The armct as we describe it to-day, divided into three distinct classes, tlic Italian, KnglLsh- rcutunic, and the Spanish — The acccMories of the armet; the bufTe or grandt bavitrt — The armct head-piece possibly in OK in Italy as early as a.h. 1400— Extant examples of a very little later date — The oldest complete example known to the present writer — Others of the same type but less complete — Vcr>' early examples that have an English provenance — Their association with the war gear of England — Examples of the armct head-piece in use in various countries to be seen in national and private collections in this country — Armcts in Ei^lish churches, various tyiics — Certain eccentricities of German form, and head-pieces made by great artist craftsmen of that country — The crest upon the armct, the strange and unheraldic fashion of its portrayal in Italian XVth century pictorial and mcdaliic art— The decadence of funeral cresting, especially in England, as met with upon helmets of the armet type THE CHAPTHK XIII HELM OF THE XVTH CENTURY The use of the helm as a head-piece at the commencement of the XVth century: its almost complete disuse in the field — Some extant examples: That which might have been worn by King Henry V: Those of Sir Nicholas Hawberk, who died in 1407, and Sir Reginald Kraybruok, who died in 1405 — A speculation on others that may exist — The use of the helm for tournament purposes solely: A connecting link— An English aeries that belong to the third quarter of the XVth century: the helm of Sir John Fqgge; the helm in the I'yx Chapel, Abbey Church of Westminster: the helm that is aaaoctated with the name of King Henry VI, and a helm in the |>ossvssion of Captain II. I.ind-tay — Germanic-English helms of a little later date: the Krocas helm: the Me)-rick-Kessman helm— The purely German helm: the example in the Wallace Col- lection, with its association on its accompanying tournament harness — Similar helms in the National Germanic Museum of Nuremberg: in the Musee d'Artillcrie of I'aris, and a splendid example in the collection of Frince Ernest of Windisch-Graetz: examples in other national museums, to which we have not individually referred: some helms of the same character in private collections — The reference to a family of English made helms that belong to the opening years of the XVIth century: those known to the present writer: the Wallace helm: the Haselcy helm: the Hargello helm: and the helm In Sl George's Cha|)el, Windsor, associated with the name of viii PAOI 71 CONTENTS OF VOLUME II King Edward IV — A comparison in contour between the English and German made helm head-piece of the same epoch — The ItaUan make and fashion of the tilting helm of about this same period: an example: two famous Italian helms at Venice with their accompanying harness: a somewhat similar example at Vienna — The Spanish made helm also of about the same time: two examples in the Royal Armoury, Madrid, one with its harness — The method of the attachment of the cylindrical tilting helm — The helm as a head-guard for the fighter on foot — Some extant examples of such defences — The appearance of such a helm at the beginning of the XVIth century: some examples extant in England — The helm as used in the Chcvnp Clos — Its great protectiveness — The author's difficulty in differentiating between the " great bascinet " and the foot fighting helms — Extant helms or " great bascinets " of the early years of the XVIth century — A particular group of purely tournament helms; some of leather — The crest upon the helm at this period: original crests that exist CHAPTER XIV CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES The mystery of the construction of chain mail defence in early mediaeval times: the possibility of many examples existing, but the great difficulty experienced in assigning a date — Certain chain mail shirts extant that have an established date — Some XlVth century and later contemporary allusions to chain mail: its probable actual construction —Certain existing fragments of chain mail referred to by Meyrick, Burges, and others: other complete hauberks — The dubious authenticity of extant complete defences of chain mail — Late XVth century chain mail, its many usages— The standard of chain mail — ^The continued use of chain mail armour in semi-civilized countries until com- paratively recent times— The use of chain mail in the XVIth century as a subsidiary defence — The flexible defence other than the true shirt of linked mail — The jazarine: the possible derivation of the name: a contemporary effigy so armoured — An existing coat that may come within the category — The brigandine: some early references, extant examples: recorded specimen in the Tower of London: some late XVIth century types — The jack: a plebeian defence— A few XlVth and XVth century allusions to, and illustrations of, it — Jacks of Jate date extant, their construction . CHAPTER XV THE GAUNTLET . . The importance of hand protection recognized from the earliest times — The first mediaeval attempts to effect this by the elongation of the hauberk sleeve: this fashion seen on the brass of Sir Richard de Septvans,and on the effigy of William Longesp^e, Earl of Salisbury, who died in 1266— The divisions for the fingers evolved — The first appearance of the gauntlet, about A.D. 1300, as a separate armament — The rapid advance in the protective construction of the gauntlet in the first half of the XlVth century— The general form of the gauntlet of plate of this period: a typical example on the brass of Sir John de II ix b PACK 99 .167 European armour and arms Saint Qumim— The funcnir>' gauntlets of Kdwarcl. Prince of Wales — Two ext.int iron gauntlets of mki-XIVth century date that show the rentains of an exterior textile ooMftef — Some famous existing gauntlets of the latter part of the XlVth century: the extreme rarity of extant examples— Another type of gauntlet evolved late in the XlVth ccntur>— The forerunner of the true fingered gauntlet of the latter |>art of the XV'th century— No existing specimen of the type known to the author— The mid- XVth century gauntlet: those of the simple mitten order of Italian origin: the more ornate fingered type of but little later date seen on suits of German fashion— A splendid p«ir of gauntlets of this fashii>n probably the work of Mans Griinewult of Nuicnberg, and once the property of Philip le I^u — Kxamples of the gauntlet of the cloaiiig yean of the XVth century most generally met with; its evolution into those of the Maximilian style— The final form of the gauntlet reached in the early years of the XVIth cenlur>* from the point of view of a defence — Vagaries of form assumed by gauntlets generally when made solely for use in the tilt yard; the gtuiHti lii fresa CHAPTER XVI THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVTII CENTURY , The rectangular shield of the latter part of the XlVth century: the so-called Edward III shield in the Abbey Church of Westminster: a suggestion as to its actual age — A comparison with extant shields of the same ty|)e — An evolution from the rectangular shield, the ty|x which intrcxluces /a bouchf dt la lanct — The shield uf John of Gaunt, fanaetKy in St Paul's Cathedral: certain extant shields that show the homhf de In lance formation more or less developed: a fine late XVth century shield of the ty[x;, in the British Museum— An historical shield of "heater" form, belonging to the first quarter of the XVth century: the shield hanging above the tomb of King Henry V in the Abbey Church of Westminster — The rectangular shield as it ap|x:ared in the second half of the XVth century* — Some characteristic examples extant — The so-called Hungarian shield — The character of the kite-shaped shield, as develo|K:d in the XVth century— Its representation in all Renaissance ornamentation, its pojiular form, and its almost uninterrupted use since the Xlth century — Some fine XVth century examples existing, with certain variations of form — The rectangular pavis of the archer, its ok: some notable specimens— The circular target or "bocc": its continuous use through ■11 ages — Its proportions at the end of the Xlllth century, according to the |>erished ficsccies of the Painted Chamber, Westminster Palace: as it figures on cflligies— Some extant examples of the XVth and XVIth centuries — A specimen of historical interest: Hans Burgkmaicr's representation of the " boce" or target, in his famous "Triumph of Maximilian "--The buckler of the XVIth century; the pistol bucklers in the Tower Collection — Variously formed shields used solely in the tilt yard CHAPTER XVII THE SWORD OF THE XVTH CENTURY The knight's s«rord in the early years of the XVth century, its scarcely perceptible altcratiaro Fracasso OK MiLAN. Vienna 474. Helm and harness, Spanish, early XVIth century. Imperial Armoury, PAUR Royal Armoury, Madrid 475 Helm. Spanish, early XVIth century. Royal Armoury. Madrid . 476. QiiLTEii tournament cai*. early XVIth century. '45 •43 144 Imperial Armoury, Vienna 477. Two DRAWINGS AKTER A. DURER. SHOWING THK HELM AND THE TOURNAMENT 140 140 CAf ATTACHED 478. Helm. E.nglish, early XVIth century, now hanging over the tomb of Sir W. Barextyn in Haseley Church, Oxfordshire "47 479. Helm. English, early XVIth century. English, Wallace Collection . 480. Helm. English, early XVIth century. The Har^ello Museum, Florence 481. Helm. early XVIth century, erroneously BELONGED TO Kdward IV. St Gcorgc's Chapel, Windsor said to 146 . have 482. The author's drawings of the English and German tyi'es of helm worn AT THE END OE 149 THE XVtH AND THE UE(;iNNING OF THE XVItH CENTURIES 483. Helm. Burgundian, late XVtii century, found in tiik vicinity of Bourg-en-Bresse. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York 484. H ELM -B ASCI NET. ABOUT 1460-80. Mus^e Lorin, Hourjj-en-Bresse 485. Helm-basci NET. ABOUT 1470. Sallc de Garde, Museum of Dijon 486. Helm OP Sir Thomas Broke ( '52 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II FIG. PACK 493. Helm from Lord Stafford's armoury, Costessey Hall. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York . . . . . . .156 494. Helm, now hanging over the tomb of John Beaufort, Duke of Somer- set. Wimborne Minster . . . . . . . . .156 495. Helm, early years of the XVIth century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna , 158 496. Helm, early years of the XVIth century. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . 1 58 497. Helm, by one of the Missaglia, made for Henry VIII. Tower of London ........ ... .159 498. Armet-helm, probably English, early XVIth century, made for Henry VIII. Tower of London . ....... 159 499. Helm, early XVIth century, from Stowe. Tower of London . . 160 500. Helm, middle of the XVIth century, long known as " Headpeece of John OF Gauntes." Tower of London . . . . . .160 501. Tournament helm, German. From the Soyter Collection . . . 161 502. Tournament helm, German, of leather and open ironwork, early XVIth century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna . . . . .161 503. Helm-crest, Italian, first half of the XVth century. Collection: Signor S. Bardini . . . . . . . . . . .164 504. Helm-crest, reputed to have been that of King Martin I of Aragon (1409- 1 4 10). Royal Armoury, Madrid . . . . . .164 505. Helmet and crest, reputed to have been worn by Georg Castriota (1406-1466). Imperial Armoury, Vienna ...... 166 506. Hauberk of chain mail, known as the shirt of Saint Wenceslaus. Cathedral of Prague . . . . . . . . . .168 507. Portion of the Wenceslaus hauberk, showing actual size of links . 169 508. Tippet of chain mail, added late in the XVth or early in the XVIth century to the Wenceslaus hauberk. Cathedral of Prague . 170 509. Drawing, showing the manufacture of the links of mail . . .172 510. Armourer making chain mail, from -yw^ Zwoi.fbruderhaus Stiftuxgs- BUCH. Town Library, Nuremberg . . . . . . -173 511. Chaiij mail cap, attributed to the XIIIth or XIVth century, reputed to have been found in a tomb at Epernay. Collection: Mr. H. G. Keasby . . . . . . . . . . . • 1 74 512. Chain mail cap, assigned to the XIIIth-XIVth century. Porte de Hal, Brussels . . . . . . . . . . -174 513. Piece of chain mail with clamp rivets, possibly early XIVth century, reputed to have been found in a church in Gloucestershire. Col- lection: Author . . . . . . . • . . -175 xxi EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS no. AN 514. PiKCK or CHAIN MAIL, FOttlBLV XIVtH CENTURY. FOUND IN THE FOUNDATION or OLD HOUSE IN Nottingham. Collection: Author. 515. Piece or chain mail, fOSSiBi-v XIVth century. 516. Chain mail hauberk, late XIVth century. Edinburjjh 517. FKt»M THE EKKUIY OF SiR thoqx: Church. Norfolk 518. Chain mail hauberk, Mr. R. Stuyvesant EdMUND late DE XIVth ThORI'E, century. London Museum Royal Scottish Museum, AWOUT Collection: PAOK . 1418. Ashwcl- the .176 177 178 i79 late 180 519. Chain MAIL hauberk, early XVth century. M usee d'Artillerie. Paris . 181 5aa Chain mail hauberk, fj^rly XVth century. Collection: Author . 5J1. 5aj. Portion of chain mail hauberk (Fig. 520), .showing actual size ok the UNKs Bevor of riyeted chain mail, middle of the XVth century, IJcrlin 522A. Riveted chain mail brayette, late XVth century. /.eughaus, Rigjfs Collec- tion, Metropoliun Museum of New York 523. Standard OF RIVETED MAiu The Rotunda, Woolwich 524. Standard OF riveted mail, found in the Thames. . British Museum 525. Standard of riveted mail, second half of the XVth century, found near Worship Street. Loniwn. 526. Riveted chain Author mail hauuerk, Collection: Mr. W. H. Fenton early XVItii century. 527. Part of a RivtrrED mail gusset, early XVItii ckntukv. Author • Collection: Collection: 528. Portrait or a Nobleman, by Giovanni Moroni, showing now the chain National Gallery MAIL GU.S.SETS WERE worn. 529. From a w<»oik ut of a Landsknecht captain, wearing a tippet of chain MAII 53a - Bishop's Mantle." EARLY XVItii CENTURY. 531. " BiMUip's Joubert 532. DuELUNG Collection : Author Mantle," GAUNTLET, early WITH XVItii LINING century. OF CHAIN Collection: MAIL. . Mr. .182 182 183 183 .184 184 . 184 '85 '85 186 '87 .187 V . Collection : Mr. W. 533- H. Fenton *•'*"** THE FIGURE OF St. GeoRGE, BY M. AND G. KlAUSENBOURG, SHOWING jAZERANT 'body ARMOUR. Hradschin Palacc, IVaguc '88 «88 .190 534, JAZERANT HALF ARMOUR, MADE DuKE OF Urbino, ABOUT 1530. FOR FrANCE.SCO MaRIA I l»KI.I.A KoVKKI, Imperial Armoury, Vienna xxii 190 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II FIG. PAGB 535. From a picture by Dirk Bouts, showing a brigandine. late Mr. C, T. D. Crews . 536. Brigandine, Italian, about 1500. . . . . Collection: the . . . Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York . . . 537. Brigandine, early XVtii century. . . . . . Musee d'Artillerie, Paris . . . .191 .192 .192 538. Brigandine, as in Fig. 537, turned inside out and showing metal lining. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris 539. Brigandine, with lance rest, late XVth century. Vienna .... Imperial Armoury, 192 ......... 193 540. Brigandine, Italian, early XVth century. Imperial Armoury, Vienna 193 541. Two BRiGANDiNES, early XVth CENTURY. Porte de Hal, Brussels 542. Brigandine, possibly French, third quarter of the XVth century. Castle, Darmstadt . . . . . . . . . . 543. Velvet brigandine, from a picture by Nuno Gonsalves, late XVth CENTURY. National Museum, Lisbon 544. Brigandine, EARLY XVIth CENTURY. 545. Brigandine, possibly late . . . Tower of London XVth century. . . .... Burges bequest, Museum . . . . . . 546. Portion of a brigandine, early XVth century. . . . . . British • Burges bequest, British Museum . ........... 547. Brigandine, Italian, early XVIth century. Ex Collection: . The 194 -195 .196 197 .198 198 Herr R. Zschille 548. Brigandine, with arm defences and tassets, late century. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York .... XVIth 549. Jack of quilted linen, as represented in Memlinc's St. Ursula Chasse. Hospital of St. John, Bruges 550. Jack of coarse worked linen, second half of the XVIth century. de Hal, Brussels 551. Jack, middle of the XVIth century. Porte Burges bequest, British Museum. 552. From the brass of Sir Robert de Septvans, early XI I Ith century, show- ing chain mail mitten gauntlets. Chartham Church, Kent . 553. From the effigy of William Longespee, Earl of Salisbury, about 1226, SHOWING chain MAIL MITTEN GAUNTLETS. bury Cathedral Church of Salis- 554. From the effigy of William de Valence, showing chain mail gaunt- lets. Abbey Church of Westminster 199 200 200 201 201 . 203 203 .....■• 204 555. Gauntlets, as represented on an effigy of a knight, early XIVth century. Schutz Church, Alsace . xxiii . . . ' • • • • 204 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS 556^ GAUKTi.rr AS reprksknted on a sculptural slab, early XIVth century. Sch6nthal Church. Germany 557. Gauntlet, as represented on an unknown effiuy, about 1335. Church. Kent 558. From the brass «f Sir John db Saint Quintan, about 1370-80. 56a burton Church, Yorkshire 559. The right gauntlet. h.\ngi.ng over the tomb of the Black Prince. Cathcdrul Church of Canterbury The Gauntlets, as represented on the effigy ok the Black Prince. Cathedral Church of Canterbury 561. "Gad," kuruerlv on the knuckle of one of the gauntlets now iiangini; OVER THE TOMB OF THE Bl.\CK PrINCE 562. Fragment OF A GAUNTLET, ABOUT 137a 563. Portion OF A GAUNTLET, ABOUT 1370. Tower of London British Museum 564. Hour-glass form of gauntlet, as represented on the effigy of a KNIGHT, ABOUT 1 4 ID. South Kelsey Church, Lincolnshire 565. Pair of gauntlets, probably Italian, 137080. Bargello Florence 566. Pair of GAUNTLETS WITH enrichments OF brass, about 1380-1400. Wallace Collection 567. Left gauntlet of the pair (Fig. 566) as recon.structed by Viollkt- LE-Duc 568. Gauntlet, as repre-sented on the efugy of Sir Thomas Cawnk, about 138a 569 Ightham Church, Kent Right gauntlet, about 1380, found among the ruins of the castle 01 Tannenberg. Collection: Dr. Bashford Dean . 570. Gauntlet, as represented on the effigy of Sir George Felbkigge, ABOUT 1440. St. Mary's Church, Playford, Suffolk 571. Gauntlets, as represented on the brass of Richard Dyxton, about 1430. Cirencester Church, Gloucestershire 572. Gauntlets, as represented on the efugy of John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel (MiXiw:\:i \s Reve/.it/oxss CBLESTSS sA/fcTAS Bk/c/ttae, \^q2 613. Horn buckler or boce, second hale or the XVth century. d'Artillcrie. Paris 614. Buckler or wood and iron, early XVIth century. Mus^e Mus^e d'Artillcrie, Paris 615. Buckler. English, KAKLY XV Itii ck.ntury. 616. Buckler. E.vglish, early XVIth century Tower of London 617. Rectangular shield, as seen in a woodcut "Triumph or Maximilian " 618. Boer., AS seen in a woodcut by uv Uurgkmaikr, in the Burgkmaikr, in the "Triumph of Maximilian" 619. Rectangular Author 62a shield. Italian, early Boce, early hale or the XVIth century. Metropolitan Museum of New York 631. XVIth Ex century. Collection: Dino Collection, now in the Buckler, with central pistol, Engllsh, early XVIth century. of London 622. Buckler, with central pistol, Engllsh, early XVIth century. burgh Castle xxvi Tower Edin- 235 235 . . 236 236 237 237 238 239 24O 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 246 247 247 248 248 249 249 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II FIG. 623. 624. 625. 626. 627. 628. 629. 630. 631. 632. 633- 634- 635- 636. 637- 638. 639- 640. 641. 642. 643- 250 Buckler, to which was once fitted a central pistol, English, early XVIth CENTURY. Amioury of the Kfiights of Malta Buckler, middle of the XVIth century. 255 . Wallace Collection Small buckler of embossed Collection : Lord Kenyon iron, English, late 255 XVIth ........ Tilting shield, German, early XVIth century. Bastard sword, about 1430, found in the Thames. Wallace Collection Collection : Mr. H. G Keasby ........... Effigy of William Suffolk Philipp, Lord Berdolf, in Dennington Church 257 ........... Bastard sword, first half of the XVth century. 256 Wallace Collection Bastard sword, first quarter of the XVth century, found in the Cam Collection: Mr. W. H. Redfern Bastard sword, first quarter of the XVth century, found in thi Thames. Tower of London ....... Bastard sword, Italian, second half of the XVth century. 258 tion: Mr. Godfrey Williams ....... Bastard sword, German, end of first half of the XVth century Collection : Mr. H. G. Keasby Sword of bastard type, ....... 258 probab ly CENTURY. Italian, Collection: Mr. H. G. Keasby middle of ..... Bastard sword, German, Cosson . . late XVth century. . ... Collection: Bastard sword, German, late XVth or early XVIth century. Wallace Collection . . . . . . . . Six bastard swords in the Bavarian National Museum Single-handed sword, early " XVth century. Ex . Dino and Carrand Collections, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York . The Battle Abbey " sword, first quarter of the XVth century Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh ...... Single-handed sword, first quarter of the XVth century. Chapel, Westminster ......... Sword, middle of the XVth century, etched with inscriptions. Armoury, Madrid . . • . Sword, probably Italian, middle of the XVth century. tion ...... Wallace Collec ...... PAGE 248 century Collec the XVti Baron d( 252 253 264 262 262 The Pyx Royal 262 265 Sword, with the arms of the Viscontj family engravkd on the blade, Musee Cluny, Paris . • . xxvii • , 266 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS no. 644. "Sword or the Constables of France," second half of tiii^ XVtii CENTURY. Musde d'Artillcrie, Paris 645. CuRveo iiwoRD. NoRrHKRN French, first quartkr of tmk XVtii century. Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert 646. CyRVEO SWURI) WITH FAI.CIIION BIADK, ItAUAN. I.ATTKR PART OF THK XVtU century. Collection: the late M. Edmond Foulc, Paris 646A. Curved sworu with XVIth CESTi'RV. falchion blade, Milanese, first third of the Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell 647. The " DoNATELLO ■' sword. Italian, late XVtii century. Royal Armoury, Turin 648. Thf. "Caesar Borgia " sword, Italian, late XVIth century. Collection : Prince Teano, Duke of Sermoneta 649. Leather scabbard of the "Caesar Boroia" sword. Victoria and Albert Museum 650. THE"PuCCr' SWORD, NoRTH ITALIAN, LATE XVtH CENTURY 651. SwoRD, Italian, late XVth century. Cluny, Paris 652. Sword, Italian, LATE XVth CENTURY. 653. Sword, late XVth century. Collection: Beaumont Collection: Collection, Baron dc Cosson . Mr. Felix Joubert . 654. Sword, North Italian, u^te XVth century. Mus^e de Louvre 655. Sword, North Italian, late Mus^e Cluny, Paris 656. Sword, North Italian, late Mus^ Cluny, Paris XVth century. XVth century. Beaumont Collection, Beaumont 657. Small sword with enriched blAde, Italian, late XVth century. Museum, Florence 658. Sword, refuted to have been XVIth century, designed by Andrea Musde de Louvre PACK 267 268 269 .... Collection, . Bargello Briokco, early 269 271 . Mus<5e , 272 272 273 273 273 274 275 276 .276 277 .... 277 659. Six pommeus of bronze, Italian, late XVth and early XVIth centuries. British Museum 278 660. .Sword, with "ear" pommel, Venetian, decorated under Moorish fluence, LATE XVth century. in- Collection : Signor Rcssman, Bargello Museum, Florence 661. The Villaseca .......... sword, or sword of Marquise de Viana, Madrid 663. Sword of Hispano- Moorish Boabdil. Collection : Dowager design, presented to the Nationai.e, Parls. by the Due dk Luvnks 663. Biblioth£que Sword of Hlspano- Moorish df„sign, late XVth century, reputed to xxviii 280 282 282 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II FIG. HAVE OF BELONGED Spain. TO CARDINAL DoN FeRNANDO, BROTHER Royal Armoury, Madrid OF ....... 664. Sword of Hispano-Moorish design, reputed to have PhILIP belonged • AbEN-AcHMET, the last of the Metropolitan Museum of New York ABENCfeRRAGES, LATE XVth CENTURY. ....... 665. Sword of Hispano-Moorish design, now recognized to be a forgery. Royal Armoury, Madrid ......... 666. Sword, back-edged, Spanish, early XVth century. Collection : Mr. Felix Joubert ............ 667. Sword, first half of the XVth century, showing the introduction of the finger-ring. Collection: Baron de Cosson . . . 668. Sword with double-grooved back-edged blade, probably German, second half of THE XVth century. Collection: Author ' . 669. Sword with single finger-ring beneath the quillons, etched and gilt with the arms of Lopez de Zuniga, late XVth century. Castle 670. Sword with single finger-ring below the guard, late XVth century, of French origin, with a medallion portrait of Louis XII- inset in the pommel. Collection: the late M. Edmond Foulc, Paris 670A. Sword, early XVIth century. . Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York ........... 671. Sword, Italian, LATE XVth CENTURY, with primitive /'^.s-'/j'^A^^. Collec- tion : Mr. Godfrey Williams . . . . . 672. "The battle sword of Ferdinand the Catholic." Madrid ............ 673. Sword, Spanish, late XVth century. . . Royal Armoury, Collection: Signer Osma, Madrid 674. Sword with early knuckle guard, Italian, end of the XVth or com- mencement OF THE XVIth century. Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York .......... 675. Sword of the Landsknecht Wallace Collection type, Italian, late XVth .......... 676. From the picture by Palma il Giovane of "Judith with the head of HOLOFERNES," SHOWING Accademia, Venice 677. SwORD OF THE THE ITALIAN TYPE OF LaNDSKNECHT .......... LaNDSKNECHT bequest, British Museum TYPE, . LATE . XVtH . . 678. Landsknecht sword known .^s the Hauswehr CENTURY. . or . . Kurzwehr order, German or Swiss, early XVIth century. xxix Wallace Collection PAGE IV to . . . Windsor . . century. SWORD. Rothschild . . . . . . 284 284 284 285 287 . . 287 288 289 289 289 290 291 292 295 296 297 298 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS no. 679. LANDSKKECirr SWORD XVItm cENTi'RV. AND SCABBAKU. WITH EVISCFKATINc; Collection: Mr. S. J. VVhawcll 679A. LaND&KNECHT THE SWORIl. WITH A LATTKN SHIELD OK THE AKMS OF AUSTRIA ON CRII". EARLY XVItH CENTURY, KOUND IN LoNIWN. 680. FoL'R Lani«knkcht swoRus OK 1510-30. Collections: Mus«l'c d'Artilleric, Paris, ImiKrial Armour)', Vienna, and Baron de Cosson 681. CiJiiDHKJ^MH-MOR. EARLY XVIth CENTURY. Ex Collection: Paton, now in the Royal Scottish Museum, Hdinburgh 68a. Claii>heamh-mor, Scottish, EARLY XVIth CENTURY. Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant, New York 683. Ct-AiUHEAMii-MUR, .SCOTTISH, EARLY XVItii CENTURY. 684. C1.A10HEAMH-MOR. EARLY XVIth clntury 685. ClaIDHEAMH-MOR. EARLY XVItH CENTURY 686. QuiujONs or A SWORD or THE CLAIUHEAMH-MOR TYPE. Collection: the late British Muscum Collection : Author . 687. Scottish sword, the prototyi'E or the claidheamh-mor type, middle of THE XI Vth CENTURY. National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh 688. Portion or a claidiikamh-mur or smaller proi-ortions, CENTIRY 689. CiJiiDHEAMH-MOR, ABOUT 1610. Collection : H.M. the King. Windsor Castle 69a Ci^iDHEAMH-MOR, ABOUT 1610. Collection : H. M. the King, Windsor Castle. 691. 69a. FoUR-m (ircck ami I'.truscan bronze helmets of anlitjuity and wliith fi^urcil almost throuj»hout the XVth century as the chief head-piece of the Italian knight. The development of the bascinet helmet into such a salade would have been a verj'casy step: it necessitated but the introduction of a stronj^er form of keel to the crest of the skull-piece, the ileprcssin^ of its pointed a|H:.\. and linally the givinjjof a slight outward curl to its lower edge. Troni the earliest mention of the salade in lingland in the opening years of the Wth centur)' one has to wait till about the years 1470-80 before it is first seen represented on any linglish effigy, when an example apixiars, of what wc shall ver)' broadly term the French or tailed type, on an effigy of a meniber of the Neville family in HrancejKth Church, Durham (Fig. 330). On the continent, however, a variety of forms of the (ircek hoplite type are to be noted in .Xvanzi's frescoes in the chajx;! of St. ('icorgc at Padua, Fig. 33a From an ekhgv of the Neville family ibiy Ralph, second Earl of Westmorland, about 1470-80. (After Stothard) Hrancc|>cth Church, Durham painted as early as 1385; while there are existing Italian salades which may safely be assigned to the middle of the XVth century, and of these we arc able to present many illustrations. Contemporar)- with the early Italian salades were those German forms which were half war hats and half salades. These were far less graceful in their outline than the Italian type of the same period; but existing specimens are nowadays much rarer. The German Schallcrn was an open helmet w ith a slight ridge and ajiex to the skull-piece and a brim that projected uniformly all round. It was large enough to cover the whole face, and the deep brim had a slit cut in it for the ocularium. We arc unacquainted with any perfect S|x;cimen now existing in our Iinglish collections; although a portion of such a salade is in the collection of Sir Hdward Harry at Ockwells Manor. There was formerly an example in the Londeslx)rough collection, which is engraved in l-airholt's Afisce/iaptca Graphica. In the Mus<5e d'Artillerie of Paris there is an admirable example. II 46 (Fig. 331), together with a painted picitre, THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE or horse breast-plate, representing two knights clad in armament which might well be assigned to the early years of the XVth century, jousting and wearing exactly this type of head- piece (Fig. 332). In the arsenal of Fiirstenwalde on the Spree there is a representative German Schallerti shown misleadingly upon a half suit of fluted armour of early XVIth century date (Fig. 333). It is safe to conclude that the Italian Celata and the German Schallerti were the only contemporary head-pieces of the salade type worn when the bascinet was the almost universal helmet. The third and cer- ^^^^'^^i. Salade of the German .sc//^^z£aw tainly the best known form of salade TYPE, AHOUT I44O H 46, Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris is that which is drawn out at the back to a tail, a form which, broadly speaking, may be described as the French type; although in the second half of the XVth century it was the popular head- piece of nearly all civilized Europe with perhaps the exception of Italy, which remained constant to the Celata form. This French type consists in a finely moulded skull-piece prolonged over the neck very much after the manner of a mariner's sou'wester. This tail-piece was occasionally composed of two or more laminated plates. In some cases a hinged visor was added in front; but often the ocularium was formed by a slit, or a double slit, in the skull-piece itself, as seen in the German Schallern. Although all salades are head- pieces of the Fig. 332. Painted piciere probauly burgundian Ex coll. J. M. Soytcr. G 533, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris ^^^ greatest rarity, excellent examples of nearly all types can be inspected in our National ' collections. t-»u iU-tirii r^ \\ t.' 1 Perhaps the Wallace Collection shows us the greatest variety; for inclusive of those found on the suits numbered respectively 340 and 620, there are sixteen examples, all varying in form. 3 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS We will, in the first place, describe those of the Italian order to be found in the Wallace Collection and elsewhere. Althoujjh we are aware that the Italian Cfiata was in use throughout the first half of the X\'th century, we dare not assign any of the examples we illustrate to a date earlier than about 1450. In the Wallace Collcx^tion, No. 75 in the catalogue is perhaps one of the earliest with which we are acquaintcxi (Tig. 334). It is of the so-called 1 1()i)litc type, having a finely moulded skull-piece with an acute keel-like section. The face-i>pening is shaped as the letter T, but the ocularia are eye-shaped and have round their border a reinforcing band, square in section, which was addetl to prevent a hostile weapon from glancing into them. The edge of the lower border is turned outwards, and is of triangular .section. Around the middle of the skull is a row of flush-headed rivets for the attachment of the Fu;. 333. Gennan, about 1460. German schau.ekn Arsenal of Furstcnwaldc on the Spree lining. An armourer's mark, probably that of Antonio da Missaglia, repeated three times, is on the right-hand side of the skull-piece at the back. This salade came from the collection of Sir Samuel Meyrick, to whom it was presented by M. Vendramini. It is illustrated in Skelton's "Engraved Illus- trations of Antient Arms and Armour," vol. ii, Plate LXXIV. Next in point of interest is No. 39, which is also of the Hoplitc form (Fig. 335). It even more closely resembles the Etruscan helmet and must have been suggested by the model of Theoplion. The skull is high and finely moulded, entirely forged from one piece, the ocularia taking the form of two oval apertures divided by a na.sal guard; around the skull is a row of fourteen rosette-headed rivets for the attachment of the leather strap, still in jxjsition, to which could be sewn the lining. This helmet, which was formerly in the collection of the (>)mtc de Nicuwerkerke, is Norih Italian, and might be dated within the third (|uartcr 4 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE of the XVth century. An Italian salade almost similar to No. 75 is No. 86 (Fig. 336), also of the classic type, having a finely moulded skull-piece with a keel of acute section, perforated with a hole for the attachment of the crest. The face-opening, formed as the letter T, is unlike the two just described, being quite rectangular ; around the margin has been riveted a reinforcing band r"i(.. 334. Salaul North Italian, about 1450-70 No. 75, Wallace Collection North Italian, about 1470. 0 Fig. 335. Salaue North Italian, about 1470 No. 39, Wallace Collection Fig. 336. Salade No. 86, Wallace Collection (now missing) as in the case of No. 75. The armourer's mark upon this helmet, which appears twice at the back of the skull, is one akin to that used by the Missaglia of Milan. The surface of this salade is now painted. The other two salades of the Italian order in the Wallace Collection are Nos. 30 and 53. The former, crudely fashioned and of indifferent workmanship, was doubtless the helmet of an archer. The latter (Fig. 337), also an archer's 5 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS head-piece, though of sounder constmction, has the peculiarity of havinjij its right check-piece hingctl. in all probability to enable the wearer more readily to bend the head on one side when taking aim. These two salatlcs l)cU)ng to the third i{uarter of the X\*th century. This is a fitting opportunity to refer to a " find " of North Italian salades which took place a few years ago. They must all ha\e come from the arsenal. of some Italian castle, in the region of Padua; but, though we have made the most assiduous ini|uiries, we have up to the present been unable to ascertain positively the name of the place where they w ere disco\ered, a circum- Fi<;. 337. Sai-ade I'Rou'aulv worn uv an archer Italian, about 1470. No. 53, Wallace Collection Stance due, doubtlc*ss, to the secrecy in w hich the dealers who first came upon them determined to involve the whole affair. I'rom this group the first example was sold in I'lorence (Fig. 338, a and b). It is jx-'rhaps as grand a s|x;ci- mcn a-s any known. Of great depth, its ocularia and face-oi)cni ng arc of T-shajx: form. At the Ijack of the skull-piece is a Milanese mark of about 1470, three times repeated; while on the right-hand corner of the cheek-piece is a counter- mark, resembling the fore-part of the Lion of St. Mark seen full face. This salade is now in the collection of the Baron de Cossf)n. The next of the salades to ap|xrar in the market (Fig. 339) is in the same condition and is marked in precisely the same manner as the first example. It is a little shorter from the 6 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE top of the skull-piece to the lower edge. This head-piece was purchased in Munich; but we have been able to trace it to the same Italian source. It is now in our own collection. A few months later five other salades were offered for sale through various channels, all of which we discovered came likewise from Italy. Three we illustrate (Figs. 340, 341 , 342). Two (Figs. 340 and 341) are in our own collection, while the third (Fig. 342) is now in a collection at Munich. They all bear the same Milanese armourer's mark, and most of them the small counter-mark, the Lion of St. Mark. The other two salades of this same "find," both excellent examples, though of somewhat Fk;. 338. Salade North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark, also one that appears to be of Venetian origin About 1470. Collection: Baron de Cosson (a) Profile view (^) Front view smaller proportions, are in the collection of Mr. S. J. Whawell. All the head- pieces we have examined from this " find " are in the same satisfactory state of preservation, which makes us think that they had been kept together under the same atmospheric conditions. After this discovery the collector need not despair, the more so that in the summer of 1919 we acquired for our collection a North Italian salade of about 1470 of equal beauty and in equally fine condition. It is i2| inches in height and is illustrated in the frontispiece to this volume. It was found in a private house in England and has never before been described. The Tower armoury contains a very fine example of an Italian salade with a strong reinforcing band around its T-shaped face-opening. The skull- 7 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS piece of this saladc, which was purchased by the Tower of London authorities at the Ikrnal Sale at Christie's in 1855, is most gracefully mouKlcd to a keel- like form, and. like most of the other examples to which we ha\e alluded, is I'Ui. 339. Salade North Italian, bearini; Milanese and Venetian marks. Collection: Author Fig. 34a Salade North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark About 147a Collection: Author About 1470 Fig. 341. Salade North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark About 1470. Blued and trimmed with gilt bronze. Collection: Author deeply stam|x:d at the back with a Milanese armourer's mark twice repeated, placed above which is a third though different Italian mark (Tig. 343). In the same armoury is an almost similar salade, but of less graceful contour. It bears a different armourer's mark, though of Milanese origin, thrice re|)eated. I-ive other salades of the Italian order are also to be seen 8 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE in the Tower collection, one of which, a late XVth century example, is covered with crimson velvet and studded with gilded head rivets and applied ornaments. It was purchased at the Peuker Sale. In the Museum of Artillery at the Rotunda, Woolwich, is an Italian salade that is classed in the official catalogue of that Institution under the heading of Rhodes Armour, though what is meant to be inferred from this is difficult to determine. The suggestion seems to be that the example came from the Isle of Rhodes; but when imported and under what circumstances we have been at a loss to discover. This salade (Fig. 344) is of fine form, but somewhat small when compared with those we have been describing. The Fig. 342. North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark. Salade About 1470. In a private collection, Munich {a) Front view; {b) Profile view skull-piece is trimmed with a gilt bronze decorated border attached round the edge with bronze-headed rivets, while the plume holder, also in the same medium, which is fixed to the helmet in front, is engraved with a vase and flowers. It is well worth taking special notice of the illustration of this salade ; for its exact type figures throughout the XVth century and even earlier in Italian pictorial and sculptural art. For example, at the end of the XlVth century, it is a head-piece of the knights painted on the Avanzi frescoes already referred to; while in the middle of the XVth century it is carved on the triumphal arch of Alphonso of Aragon, erected at the Castel Nuovo at Naples in 1470 (Figs. 345 and 346). In the splendidly modelled reliefs on this arch, the details of the Italian mid-XVth century armour are II 9 c EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS mosi accurately rendered; while it is remarkable to note that every head-piece depicted is a salade of the Italian ty|X.' with the exception of that depicted on the central fij^re (Fij;. 345). who wears a helmet resemhlinj^ the chapd- de-ftr worn with a strong ^w^. In one of the illustrations showinjj these reliefs (Fig. 346) the salade which the knight immediately on the left of the central figure is represented as wearing has a |)eculiar interest, as it shows an outer covering to the helmet in the form of a lion's scalp, such as can be noted covering an actually extant salade (Tig. 355). The representa- tion of a salade very like the Rotunda example is to Ix; seen in a picture by Martino di Battista in the Imperial Picture Gallery, Vienna, where a Fig. 343. Salade North Italian, bearing a Milanese armourer's mark. .About 1470. Tower of London young N'enetian nobleman is portrayed holding just such a salade, and resting it jxirtly on "a balcony in frontof him (I'ig. 347). In this picture the skull-piece of the salade is encircled with a gilt metal wreath of oak foliage. To find mid-XVth century Italian salades decorated with applied gilded bronze ornaments is not uncommon; although in nearly every case the ornamentation was added at a later date, perhaps in the XVIth or even in the W'llth century, when these really business-like head defences were sometimes enriched by these additions for use in pageants. The late Mr. Morgan Williams, in his fine armoury at St. Donat's Castle, had a salade (I*ig. 348) covered with gilt bronzework and velvet additions of the early years of the XVI Ith century. He had these additions removed and then found himself the possessor of a fine salade of mid- 10 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE XVth century date, bearing the armourer's mark of the famous Antonio da Missaglia (Fig". 348). Though excessively rare, XVth century salades with elaborate contemporary trimming of gilt bronze are known to be still extant. A splendid example (Fig. 349), with the decoration added in bold and simple good taste, is from our own collection. In the collection of Mr. S. J. Whawell is a head-piece which the Baron de Cosson declares Fig. 344. North Italian, about 1480. Salade Museum of the Rotunda, Woolwich to be one of the finest Italian salades in existence. It has the great depth of I2| inches. It retains a splendid blue-black surface and also, with the exception of a small part, its original trimmings of decorated gilt bronze around the edge. Only recently, on the back of the skull-piece, beneath a small deposit of rust, was found a Milanese armourer's mark. This fine salade Mr. Whawell obtained from Florence, where it was well known as one of the principal treasures of the collection of Signor S. Bardini (Fig. 350). Two other salades of the Celata order, but very richly decorated with velvet II EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS and applied hmnze-jjilt work, we illustrate. The finer of the two (Fijj. 351), which was formerly in the Ciatterburjj Morosini Colleetion, X'enice, has adorn- ments which mij^ht be as early as the With century. The second (Fij?. 35aX now in the collection of Prince I4 Fir.. 547. It has been suggested that this Portrait ok a Venetian nobleman Attributed to Martino di Battista da Udine known as I'ellcgrino da San Danicle. Fainted about 1490. Imperial Picture Gallery, Vienna outer covering is work of the XVIIth century; but we have no hesitation in pronouncing it to be contemporary with the helmet. From its very close resemblance to that lion mask salade sculptural in the relief on the Alphonso of Aragon arch at Naples to which we have referred, we should think that the I^fontaine salade is of Italian origin; but, as the helmet is somewhat crudely fashioned, there is the |x>ssibility that it may be an English-made head-piece founded on an Italian model. The plausibility of this latter thcor)' is somewhat .strengthened by the circumstance that tradition THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE has it that this hehnet was originally part of the original armoury of the house from which it was obtained. The salade of Italian form that we shall mention last is a very beautiful helmet in the possession of V^iscount Astor, at Hever Castle, Kent (Fig. 356). ■ _ A m i^^m ^ 1 ikJIP y^ ^ * -^7^^ ■ ..^Kkt^i "^ Fic. 348. Salade North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark About 1470. Collection: Mr. Godfrey Williams Fig. 349. North Italian. Collection: 15 Fig. 350. North Italian, bearing a Milanese mark. Salaue About 1470. Saladk ',1 .A About 1470 Author i The surface blued, with bronze gilt enrichments. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell Owing to the semi-oriental feature of its decoration Viscount Astor's helmet, like the salade in the Royal Armoury, Madrid, has been associated with the name of Boabdil. Be that as it may, this salade remains one of the most remarkable helmets of its type extant. The proportions of the head-piece are not large and the face-opening is wide. Above the ears EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS are applied scmi-cylindrical plates to render hcarlnjf less difficult. Follow- ing the lower edge of the helmet is a series of very large heinispherically headed rivets which, though they serve no other puqx^se than that of con- necting the skull-piece with the leather thong to which the lining was attached, seem to lend to the helmet an apjK'arance of strength. These exaggerated rivets arc constantly found ujxjn head-pieces of about this time — the third quarter of the W'th century. They are to be seen on the little salade worn by that curious XVth century figure known as Jack o' Fh;. 351. S.vi.Aiii Nurth luliaii, prubiibly Venetian. About 1490, with enrichments added in the XVIth century Formerly in the Collection Gatterburg Murusini, Venice Southwold in Southwold Church, Hssex (Fig. 357). The figure holds a halberd in the right hand and a falchion in the left, which latter used to strike a bell at the hours, when the figure was part of the church clock. But, apart from the rivets, a general likeness to the salade in Viscount Astor's collL*ction can lje noticed in the salade worn by the Jack o' Southwold. The same large rivets are also to Ik* seen on a war hat in Mr. Frank B, Maconiber's collection in Boston, U.S.A., and in a later form upon the fine war hat in the Wallace Collection. It is not so much in its form as in its decoration that the Ilevcr Castle helmet is remarkable. A silent reminder of past pomp and grandeur, 16 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE it is almost the only existing example of anything of its kind. The whole surface of the salade has been roughened by even cross-hatching, and on to this surface a thin sheeting of gold has been hammered, then burnished, and afterwards tooled with a series of dual lines conforming to the general decoration of the helmet. To enrich this head-piece further, over the face of the skull-piece apertures have been cut in groups, pear-shaped and round, into which have been inserted beautiful little arabesque designs executed in gold cloisons filled with translucent enamel. These are retained in position at the back by a lining of thin iron which covers the entire inner surface of the salade. The colouring of the enamel is vivid and beautiful. Fig. 352. North Italian. Salade .About 1490, with enrichments added in the XVI Ith century Collection : Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi, Rome Many theories exist as to the origin of this helmet. Moorish Spain and Venice seem to to make the best claim to its production; in our. opinion, it should be credited the latter place. are It is by comparison of the enamel panels on this helmet with the only two other examples of like enamel applied to military equipment, with which we acquainted in England, that we arrive at this conclusion. These enamels of the same technique and brilliancy are to be seen on the famous Forman stirrups (Fig. 358), now in the collection of Lady Ludlow, and on portions of a bridle in the British Museum (Fig. 359). After most careful consideration, and comparison, these stirrups and the plaques from the bridle have both been pronounced to be of Venetian origin and workmanship of the latter part of the XVth century. II 17 So, on the u EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS }*round of their kinshi|) lo these enamels we feel justified in attributing^ those found on Viscount Astor's helmet to the art and workmanship of laic X\'th ccntur)' X'enitx*. rather than to Mot)rish Spain; though the enrichment on the hcad-piccc bears a general resemblance to the decoration found U|X)n the Ilispano-Motjrish swords of the lime of the Spanish Contjuest, yet we must bear in mind the Moorish inHuence on X'enetian art at this period. Viscount Astor's salade is one of those recent discoveries that from time to time surprise and ilelight the collecting world. I-Hi. 353. It was practically unknown up S.M.ADK OK THE V'KM.TIAN OKDKK I-alc XVlh ccntur)'. to From the armour)' of Charles V. D 12, Royal Armoury, Madrid about fifteen years ago, when it was purchased from a small private collection in the ChAteau de Perignen, Finhan, France, and afterwards sold to Viscount Astor at a figure far in excess of any price ever paid for an individual piece of plate armour. The next family or group of salade head-pieces which we shall consider are those of the tailal order which we have very vaguely termed " French," to distinguish them from the types already dealt with. We call the class " as French " merely l^ecause the form appears to have originated in France; but a matter of fact almost immediately on its introduction the F'rench salade found universal favour, es|x;cially in Germany, where the finest examples are 18 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE still to be seen. The Italians, however, remained constant to a slightly modified Celata type. It was a comparatively easy task to deal with the Italian C>/«/rt and the German Sclialern, as there was little variation in their forms; but in discussing the "French" type greater difficulties are en- countered, many varying shapes being met with, all of which must be placed under the same general head. We will sub-divide this class into three divisions: those provided with movable visors and with or without laminated tail-pieces: those fashioned from a single piece: and lastly and latest in date Fig. 354 19 {a) Salade, North Italian, about 1470. (It would appear that the face opening in this helmet has been altered, probably in contemporary times) {F) Salade, Italian, about 1480. {c) Salade, North Italian, about 1470 All in the National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg those in which the elaboration of the parts almost converts the salade into a close helmet of the armet type. To simplify our subject, and to deal with each of these varieties entirely separately, and at the same time to keep up anything like a chronological order in our description of existing pieces, is quite impossible; inasmuch as the types overlapped one another, and were to a great extent contemporary. For instance, a simple salade forged from one piece may date late in the XVth century; while a visored example may be found of an earlier period, and vice versa. We shall first mention the visored tailed salade, because we are able to FiC. 355. iiAI.ADK OK NORTH ITALIAN TYPE About 1470, but pcMsibly of English workmanship. iron salade. A casing of copper gilt fits over the Formerly in the coIlcctionH of Mr. A. C. I^fontainc and Hcrr liuhter and now in the National Bavarian Museum, Munich 20 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE representative specimen. record a very early example that we can place within the first half of the XVth century. It is, however, to America that we have now to turn for this It is in the collection of Dr. Bashford Dean of New Fig. 356. Salade, probably Venetian About 1480-90. Of iron, plated with gold, and enriched with cloisonne enamel Collection: Viscount Astor, Hever Castle York, who obtained it from the Baron Vedal de Levy. It was originally dis- covered at Meuse, France (Fig. 360). In form the skull-piece rises to a high pointed and ridged crown. The tail-piece is short, and hinged immediately below the position in which one is accustomed to look for the visor rivets; while the visor itself, if it may be so named, is attached to the front of the 21 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS skull-piccc in the manner of a reinforcing plate. It may l)c added that this salade is studdeil with j»e\vtcr-cap|XHl rivets. From the place of its discovery we may look upon it as beinjj of Trench orijjin, a typical example of the head- pictx* then becoming popular in I'rance. A second salade t>f very much the same family of head-piece, small in projx>rtions, but in this instance furnished with a movable visor, is in Sir Iidward Harry's collection at Ockwells Manor (I-ig. 361). This little head-piece was likewise found in I'rance. Fig. 357. Jack o* SocTHwoLn Southwold Church, Kssex Its peculiarity t"u;. 358. Stirrup, onk ok a i-air Venetian, about 1490. Collection: lady Ludlow is the shallowness of the lower part of its visor lx;low the oculariuin. Indeed, its general pn»|it)rtions very much resemble those of the salade head-piece represented on that beautiful painted stone head in the Musde Historicjuc d'Orldans, which by some authorities is considered to be a fragment of the monument erected in the XV'th century to the Maid of Orleans, Jeanne d'Arc Fig. 362). kendde Belleval, in his Costume Militaire, quotes from a FVench MS. of about 1446 who describes such a head-piece worn with the armour of the time in language that leads one to supiK)se that the .salade was coming into 22 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE mon general use : ''La tierce armeure" {de teste) " et la phis cotnune et la meilleure a semblant est ranneiive de teste qui se appelle sallades." Although we have accepted the Bashford Dean salade as being of French origin, we must admit that its proportions very closely resemble those of the head-piece on the Neville effigy to which we have already referred. On the brass, too, of Sir Robert Staunton in Castle Donnington Church, Leicestershire, the visored salade may be seen most clearly represented (Fig. 363). The date of this brass is about 1455, which illustrates clearly how very difficult it is, even when some marked national characteristic is present, to assign with Fig. 359. Portions of a bridle Venetian, about 1480. British Museum certainty a helmet, or, in fact, any piece of armour to any given country, on the mere ground of a general similarity of form. At adate closely following that of these head-pieces come the strange high- crowned salades that are peculiar to England, and which are the virtual pro- totypes of the English armet. The famous Warwick pageant, designed about 1475, shows salades of the tailed order in the drawing depicting the battle of Shrewsbury. These salades have high-crowned skull-pieces, with a reinforcing piece at the front, and also the movable visor (Fig. 364). For a representation of an extant example of salade of this type we can do no better than illus- trate that now hanging in the St. Mary's Hall of Coventry, known as the helmet of " Peeping Tom," a helmet which probably owes its preservation to the fact of its having been formerly used each year in the Lady Godiva pro- cession (Fig. 365 a and b). It is a fine English-made salade of the third EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS quarter of the XVth centur)'. The skull-piece is forged entirely from one piece, with a stronj^ly accentuatetl ridge running u|) the centre anil terminating in an acute point, in the manner of the bascinet helmet. To the apex has been 1 Fit;. 360. S.M„\l>K French type, about 1 440 Collection: Dr. Itashford IXran, New York 24 Fi<;. 362. Coloured stonk head Fig. 361. Saladk French, about 1450 Collection: Sir Kdward Barry, Hart. Belie\-cd to rcprcMrnt that of Joan of Arc, from her monument at Orleans, erected in the XVth century. It will be noted that the back portion of the hcad-piccc is broken off Muste IIi.5torique, Orleans roughly riveted a tubular plume-holder, which, if not con tern {jorary, is a very old addition. The tail-piece is not long, nor the visor deep; but both are very strongly made. A reinforcing plate with an angled upjjeredgc is riveted above ■'w THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE the ocularium, which is unusually wide, and is formed by the space between the lower edge of the skull-piece and the top of the visor, in precisely the same manner as one sees in the case of the armets of the same period. Around the centre of the skull-piece is a series of hemispherically headed rivets which held the leather strap for the attachment of the lining. The small rivets upon which the visor is pivoted are the original ones. The surface of this fine salade, which has never had anything done to it, is now a russet-brown with a bronze-like patina. P(rT> u m .rf:- Fig. 363. From the brass of Sir Fig. 364. n^^ V.rK u«c3r™"^l^^^~T^^"^!^^ 1/ -# ^r From the Warwick pageant Robert Staunton Castle Doniiington Church, Leices- tershire. About 145 s Drawn about 1475. This portion of the drawing represents the battle of Shrewsbury, 1403 %: Next in the matter of date comes a group of salades, examples of which are shown in the British Museum, in the Tower and elsewhere, entirely forged from one piece. The ocularium in these is formed by a slit in the rim of the salade, which rim is broad enough to cover half the face. The ocularia served no useful purpose when the salade was worn tilted back on the head, as was customary when the wearer was not engaged in actual combat; but when it was drawn down so as to protect the face, the ocularia came into their correct position. Of these one-piece salades, we will first illustrate the example in the Wallace Collection, No. 31 (Fig. 366), not from II 25 E Vr' W^ EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the ptiint of view of its quality of make, which indeed is somewhat mediocre, but because it is easily accessible for study. The skull has a slight ridge fomicil to an acute anj;le. "f he ocularium is i J inches from the lower edge of the helmet. The row of rivets which runs round the centre of the skull scr\ed for the attachment of a strap, to which the lining could be sewn. We are inclined to consider this salade. which was one of those formerly in the collection of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke. as of German manufacture and as dating prolxibly within the last years of the first half of the XVth century. Ne.xt we will refer to the s;ilade in the bequest made by the late Mr. W. Hurges to the British Museum, which is also German, and of {a) {/>) Flu. 365. Salade French fa.'shion, hut probably of English workmanship, about 1460-70 St. Mary's Hall, Coventry (a) Profile view (^) Front view alx>ut the same period. Its workmanship, like that of the Wallace specimen, is not of the best; but its general outline is more vigorous, and its greater depth lends it an ap|x*arance of solidity (Fig. 367). In the collection of the liaron de Cosson is a salade much like the Hritish Museum example, i)Ut it is of far finer workmanship, though a little later in date. It was pur- chased from the Soeter Collection, Augsburg. It appears to be of German make; though it is now asMxriated with a Ixivor which is apparently of North Italian workmanship (Fig. 368), The Artillery Museum in the Rotunda at Woolwich shows a more unusual salade, remarkable for its great depth and for the very slight projection of its tail (I'ig. 369). If it be compared with the three salades just descrilx:d, which are of the less uncommon " tailed " order 26 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE A of the second half of the XVth century, its peculiarities will be the more clearly seen. series of rivets, flush on the outside, held a strap just above Fig. 366. Salade French fashion, but probably of German workmanship, about 1450-60 No. 31, Wallace Collection Fig. 367. Salade French fashion, but of German work- manship, about 1460-70 Collection : the late Mr. W. Burges, British Museum 27 Fig. 368. Salade French fashion, but of German workmanship, about 1470-80; the bevor North Italian, about 1480 It bears the Missaglia and Negroli marks. From the armoury of Philip the Fair and Charles V; salade and bevor in the collection of the Baron de Cosson the level of the slit for the eyes, to which the wadded cap or lining was sewn. The bottom edge is rolled outwards over a wire; but the rolled edge does not, as is usually the case, project beyond the level of the outer surface of EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the saladc. When the Baron de Cosson described this salade in "Ancient Helmets and Mail " (1881), he stated that he considered it of earlier date than the preceding type of salade. In shajx: it approaches more nearly the (hapel-iie^fer with a slit in it, which may have sujjjjested the origin of this ** tailetl" or French type. The possible date of this salade is from about 1440. Like much of the XVth century armour in the Rotunda, it is stated to have come from the Isle of Rhodes. From the same source, the Museum of Artillery also acquired two other salades: one of unique form (I'ig. 370). which has the rivets for the lining and chin straps ne;irly flush with the outside. Fic:. 369. Saijvoe In the Rotunda, Woolwich There is no ridge. I'Ki. 37a or Sai.aiii about 1460-1500 In the Rotunda, Woolwich Some experts have attributed a Flemish origin to it, but there is no representation of it on any monument to support this view. The other (Fig. 372) is a fine example, part of the tail has received a blow and is turned up, and the rivets are to lie s|x.'cially noticed. I'xamples of these salades are constantly to be met with represented on the sculpture of the ix.*riod. One can be seen on that fine carved wood statuette in the late Baron Ferdinand Rothschild bequest to the British Museum which Sir Hercules Read descriljcs as German, but which in our opinion might easily he Northern French (Fig. 371). A rather different type of salade, but one fxissibly as early as any of the tailed order that we have described, is a fine little helmet in the Wallace Collection (T-'ig. 373). This is a splendid specimen, retaining its original russet- 28 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE a coloured surface and studded with hemispherical headed rivets of a large size. It will be noticed that across the skull-piece, immediately above the forehead, is applied a plate, the upper edge of which is escalloped. This may have been done to reinforce the helmet, or possibly to lend it the appearance of having a pivoted visor. There is in the Tower Armoury another such salade;. but it is less satisfactory specimen, having suffered from rough handling and over- cleaning. A salade of almost similar form, and, we imagine, the work of the same armourer, forms part of the original armoury of the arsenal of Fig. 371. Carved wood STATUETTE OF ST. MiCilAEL French, about 1460. Collec- tion : the late Raron Ferdi- nand Rothschild, British Museum 29 Fig. 372. Salade In the Rotunda, Woolwich Venice (Fig. 374). In our opinion it was this form of salade that found favour with the unmounted knight, the head-piece being light, of good pro- tective quality at the back, and of small proportions. It could be worn alike with the standard of mail and bevor, or even when the face was unprotected, a fashion that was much in vogue for combats on foot. The French gallant and great champion of his day, Jacques de Lalain, greatly favoured the little salade, and did much to make it popular, especially for combats on foot in the champ clos. In the early days of his fighting the bascinet helmet was his head-piece; but he fought ''sans visiere ct a visage EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS d^-imvfrt." In other words he removed the visor from his bascinet. In his famous fight with the Scottish knight. James Douglas, his face was exposed, while the Scot. " foinhn/foif «•// bnssinet in visidre /ermde." 1 ^^^^^H^^ i^^^^^B JJlHiMiHi E^^^^l Fig. 373. Sai-adk French r»!ihk>n. but poMibly of North Italian make, about 148a *■"'• 3/4- .">/%! A HI, French faiUiion, but poMibly of North Italian make, about 1480. No. 76, Wallace Collection ^IH The Arsenal, Venice In almost his next fight we read of Jacques dc Lalain encountering the same I>ouglas, but wearing " line petite saiiade de guerre toute ronde et avoit ie visage et ie coi tout di'couvert." It is Olivier 30 de la Marche who in THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE wonderfully vivid word pictures gives descriptions of the fights of the illus- trious Lalain. In all his later combats de Lalain is to be found wearing a salade in combination with the collar or standard of mail, but rarely the bevor. Fio. 375. Salade French type, but of German make, about 1470-80. Possibly used by mounted archers No. "jj, Wallace Collection In Chastelain's Chronique dti Bon Chevalier Messire Jacques de Lalain, he adds this description of his salade, '' un chapeau de fer d'ancienne faqon, quon avoit approprid pour cefaire." In Fig. 376. fact, it was an old chapel-de-fer cut Salade French type, but of German make, about 1470-80. Museo Civico, Venice and altered to suit the taste of this knight," who disregarded the conven- tions of armament. All degrees of fighting men wore the salade during the last three-quarters of the XVth century — the noble, the knight, the soldier, and the archer. The Baron de Cosson gives it as his opinion that the 31 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS elon};fnted, thouy:h somewhat poorly constructed class of salade with movable visor that is to be found in many of the niuseunis of Hurope, was used by the archer. There is an excellent specimen, representative of this type of salade. in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 375). It has the lifting visor. The skull-piccc is without a comb, but becomes ridged at the tail, the lower edge being strongly cur\ed so that the helmet could be thrown well back on the head when not in use. The hinged vist)r, coming to a flattcnai point at the top, is piercetl with a narrow slit which forms the oculariuin, l)clow which it slightly projects. Around the border is a series of twin holes by which the lining is secured. This example came from the collection of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke. having b-^^^BM ^^^^■^fc^^^^^ previously been in the possession of M. Louis Carrand. The Haron de Cosson, describing an -^^^^^^^^^^ remarks: "The small holes, in pairs, were for exactly similar salade in his own i)ossession, the pur|)ose of sewing in a lining which covered the inside of the visor. ... It is curious that this arrangement, which must have made the head-piece more comft)rtable, was not adopted in the heavier salades of knights; but it was jHirhaps thought more necessary in a light head- piece like this, which Fii;. 377. Salaok kor an akciiek KnglUh. about 148a Collection: Mr. Ilcnr)' G. Kcasby would be driven against the face by a heavy blow and was probably worn without a Ix'vor." M. Viollet-le-Duc gives an engraving of two archers from a manuscript of the Passages, t/'ott/ re Mcr, who are wearing this form of salade, and the front view shows no iK-vors l)eing worn w ith them. These salatles are also peculiar in the Hattish tops of their crowns, which have no ridge whatever; remarkable, too, for their great length from front to back. M. they are Viollet-le-I)uc descril>es and engraves the Wallace example. The knight in DOrers en- graving, "The Knight, Death and the Devil," and the brothers Stephen and J-ucas Baumgiirtner in the pssibly originating in Italy, was not used exclusively by Italians, 34 Fici. 380a. Salaue The Riitunda. Museum, Woolwich THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE but was copied by other nations, not- ably by the Germans. There is an example of this purely Italian form of the latest shape as- sumed by the salade in the bequest of M. Louis Carrand to the Bargello Museum, Florence; indeed, of its kind, it is as fine a specimen to illustrate as any with which we are acquainted (Fig. 381). Here is the salade indeed in its most elaborate form ; for besides pos- sessing the hinged tail-piece, the re- inforced skull-piece, and the full bel- lows visor, may chin-piece which be , is noted an added attached to se- ., , ,' ,.'' ^ North Italian, about 1500 chin-piece opens down the front in the COndary underlymg cheek plates. 1 his Collection : Monsieur L. Carrand. Now in the Bargello Museum, Florence manner of those seen upon the close helmets or armets of the XVth century. This is a perfect protective head-piece, and one worthy of the closest study ; for apart from the interest it possesses from being the most elaborately constructed example known, its condition leaves nothing to be desired. It has not suffered at all from rust, and is remarkably thick and heavy; while the surface bears a patina of a fine dark blue-black colour. Next we will illustrate a national treas- ure, a really fine and complete specimen (Fig. 382) of an Italian salade in the armoury of the Knights of St. John at the Palace, Malta (No. 439, 1902 Catalogue). Here the skull-piece has a finely moulded crown- piece finishing in cabling of the Maximilian order, the front portion strengthened by a reinforcing plate. The back of the skull is Fig. 382. Salade North Italian, about 1500. of the Knights of St. John, Malta (No. 439, 1902 Catalogue) out-curved to form a neck guard, the whole of the edging being turned under Armoury to the make it blunted and less marked, as one finds to be the rule in nearly all armour of 35 XVth century. The visor is of EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the bcllou-s form, with a few longitudinal slits for breathini,' purposes. The surface is now blue-black in colour— perhaps as originally produced. It is also delicately etched with ornamental desijjns of acanthus leaves, upon which are traces of gildinjj. This fine and rare salade, certainly one of the greatest treasures of the armoury at Malta, was. until the re-arrangements made there by the present writer, set upon one of the three-quarter suits of .W'llth century armour which once lined the walls of the gallery. The head-piece, together with the suit, had received from time to time coats of paint, ciltirely obscuring the delicate etching, which only appeared on Fiti. 383. Salade North Italian, about 15CXX It bean an ar> inourcr's mark of the Miiisajjlia family No. G 8. Mua^ d'Artillcric. Paris l-IU. 384. S.\LAIJE North Italian, about 1 500, etched and gilt. I'Vom a suit numbered G(j, Mu.s<}c d'Artillcric, Paris the former after it had been subjected to several baths of i)otash and hot water. VVc consider that this salade dates within the last quarter of the XYth century. Milan was probably the place of its manufacture; for, although it is unmarked, it closely resembles certain head-pieces of the Missaglia school, as, for instance, the salade in the Mus<5e d'Artillcric of Paris, which appears upon a suit numbered (i 8. This helmet we know to be actually the work of a Missaglia, as it bears the mark of that family .several times repeated (F'ig. 383). It has a reinforcing plate riveted to the skull- piece. Two other s.ilades of the same nature are also to l)e seen in the Musce d'Artillcric (Tigs. 384 and 385). Both, however, show certain differ- 36 » THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE ences, one (Fig. 385) having the visor attached on the hinge principle of the XVth century bascinets or armets.

Fig. 385. Salade North Italian, about 1500. It will be noted that the visor could be removed on the hinge-and-pin principle of the XVth century armet and earlier bascinet
H 45, Musée d'Artillerie, Paris

　Of the latest and most complete form of salade, Nos. 79, 80, 82, and 87 are the examples to be seen in the Wallace Collection; but as three of these are of German origin we shall refer to them later. In the Windsor armoury is a head-piece somewhat made up, but it has a genuine visor of bellows form. It is to be seen on a suit (No. 56 in the 1902 Catalogue) partly of modern manufacture, which was sent from the Tower of London to Windsor Castle in 1901 merely for the purpose of filling an empty bracket on the grand staircase of the Castle. In the Tower collection this latest form of salade is not represented. Of the Wallace examples No. 80 (Fig. 386) is the finest and most complete.

FIG . 386. SALADE North Italian , about 1500 No. 80 , Wallace Collection

The skull-piece is of finely moulded keel form, reinforced in the front. A hinged tail-piece completes the back, the lower border of which is turned upwards. The visor may be compared to the bellows type with four ridges, and is of the Maximilian order, pierced with thirty-four circular holes for ventilation. The ocularium is formed by the space between the edge of the skull-piece and the top of the visor. The probable date of this complete salade, which appears to be North Italian in origin, is about 1480 to 1500. It came from the collection of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke. There are other good Italian examples, which might be illustrated, in the collection of Prince Ladislaus Odcscalchi, at Rome, in the Royal Armoury of Turin, and in the Poldi-Pezzoli Collection , Milan ; while in the collection of Signor S. Bardini of Florence and in the Wallace Collection ( No. 62 ) are shown specimens of this type of salade etched and gilded in the Missaglia manner , which have lost their visors. The Wallace salade ( Fig . 387 ) , a finely decorated specimen , has a slightly ridged skull-piece with a single tail-plate, the lower edge of which is finished by being turned inwards on a wire .

FIG . 387. SALADE
North Italian , about 1500. School of Missaglia
No. 62 , Wallace Collection

A plate , 1¾ inches wide , runs across the forehead . For beauty of outline and of decoration , however , no extant Italian salade of the Missaglia school can bear comparison with that splendid example which , formerly the property of the Grand Duke Michael Paulowitch , passed , at his death in 1866 , into the Tsarskoe Selo of Petrograd ( Fig . 388 ) .

Fig. 388. Salade
Milanese, second half of the XVth century, said to have been made for Ercole Bentivoglio (b. 1459, d. 1507). Collection: Tsarskoe Selo, Petrograd

The skull-piece is somewhat high with a strongly defined but slightly flattened comb . Secured by rivets at the sides are three laminated tail-piates which, like the very beautifully modelled plate that reinforces the forehead , are furnished with rosette - headed washers . This latter plate is gracefully fluted into grooves radiating from the centre to the upper edge , which is shaped in bat's-wing fashion . The foliage design with which the whole of the plate is finely etched introduces on its dexter side a shield with thirteen points , and on the sinister side the armorial bearings of the Bentivoglio family ; while above them are smaller shields etched respectively with an eagle , surmounted by a ribbon inscribed NVN . MICHI ( nunc mihi ) and a bull with a lily between its horns . There is a tradition that this fine head - piece was made for Ercole Bentivoglio of Bologna (1459-1507), a tradition which probably has some foundation, for the eagle and the bull, seen in the auxiliary shields, figure in the arms of Barbara Torelli, to whom Ercole Bentivoglio was married, while the helmet seems to answer well enough to Ercole's period. There is one puzzling motif for which we cannot satisfactorily account , the word NESPOLA ( signifying the fruit medlar ) , repeated four times in the grooves of the forehead-piece . It has been suggested that NESPOLA might be a battle cry , abbreviated from dare nespole - to give a beating ; but if that were the case the spelling should certainly be NESPOLE and not NESPOLA . At the back of the skull - piece is an armourer's mark (much rubbed), which we must confess resembles but little that employed by the Missaglia family, to whom we should have otherwise unhesitatingly ascribed this most beautiful head-piece. The mark is most probably of Milanese origin, but unlike any of which we have a record.
　Contemporary illustrations of salades of this type are numerous; and among the best-known pictures in which an example figures is the fine painting of a youthful warrior by Francesco Torbido in the Uffizi, Florence, formerly described as the portrait of the General Gattamelata (see vol. i, page 194, Fig. 230). In this picture a head-piece of grand proportions is rcprcscntetl ; the surface is blue-black, with delicately fashioned enrichments of bronze, gilt, or ptwsibly silver-gilt. There is ample record to show the high pitch to which the dc*coration of salades was carried. The Negroli Cchfa in the Royal Armour)', Madrid, which we descrilx:d among those of the Italian ft)rm (Fig. 353). has applied silver plates to increase its splendour. Another salade of the ** tailetl " or I'rench tyix; in the same collection is adorned in a precisely similar manner (Fig. 389). This, like the other salade at Madrid, is also the work of a Negroli, the only other instance, we believe, of Fig. 389. Salade French type, but the work of a .Nctjroli of Milan, about 1500. I> 13, Koyul .Armoury, Madrid From the armoury of Charles V that family of armourers producing a head-piece on these lines. Like its companion Celata it was in the Armoury of Charles V, and bears the same tradition attaching to it of having been originally made for Boabdil (No. I) 13, 1892 Catalogue). It will Ixj noted in the illustration that in addition to the tail-piece Ixringa separate plate and riveted to the skull, the decorated borders are likewise applied. The engraving upon the surface is ex(|uisite, and the ornamentation is Ixautifully balanced; but it is |X)ssibly a little more Hispano-Moorish in design than the decoration of the other salade in the same collection. 40 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE We have remarked on an earlier page that this very completely visored salade with the Celata form of skull-piece was made in countries other than Italy. The Wallace Collection contains three of German origin, one of which we will illustrate; while on certain of the magnificent suits in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna may be seen such head-pieces, the work of noted German armourers. Of the Wallace helmets of this type No. 82 (Fig. 390) is the most typically German. The skull-piece is flattened, and has a low comb of rectangular section, with a hollow groove running down the centre. On either side are four radiating rows of fluting. The tail-piece is composed of three plates. The hinged visor, which is attached by conical-headed rivets, contains oblong apertures forming the ocularia, below which are pierced and embossed ridges and two series of holes for ventila- tion. This salade was purchased by the Comte de Nieuwerkerke from the citadel of Seragavow. The other two salades of this type in the Wallace Col- lection are Nos. 79 and 87, both more or less of the same form and of the same nationality of origin. Putting aside the Coventry example (Fig. 365 a and b) and the small archer's salade (Fig. 377), the type of salade head-piece which was worn in England in the latter part of the XVth century, and which may be looked upon as of English make, appears to be a head-piece which is a mixture of the Italian and " tailed " types, inclining perhaps Fig. 390. Salade North Italian type, but of Ger- man make, about 15CX) No. 82, Wallace Collection rather to the former. One can only judge what the English made salades may have been like by referring to those very few specimens to be seen in English churches, where they are in some cases placed above tombs dating nearly two generations later than the make of the salades. True, two of the examples we illustrate (Figs. 391 and 392) have had mesails and chin-pieces added in the XVIth century; but none the less the skull-pieces are XVth century work, and as such must have represented the ordinary type of English made salade common in this country toward the close of that century. These head-pieces were then going rapidly out of fashion; so that probably they were bought up as out-of- date helmets by the funeral furnishers of the time to be adapted as one sees them for heraldic purposes, much after the manner they treated the Italian armet at a later period. The first example (Fig. 391) appears to be the earliest of the three. II It is in Harefield Church, Middlesex. 41 The skull- ■ G EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS piece, which is |M>intetl at ihc top after the manner of the Itny^lish made armets illustrateil on |>ajies 93-4 (I-'ijjjs. 445 and 446), extenils to a tail-piece of sonie lenjjth. .ind nnj;ht date within the third quarter of the X\'th century. The workmanship is sound, but not fine — |X)rtions of a visor and a mesail and a chin-piece of the |)eriod of HIizaljeth have Ikvu added to it. The next salade that seems to be of Enjflish make is in liast Sheflford Church, I^mlxiurne, llerks. The skull-piece of this example (Fig. 392), to which was added a mes;iil for funeniry pur|X)ses in the With century, is not iK)iiited, and is possibly of alx)Ut 1480, and therefore of somewhat later dale than the Fig. 391. Sai.adk The skull-piccc probably English, about 1460-70. Ilarcfidd Church, Middlesex Ilarefield example. The third salade (Fig. 393), which might also be of Hnglish make, though it is very Italian in form, is to be seen in Hexham Abbey; in the guide books it is described as having been worn by Sir John I-enwick, who was killed at Marston M(K)r in 1644. Since, however, the salade dates from the fourth quarter of the XV^th century, the story is most improbable, but it is possible that it is a relic of the battle of Hexham, fought in 1464. Richness of adornment of arms and of armour seems always to reach its culminating points in the ornature of the helmet and the sword hilt. We mentioned a record of the richness of the decoration of the bascinet helmet (vol. i, |>ages 230-2). The evidence of contemporary annals furnish pr(X)f of 42 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE of even more profuse luxury in the case of the salade. In the privy purse expenses King Henry VII (Bentley's Excerpta Historicd) are these entries: "De- livered by the Kinges commandement for diverse peces of cloth of gold, and for certain and many precyouse stones and riche perils bought of Lambardes for the garnyshing of salades, shapues [meaning chapemix or chapels-de-fer\ and helemytes agenst the King's noble voyage, ;i^38oo "; and later: " To John Vandelf for garnyshing of a salett, ;^38. i. 4." At the same time we find among the privy purse expenses of Elizabeth of York, Queen to Henry VII, the account of a payment for a gift intended for her husband, who was then planning an expedition against Scotland. It is as follows: "To the Quene's grace for garnishing a sallett, £\o!' In Fig. 392. Salade The skull-piece probably English, about 1480. East Shefford Church, the year 1455 Charlotte of Savoy, I'iG. 393. Salade Probably English, though of pronounced Italian form, late XVth century Lambourne, Berks Hexham Abbey Queen of France, is recorded to have defrayed the expenses of the equipment of three men at arms, and amongst the items of the account was " i marc 7 ozs. and 7I gros silver," employed for making the ornaments of three salades. Everything, however, in the nature of the luxurious adornment of a head- piece is surpassed by the decoration of the salade worn by Louis XI on his state entry into Paris, which is stated by Duclercq to have been worth 100,000 crowns of gold on account of the jewels with which it was enriched. The Duke of Burgundy in 1443, according to Olivier de la Marche, appears to have possessed a salade valued at the time at almost as high a figure. It is a matter for wonder that even any parts of the highly enriched head- pieces of the XVth century have survived; for not only did the fashion and the use of the salade cease in the XVIth century, but the old shapes 43 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS were remodelled and dcspoilcil of their ornaments. Three and a half cen- turies of vandalism and t>f lack of archaeological interest have so effectively Uinisheil into obscurity any specimen that escaped contenijwrary destruc- tion that to bring to light to-day an unknown XVth century head-piece is a discover)- much rarer than the re-discovery of some work from the brush of one of the old masters. Whether a crest was ever worn on the salade in the field is somewhat a matter of speculation. Nearly every specimen of salade that we have examined has in the ridge of its skull-piece a slot-like hole, to which some form of crest or ornament could have been attached; but it is now im}x)ssible to say if the crest was actually worn Fu;. 3<>4. The oh verse ok PiSANd'S MEIIAL OK I^DO- vtco bi Gonzaga Showing the crested saUde in battle or only for purposes of pageantry. In the Uccello battle- piece (vol. i, Fig. 238) in the National Gallery, very fanciful shapes can be seen attached in the form of cresting to the armets, but not on the salades, though several are seen in use. In this picture the crests on the armets do not appear to have any armorial significance; for their shapes are unusual. They may, however, have served to identify the wearer. We are, however, bound to admit that in the portrayal of the battle subjects so often seen on the front panels of the Italian cassoni of the latter half of the XVth century many of the warriors wear the Celata crested, much in the same manner as the armets are crested in the Uccello battle-piece. On the pbverse of Pisano's medal of Lodovico III di Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua (Fig. 394), an equestrian knight in full armour is represented wearing a salade of North Italian form, upon which is a trimming of feathers surmounted by a great spherical object that might be taken for a crest. In the Louvre is a drawing by the same artist, evidently a sketch for the more famous medal of Alphonso V of Aragon, King of Naples, in which, Ijchind the profile view of the Duke, is a well- drawn Italian salade, showing its straps for attachment, and surmounted by a crest in the form of a bat (Fig. 395). It is, however, chiefly in German armorial painting that we see the mantling and cresting of the salade carried to excess and to a degree that in actual usage would be im- possible. As an instance we reproduce from an illustration a salade bearing the enormous crest of Duke Ludwig of Bavaria, showing the lambrequin 44 THE SALADE HEADPIECE hanging beneath the crest (Fig. 396). This can be, however, only an heraldic device. Occasionally in illuminations a knight is represented in a crested salade; but this may be an artistic licence, the display of heraldry being an easy way of explaining his personality. On purely utilitarian grounds we are inclined to dispute the idea of the salade having received any actual cresting in warfare. At its best the salade was certainly a top heavy head-piece ; so that the addition of a ponderous crest, even if only fashioned of papier vidchd, would have made it almost impossible to wear. On the great seals of the later Plantagenet kings the sovereigns are represented as wearing crested salades as headgear. This again must have been an artistic licence. •DIVVS-ALPHONSVS- •REX- •TRIVA^PHATOR'ET• 'PACIFICVS- THE Fig. 395. From a drawing by Pisano called Pisanello FOR FAMOUS MEDAL OF ALPIIONSO V OF ARAGON Louvre, Paris In Fig. 396. OF The crest Duke Ludwig OF Bavaria England, except on the tilting helm, the representation of a crest is rarely seen ; though a mid-XVth century English writer, whose name is un- A known, alludes on two occasions to " salads " with crests. description of the salade would be incomplete without mention of the bevor — bavier, or baviere — a defence that was latterly almost always worn in company with it. Many are the derivations suggested for this word. Grose says that bevor is derived from beveur, drinker, or the Italian bevere, to drink, forgetting the fact that its original spelling was bavier, bavidre (French) and baviera (Italian). His derivation therefore is not convinc- ing, and we prefer to derive it from the French baver, to slobber. Shake- speare's use of the word rather suggests that he is alluding to a movable attachment to the helmet. 45 Speaking of it in Henry IV, Pt. II, act iv, sc. i, EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS he says: "Their beavers d4mH\ their eyes of fire sparkling through sights of steel": in Hamlet, act i, sc. 2, he says: ** He wore his beaver hP"\ in Henry IV. Pt. I, act iv, sc. i, he says: " I saw young Harry with his beaver cm." And finally in Richard III, act v, sc. 3, he says: "What, is my beaver gmsitr than it was?" To-day we are accustomed to apply the word (bevor) to that movable portion of the close helmet which actually covers the face and into the top of which the visor of the helmet fits. It is, however, with the bcvor considered Fig. 397- I'oktrait of Alberto Akinguieri From the fresco by i'inturicchio. as a About 1470. Duomo of Siena separate defence that we are now concerned. It has erroneously been called the metitoiniicre; but there is no record of that term having been used so early as the X\'th century. There is little doubt that Planchc is in error when he op|x>ses M. \'iollet-le-Duc*s opinion, and states that the piece which we arc here calling the Ixivor is really the " /tausse-col" ; for we continu- ally find the " hansse-coi" described as being made of mail: " Haussecol de niailU, houscot de mailles " (Chastelain) ; " /e chamail ifu /laitssecol" (Olivier dc la Marche). The /laMsse-co/ \\':is certainly the stanilard or gorget of mail (see page 184). It is almost safe to affirm that in the first quarter of the 46 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE XVth century the association of the bevor with the salade was practically unknown. It would have been useless in conjunction with the early German Schalern, and almost as impracticable with the salade of the Italian Celata order. It was not until the " tailed " or French type of salade had obtained an established reputation as a head-piece that attention was paid to the necessity of finding some form of protec- tion for the lower part of the face. It would appear that the high standard of chain mail fashioned as a collar standing rigidly up round the neck, though popular throughout the XVth century, was not considered of sufficient protective power; Fig. 398. Short bevor About 1470-80. Collection: Mr. S.J. Whawell with the result that plates of metal were added to a plate gorget to give full protection to the lower half of the face. In this way was the bevor evolved. The bevor of closely linked chain mail that can be seen in the Zeughans of Berlin may perhaps be a transitional type (see page 183, Fig. 522). It is rarely that these defences figure on effigies or on contemporary carving; for in actual wear, covering as they do the lower part of the face, they would preclude any attempt at portraiture. Pictorial art, however, furnishes an admirable representation of a bevor. In a fresco in the chapel of S. Giovanni in the Duomo of Siena, painted in the first or second year of the XVIth century, Alberto Aringhieri is depicted fully armed in the fashion of about 1470 (Fig. 397). He is represented kneeling in prayer. His salade, very like the one of French origin we have illustrated on Fk;. 39.SA. Tall Blvor Collection: Metropolitan York. Ex Mr. W. H. Riggs, Museum, New collection: Baron de Cosson page 30 (Fig. 373) and his gauntlets are on the ground in front of him; whilst his bevor is in position round his chin. In this instance the lowest gorget plate of the bevor has a border of chain mail with a vandyked edge. 47 In some of EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the later and more elalwrated bevors there was an aperture in the lower |»arl of the K*^*^*-'^ plate, which fitted over a staple in the top of the breastplate, throuj^h which a pin was passed holdinj^^ the bcvor rigidly in |)osition. St) that the face which it protected could move with ease within it. In other cases it was merely attached by a strap around the neck. In some instances the neck straps were made of mail. The height of the plates varied according to the depth of the rim of the salade. W'c illustrate a simple Ixivor of the small or t)rdinar\- ty|x: from a (icrman example in Mr. S. J. Whawell's collection (I'ig. 398). In the gorget plate are double holes for attaching it to Fig. 39y. Fk<»m H.vns Blm.kmaik'.s "TkiUMrii ci M wimii 1 an " The course of the ingenious breast -plate " Showing jousters with tilting saladcs I'l,. LI) the breastplate; while at the back are the remains of the straj) by which it was fastened round the neck. This s|KX'imen dates from the last (juarter of the XVth century. The high bevdr which covered the face up to the eyes must also have done duty with a chapd-de-fcr ty|)e of helmet; for again quoting Chastelain we note "... avoit nil /lariins de fcUc qui lidtoit ni . . bassinet iii salade, iitaisetoit fait h la semblance et ma 11 id re dim cape I defer . et avoit tine haute bavitre, tellement que de son visidre il nappardit que Us yeux." The Haron de Cosson's collection used to contain a tall bevor of this kind (F'ig. 398A). The more usual courte bavitre spoken of by Olivier de la Marche when he says "salade h visiere, et courte bavidre" is like those 48 THE SALADE HEAD-PIECE found associated with the ordinary salade as seen in the Wallace Collection, at the Tower, and elsewhere, for they are not of exceptional rarity. The bevor, in association with an open helmet, must have been an unsatisfactory face defence; it was easily knocked out of place, it must have bruised or even lacerated the face when forced against it, and in a fierce mdlde must often ha\e become detached. It will be noticed that in the accompanying illustration (Fig. 398) the upper portion of this bevor is formed of two plates, the top one being hinged at the sides, so that it could be pushed down over the lower one. The wearer could thus speak clearly without removing the bevor. A spring catch kept it in its place when it was raised. Lastly, we must mention those salade forms of head- pieces that owe to their existence the practice of the tourney, specimens of which are to be found in some of the public collections of this country. They are true tailed salades in form, but not fashioned for purposes of war, and are nearly all late in date, certain types advancing well into the XVIth century. These jousting salades are for the most part heavier than those used in war, and are flatter in front below the ocularium; so that they could be worn with Fig. 400. Jousting salade German, about i5CX)-io. Class IV, No. 17 Tower of London the lower edge fitting inside the tilting bevor or, in later times, the menton- niere. The tilting bevor, was often fashioned of wood and leather and was in most cases rigidly screwed to the breastplate, its upper edge reaching to the ocularium in the helmet. As it is easier to suggest an idea of this jousting harness by means of an illustration than by any explanation in words, we give a picture chosen from the famous "Triumph of Maximilian," by Hans Burgkmair, Plate LI (Fig. 399). The engraving shows five of a series of jousters in tilting salades, the knight on the left wearing a bevor of plate outside the lower edge of his salade, while the knight next to him has one of wood similarly adjusted. To facilitate the fitting of the salade inside the bevor, it will be noticed that the cabled edge running round the rim of the n . 49 H EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS helmet is omitted in front. In the Tower armoury is a salade which most dearly shows this characteristic (Tij;. 400). It is an example of the early years of the With centur)'. and has the square-shai)ecl tail-piece instead of the pointed. This is a not uncommon feature; indeed, we are able to give illustrations of three with tail-pieces so formed. The Tower salade is quite in the Maximilian style, with channels arranjjed in groups of three, and with crudely engraved ornaments. The engraving is not etched, hut cut with a tool, and cabling forms the crest of the skull-piece. It will be noticed that the channelling and ornamentation cease over the ocularium, leaving a plain |>olished surface, on which it was customary to apply two plates formed like wings or shells which together took a semicircular shaj)e. These curious Fig. 401. RErRODUCTioN of a Gkkman jou.stino sai.adk In the style or about 1500, showing the detachable wings above the ucuiarium If.M. the King, Windsor Castle plates appear on all the tilting saladcs represented in the "Triumijh of Maximilian." They were not applied for defensive purposes, but were targets, to dislodge which required a particularly neat stroke of the lance, a feat which scored heavily in the tournament, M. Viollet-le-Duc shows them admirably in his Dictiounaire dii Mobilier Franqais, vol. ii, p. 405. The lower edge of these plates fitted on to a projecting b many holes were put; but, perhaps, like those fijjurinjjj in Diirer's famous drawinijs of tiltinjj helms (see page 138), the aiglcttes were thrcadetl through them in profusion to keep the lining of the salade from flapping about the wearer's head. The lining is comi)osed of four segments of wadded canvas drawn together in the centre by the aiglettes, allowing for ventilation in the centre. The whole was sewn to a leather strap, the rivets for the attachment of which appear on the outside of the skull-piece just above the aiglette holes. Sir Noel Taton |)ut it on record that when he first remembered the helmet the loop of leather used for suspcntling it from the saddle was preserx'ed intact; but now part only remains. Sir Noel Paton purchaseil this salade from Mr. W. B. Johnstone, R.S.A., who in turn had obtained it from Mr. David O. Mill, R.S.A. In describing the example in the Wallace Col- lection, No. 73 (Fig. 403), an example which is considered by some authorities to be of even earlier date than the Noel Paton specimen, we may seem to Fig. 403. JofSTiN«i sAi.Ai'K German, about 1470-90 Na 73. Wallace Collection be reversing the proper order of things; but though in general outline the Wallace helmet aj)- |>ears to \)c a fighting salade of about 1460, we are forced to assign it to a later date owing to the flattened keel form of its crest. The skull-piece, which is forged entirely from one piece, is of fine strength and of even thickness. The tail is five inches in length, and the ocularium is formed by a flanged opening three inches from the bottom of the helmet, the lower edge protruding half an inch beyond the upper. There is a row of nine rivets, which passes round the centre of the skull for the attachment of a leather strap (parts of which remain), to which was sewn the lining. In the front of the salade, at the extreme bottom, is a small roller, against which must have rested a long tilting Ijevor of the same pattern as those worn with the tilting salades just descril>ed. The purpose of this roller was to assist the wooden bevor, when struck in the proper place by the adversary's lance, in sliding upwards and detaching itself — a stroke which scored well in the tournament. To detach the long bevor by a single blow, it was necessary to strike it at a marked point, which, as often as not, was a painted heart; the shock so directed released a spring attached to the breastplate, and the bevor was thrown forward and upward. M. 52 Viollet-le-Duc gives THE SALADE HEADPIECE an excellent explanatory drawing of this elaborate mechanism, and illus- trates a bevor of metal worn beneath the exterior wooden defence (Fig. 404). There were many variations of these mechanical jousting contrivances which are most accurately illustrated in Burgkmair's "Triumph." In the Musde d'Artillerie (Nos. H 50 and 51) are two very beautiful salades of the Maximilian square-tailed order (Figs. 405 and 406). The former, w hich is finely fluted, has the applied roping round its lower edge, which in the usual manner ceases in front, though the design of the cable is brought out in flat chasing. Six aiglette holes are on either side of the skull-piece. Fig. 404. .From a drawing by Viollet-le-Duc Riveted to the comb is the fork-like attachment that held the additional forehead plates of which we have already spoken. The second salade (Fig. 406), from which, by the way, the additional forehead plates are also missing, is of exactly the same construction, but far more elaborate in its enrichment. Its ornamentation may be said to represent a slashed and cut cloth cap drawn over a coif of mail. This effect is obtained by grooves, which represent the slashing, and by embossing the cuts, both grooves and cuts being accurately etched in imitation of chain mail showing through the interstices of some textile material. About the centre of this fine helmet is deeply etched a band of scroll ornaments. Other museums on the 53 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS continent show many varieties of these tilting salades, notably the Imperial Armoury of Vienna and the Armoury of Dresden. We 1580. wouli! place the absolute clisapi)carance of the salade as late as In its final form it differs but little from the common open casque of the time; but it is, as one would expect, much heavier and more solid in construction, since its use, like that of its immediate predecessors, was limited entirely to the tourney field. Salades of this type are invariably German, and as a rule .Saxon; they arc known as "Saxon jousting helms." I-"U.. 405. JOLMI.Ni. SALAOK German, about 1505-15. II 50, Muscc d'Artillerie Fig. 406. Jousting .saladk German, about 1510-15. d'Artillerie H 54, Muste The Wallace Collection possesses a pprfect example (No. 1308), which has attached to it its original bcvor, which in this form may now be termed \.\\c menfoiinidt'e {V'\^. 407). The skull-piece has a high roped crown in the manner of all late XVIth century helmets; the only suggestion of the salade form is seen in its pointed tail-piece at the back. The visor is strong and fits into the lower part of the helmet, which protrudes to receive it. The main edges are roped and have slightly recessed their border, a bands row round of steel- headed rivets follow the outline. At the back of the skull-piece on either side are two groups of twin holes, four of which are fitted with pewter rims; through these were drawn the aiglettes for the attachnicnt of the padded lining cap. In the front is a large screw, to which the mentonuidre is secured by a nut. The metitonnidrc has a spring trap-door on the dexter 54 THE SALADE HEADPIECE side for breathing purposes, and in the lower part, which covers the chest, are six large circular holes to fit the staples on the top of the breast- plate. This interesting helmet comes from the collection of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke. A fine series of these Saxon helms can be seen at Dresden upon suits fitted with their plates. A extra tournament complete suit with such a helmet is shown in the Musde d'Artillerie, Paris, as also are two separate helmets. An illustration of one of these, H 53, which we give, clearly shows how the hinged visor, by fitting within the front part of the salade, could be raised without unfixing the head-piece from the nientojinidre. Fig. 407. of the Jousting salade latest type The screw for holding the mentonnitre is still in position (Fig. 408). The helmet, H 52, in the Musde dArtillerie is a splendidly enriched example of the Saxon salade, and was formerly in the collection of Napoleon III. The whole surface is closely etched with an arrangement of strap work painted in polychrome. The suit to which this salade be- German, about 1580. No. 1308, Wallace Collection longs was made for Nicholas von Radzivil, Duke of Olyka, about 1575. Part of it is now in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna, and was previously in the collection of Prince Charles of Prussia. The chanfron belonging to this suit is nowin the collection of M. Bachereau of Paris. Another good Saxon salade was sold at Baron de Cosson's sale in 1893. This helmet was originally in the Brocas Collection, which was dispersed in 1834, and later appeared in that of Mr. J. W. Bailey. We described Fig. 408. Jousting SALADE OF THE LATEST TYPE should have liked to have many other incomplete specimens of salades which are to German, about 1580. H 53, Mus^e d'Artillerie be found scattered in private collec- 55 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS tions and museums, but this chapter is perhaps already too long aiul we must be content to illustrate fivt most interesting examples of visors which arc preserved in the Rotunda Museum at Woolwich (Fig. 408A). Fic. 408A. Visors (a) Visor of an Italian saladc, about 1470 (B) Visor of an Italian saladc, about 1470 (c) Visor of an Italian saladc, about 1470 (D) Visor of a saladc, German ty|>c, about 1470-80 (E) Viior of a saladc, German ty|)c, about 1460-70 All in the Museum of the Rotunda, Woolwich We lx;lieve that the salade will ever be the favourite head-piece of the armour enthusiast, for it was in use during the period in which the art of the armourer was at its zenith both as regards utility and refinement of decoration. 56 CHAPTER XI THE HEAD-PIECE CALLED THE CHAPEL-DE-FER, WAR HAT, OR CHAPAWE, DOWN TO THE EARLY YEARS OF THE XVlTH CENTURY ROISSART speaks of this head-piece as ''un chapel de Mon- tanban,Jin, cler et net, tout d'acier, qui respiendissait au soleil" an account which is lyrical, but not very enlightening. Whether, indeed, the chapel de Montauban was a distinctive form of war hat, or whether war hats made at Montauban and thereby famous for excellence of workmanship, the great chronicler fails to make clear. The period when the chapel-de-fer prevailed was probably longer than that of any Fig. 409. From the Painted Chamber, Palace of Westminster Showing the chapel-de-fer. Early XHIth century Other helmet; its simplicity of form, together with its general protective qualities, must have made it universally popular. Mentioned in statutes as early as the end of the Xllth century, its form survived in the pikeman's helmet of the middle of the XVI Ith century, and so stretched over an epoch covering close on five hundred years, during the whole of which time such alterations of its general form as can be traced are surprisingly slight. As its name implies, the chapel-de-fer, chapeau-de-fer, or, as it was termed in England, the chapawe, means nothing more than a hat of iron. II 57 ■ I EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS in It may be arjjutxl that we should have mentioned the chapel-de-fer the previous chapters which deal with the head-pieces of the earlier centuries; but since we are unable to ^ive illustrations of any actual chapel that can be assigned to a date earlier than the XVth century, we have thought it best to defer such brief description as we can give of this type of head-piece to the present stage of this work. We • m f \-^^ ^ Jj J§ #^k ^r 1 k 1 f?* • f •* • Pic 4ia From the " Pentateuchus," etc are inclined to think that Fig. 411. Third quarter of the X 1 1 Ith century Add. MSS. 11639, British Museum From a stone statuktte Middle of X 1 1 Ith century. Chapel of St. Maurice, Cathedral of Constance. From Hefner-Altencck, IVaffen • the chapfl-dt-fer was more ordinarily the head defence of the rank and file; though undoubtedly the noble and the knight arc |x>rtrayed wearing such a form of helmet. Before we refer to actual head-pieces of this class which we are able to illustrate, we will give a few instances of chapawcs of earlier date, as they appear in missal and sculpture. A good example of a chapawe of early XI I Ith ccntur)' date is depicted on the mural paintings which were formerly in the old Palace of Westminster (see vol, i, Figs. 143 and 144, also I'ig 409 and vol. iii, Fig. 907). Here the head-piece represented is of 58 THE WAR HAT OR CHAPAWE basin form, reinforced with bands, as in the case of the conical heh-net of the Xllth century, and surmounted by a spherical knob. A wider brimmed variety of chapawe is shown in an illumination (vol. i, Fig. 141), which illustrates a French battle scene of about 1280. The hat can be seen on the fully cleft in figure placed immediately behind the knight whose helm has been so success- twain. A drawing dating from the last quarter of the Xlllth century (Fig. 410) can be seen in the British Museum (Add. MSS., No. 1 1639) which depicts a more elaborate type of war hat on which a comb, doubtless applied, is shown, much in the manner of the pikeman's helmet of the XVIIth added inside. The holes for the rivets which secured this }>adding are still visible. The exterior surface was originally plated with tin to prevent its rusting. Fic. 421. 64 It is now in the Metropolitan Museum of New Fkum the I'Aueant o> kicHAku Hkauchamj', Kaki. ok Warwick Showing the knightly cha/>el-de-fer in use. EngU.sh, about 1475 York (Fig. 416) where there is' another very graceful specimen with a falling waved brim and dating from the middle of the XVth century (I'ig 416A). In the same museum is a singularly graceful head-piece of the same order but of a different ty|>e. The brim of this example is not of uniform breadth and has a curious curved line; it is witler over the ears, where it is compressed in to afford them greater protection. The skull-piece is gracefully decorated with simple broad, spiral channels. This helmet was considered by Signor Rcssman. in whose collection it once was, to be Burgundian and to belong to the middle of the XVth century (I'ig. 417). A good many chapawes, more or less of this type and of this date, are ii) existence, and are for the most part the head-pieces of the soldiery. One special type comes exclusively from Spain, a specimen of which we illustrate (Fig. 418), now in the collection of THE WAR HAT OR CHAPAWE Sir Edward Barry. Another good example may be seen in the Rotunda, Woolwich (Fig. 41 8a). When the chapawe was used as the head-piece of a knightly harness it was generally interchangeable with some other form of head-gear; as a proof Fig. 422. Portrait of Philip the Fair in 1505 From the wing of a triptych. Netherlands School, early XVIth century Brussels Gallery of this assertion we may instance the small head-piece which goes en suite with the superb harness, said to be the work of Hans Grunewalt of Nurem- berg, which was made for Sigismund the Wealthy, Archduke of the Tyrol (1427- 1 496), and is now in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna (see vol. i, Fig. 244). On the harness is a fine and complete salade ; but associated with II 65 K EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS it is also a simple basin-like chapei-de-fer of magnificent workmanship with sumptuous brass enrichments (I^ig. 419). A similar chapel was formerly in the collection of Herr Max Kuppel- ma\Tr uf Munich, and is now in that of Mr. Keasby. Although fluted in the same way it is without the brass enrichments. It is apparently of Innsbrilck make and Ix'longs to the last quarter of the X\'th century (Fig. 420). In the manuscript of the pageant of Richard Heauchamp, Fiarl of Warwick, to which we have alluded, and which is now considered to have l)ecn executed in the third quarter of the XV'th centur)', the war hat or chaj)awe often figures as the head-piece of the knight. In the illustration of the siege of Calais (I'ig. 421) five of the knights have this form of helmet; but the helmets arc represented as crested, much as the Italian armets are seen in the famous Uccello Ixittle-pieces (see vol. i, page 193, Tig. 228, and page 199, I'ig. 238). We might almost say that the calofeor steel coif worn under the cavalry hat of the latter part of the W'llth century is a descendant of the chapawe; and the modern steel helmet first worn by the French, and then adopted for general use among the allies, can prefer an even stronger claim to that distinction. But since the application of this term to any ojjen form of helmet after the first half of the XVIth century ceases from the |X)int of view of the armour enthusiast to describe the tyjx.- of head-piece to which we have been alluding, we will take leave of the chapawe, which, strictly speaking, assumed its final form in the closing years of the XV'th century, by giving an illustration of the portrait of Philip the Fair, father of Charles V (d. 1506), which figures in the Brussels Gallery (F'ig. 422), and by quoting Grafton, who describes King Henry VI 11 in 1514 as wearing "on his hedde a chapeau Montaubin with a rich coronal, the fold of the chapeau was lined with crimson satten." THE "BARBUTE* HELMET When we speak of the barbutc we are employing a term that, as applied to a head-piece, has certainly a very indefinite denotation. We are accustomed to classing salade head-pieces of the Venetian order under the heading of barbutes; but we have slight authority for putting them in this category, save a knowledge of the fact that the term has been handed down parrot- wise from collector to collector as descriptive of such a head defence. 66 In THE "BARBUTE" HELMET the opinion of the Baron de Cosson, and we can certainly go to no higher court of appeal, the barbute or barbuta was a bascinet type of helmet furnished with a chin-piece of plate; for the word barbuta must originally have meant something bearded. In this interpretation of barbute, the beard portion of the helmet would signify a plate protecting the beard, and not, as M. Viollet-le- Duc suggests, an open-faced helmet showing the beard; so that what in France would be known as a bascinet a bavidre, would in Italy come under the heading of the barbuta, or in the French language, barbute. It requires no imagination to conjecture that, while originally the term barbute was applied to the beard-plate only, it finally came to stand for the entire head- piece, of which the beard-plate was but a part. Olivier de la Marche uses the term for a defence of the same nature as the bevor. He states that Claude de Sainte Hel^ne, armed for a fight, appeared '' sa teste armde de salade et de barbute "; while Chastelain, describing the appearance of the knight on the same occasion, speaks of him as having a ''salade en tite ayant bavidre''; so that the word barbute and baviere would appear to be synonymous. In an early XVIth century mention of the barbute, it figures as a portion of the helmet itself; for Hall, giving an account of a mishap to King Henry VIII at a tourna- ment, says in his history of that monarch: " For a surety the duke strake the King on the brow right under the defece of ye hedpece on the very coyffe scull or bassenetpece whereunto the barbet for power and defence is charneled." Here Hall, in his use of the word barbet, certainly seems to refer to a reinforcing plate applied to the skull-piece of a helmet, as seen on most armets (see post. Fig. 430). To enable the reader to get some idea of 67 the different interpretations which the two great authorities we have mentioned give of the same term, we furnish an illustration of a very splendid Venetian helmet in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 423) which illustrates adequately enough the type of head-piiece to which M. Viollet-le-Duc applies the term barbute; while another illustration, that of a bascinet helmet (see vol. i. Fig. 283), will sufficiently depict what the Baron de Cosson means by the same expression. The present writer would have preferred to include his account of the bascinet barbute, referred to by M. Viollet-le-Duc, in those chapters which deal with the history of the bascinet head-piece, since in his opinion the Wallace example is a representative helmet of that class. It differs indeed from certain bascinets represented (see vol. i, Figs. 278 and 279) only in the prolongation of its lower front cheek-pieces and in the outward sweep of its lower back edge. It was, however, almost a matter of necessity to EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS rcscr>-c this helmet for inclusion in the present chapter in order to contrast M. \'ittllet-lc- Due's a>nception of a Ixirbute with that o( the Haron de Cosson. The W'allacx" ixiscinet dttrdM/e is a finely made helmet, heavy, thick, and xrry true in outline. The skull-piece is constructed on the lines of a hascinet of about 1390 with a pointed apex; thouijh, as we have said, the base of the Fig. 423. Rascinkt Described by Viollet'le-Duc as the type of helmet called the barbute lulian, about 1390-1400. No. 1 5, Wallace Collection helmet splays outwards. I'ollowing the line of the border, except on the prominent check projections, is a close row of small holes for the attachment of the lining, and jnside these, some 2\ inches apart, a row of staples through which a cord was passed for the fastening of the camail ; these cease over the forehead, in the extreme centre of which are two small staj)lcs with upright projections placed one alxjve the other. It is probable that they were for 68 THE "BARBUTE" HELMET fixing a movable nasal-guard when raised. The same arrangement appears on the fine little XlVth century bascinet (see vol. i, Fig. 261) to be seen in the late Mr. W. Burges's bequest to the British Museum. M. Viollet-le- Duc gives an excellent drawing of the barbute reconstructed with a nasal- guard and camail added (Fig. 424), perhaps of the Wallace example. It will be noted that by an arrangement of the staples, which run up on either side at an obtuse angle from the lower edge of the skull-piece to the forehead line, the very prominent cheek-pieces would be covered by the camail, which. Fk;. 424. 69 The same helmet Reconstructed by M. Viollet-le-Duc, with the nasal-guard and camail in position From the Dictionnaire raisonni du Mobilier Franqais however, owing to the angle at which the cheek-pieces are set, was kept from pressing upon the chin. This head-piece in the Wallace Collection used to be in the collection of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke and was previously in that of the Count of Thun, at Val di Non. It is safe to assume that it is Italian and to belongs to the middle of the XlVth century. As what actually was the form of this widely used head-piece, uncer- tainty will always exist; for, as we have already explained, contemporary accounts are extremely contradictory. M. Viollet-le-Duc's theory that the barbute was closely allied to the French open-faced salade is certainly difficult to accept; for we have mention of a barbuta in a will which dates as far back EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS as 1349. Now as there is no record of a saladc of the so-called Venetian type at so early a date, it is probable that bttrbuiam in this will must refer to some other head-piece more akin to the bascinet. We ought to add that, according to Ducange. the term ikirbiita was used in the Italy of the XlVth ccntur)' to indicate a man-at-arms, or a body of men-at-arms, much in the a same way as in I'rancc the word '* lances " had reference to a unit in battle, company of lancers. Cereta, for instance, in his Veronese Chronicle, states that licrnabo \isconti, lord of Milan, attacked Verona in 1354 with "800 Iktrbute." Fu;. 424A. Statuette ok a Knkjiit (41 cm. in iiEuaiT) rkpresentinc St. GEOKf;E Carved in wood and originally painted. It is one of the figures on a wing of an altar-piece of the second half of the X I Vth century by Jacob de Bacra Now in the mu.scum at Dijon. From Herr J. von Hcfncr-Altcncck's " Waffcn" See page 1 57 70 CHAPTER XII THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE FROM THE EARLY YEARS OF THE XVtii CENTURY TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE NEXT CENTURY T of is remarkable that, although Meyrick illustrates two helmets of the armet class in his famous work, this particular and very special head-piece was not described in public or private collec- tions as a distinctive type, or as a link in the evolution of the helmet, until the Baron de Cosson made its importance clear about forty years ago. It is safe to say that up to as late as the seventies the XlXth century, the XVth century character of this head-piece was entirely unappreciated; while its individual features were confused with the mass of types of closed head-piece which were vaguely classed as of XVIth century origin. We well remember seeing in the Tower of London a fine, though incomplete, late XVth century armet placed on a three-quarter suit of a mid-XVIIth century armour, and japanned brown to match the suit. This was as late as 1890, proving that the armet was not even then recognized as XVth century head-piece in our National Armoury. As is the case with nearly all names which are employed to-day to particularize the parts of a suit of armour, there is considerable doubt as to the type of head-piece to which the term armet was originally applied. This may be accounted for by the very loose nomenclature of the XVth and XVIth centuries, and also by the fact that the line of tradition that doubt- less attached the word armet to the class of helmet to which it really belonged was broken during the latter part of the XVI Ith and wholly through the XVIIIth century. The fighting man of the earlier part of the XVIIth century may possibly have possessed, from tradition, a truer understanding of what the armet head-piece really was than we possess to-day; but after that period the original and true interpretation of the armet head-piece was lost, from the fact that this type of helmet had fallen into disuse for so long a period. We have, therefore, nothing to guide us but loosely expressed contemporary records. The derivation of the word armet is also obscure, and the Baron de Cosson himself does not appear to have come to any definite conclusion on 71 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the point. It has usually been spoken of as a variation of the word heauinct. the diminutive of heaume. just as helmet is the diminutive of helm; hut the two fonner names are clearly given to two distinctive helmets in Lt Ckailange ' distinct advantage over ever)- other t\ i>e of early helmet t)f having in its more advanced form its weight borne by the gorget instead of resting on, the head. S{)eaking in the broadest sense, the armet may be classed under two headings, the s«>-calkxl Italian and the later English variety. The dift'ercnce between the two consistcxl in the manner of oj)ening the head-piece; for the general shape and the visor protection of the face were practically identical. The Italian or continental armet almost invariably had complete cheek-plates wf FVi. 42J. ^^^^2^«iH^.^ RKVtk.sK OK A MKDAI. OK DoMKNICO MaLATESTA, CALLED NOVELIX) Kxecutcd about 1450 by V'ittorc I'isano • opening outwards on a hinge attached to the skull-piece immediately below the visor pivot. The cheek-plates joined in front of the chin, and the visor fitted over them when lowered. The skull-piece was continued down the back of the neck by a piece only a few inches wide, which uas partially over- lapped by the on cheek-pieces. From this narrow piece projected a short stem which a disk or rondel, sometimes termed the volet, was fi.xcd. C(incern- ing the use to which this rondel, which is characteristic of the armet and is never omitted from the early type, may have iK'cn put, there has been some difference of opinion; but there can be little doubt that it was added as a protection to the o|x;ning of the helmet at the back. The skull-piece of the English armet was modelled more to the shape of the head, extending so as 74 THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE to cover the back of the neck and the ears; while a movable chin-piece was attached by the same pivots as controlled the visor. This type had a distinct advantage over the continental and earlier type, since it avoided the weak spot at the juncture of the cheek-plates with the narrow neck-piece at the back, and did away with the necessity of the rondel, which is seldom found in an English made armet. The movable chin-piece was fixed firmly by a hook or spring-bolt at the side. From the continental type we should perhaps exclude the armets of German make. These were all of a late type, and had many individual features of their own. The buffe, or grande bavidre, was so often associated with the armet, that it might almost be taken for an integral part of the helmet proper. In the Uccello picture in the National Gallery no head-piece is seen without this additional protec- tion. It was on a reinforcing plate, fashioned much the lines of the bevor of the salade; but worn on the armet it fitted over the chin and the lower part of the visor, effectually preventing the latter piece, which was unfastened in the early armets, from being forced up by a lance or sword thrust. These buffes were in almost every case attached by a strap or double straps passing round the neck of the helmet and buckling beneath the rondel at the back. A very good mid-XVth century illustra- tion of the Fk;. 428. Bas-relief From the architrave of the famous "door of war" in the buffe attached by the strap is to be noted on the sculptured stone architrave in the Ducal Palace at Urbino, known as "the door of war"; where, carved in the motif of the ornamentation, there is a bas-relief Ducal Palace, Urbino. Middle of XVth century profile view of an armet. The pin and rivet attachment of the mesail, the rondel, and the buffe attached by a stout strap are all admirably rendered (Fig. 428). Such buffes are also most clearly visible, sculptured on the splendid bas-reliefs that decorate the tomb erected between 1494 and 1497 ^o the memory of Gian Galeazzo Visconti in the right transept of the Certosa di Pavia, near Milan, casts of which may be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The increasing use of the armet was not uniform throughout civilized Europe. The countries of central Europe generally never appeared quite to 75 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS appreciate it. and, as \vc stated in a previous chapter, they retained the saladc with stubborn conservatism; indeed, until after the early years of the With century, head-pieces of any other description are scUlom found on suits of German make. Itnjjiand, in her slowness to adopt any new fashion in armour defence, was also behindhand in takin^^ to the arniet; but with this difference, that when the qualities of the arnict as a head defence were proved to excel those of the bascinet and saladc, she practically discarded all others. This was not, however, until the closing years of the W'th or coinincnce- mcnt of the XVIth centur)'. It is certainly safe to say that no country to-ilay can show such an array of closed helmets of the armet type as England; they are not in her armouries, public and private, but distributed among the country churches, where they are to be seen hanging above the tombs of various knightly families. Passing to the individual helmets of the armet tyfjc that are extant, wx' find, as in the case of other armaments, that the continental collections retain most of the earliest examples. It is impossible to name a par- ticular date and say " the earliest type ap|)eared then ; " for with one exception known to the present writer, the armet certainly fails to figure in missal or sculpture until well into the second (juarter of the W'th century. The only pictorial evidence of an armet head-piece of earlier date appears in the famous fresco at Rome, attributed to Masolino, which, as most authorities now recognize, was painted some time between 1420 and 1425 (see vol. i, rig. 200). This testimony corroborates the opinion of the Baron dc Cosson, whom we look on as the greatest authority on the armet head-piece, that they were doubtless in use as early as 1410-20. (Juite recently the Baron's theory has been lK>rne out from the examination of the Italian armour from Chalcis, now in the Kthnological Sluseum at Athens. This armour was discovered in the year 1840 (according to Buchon who was present on the occasion) during some alterations which were being made to the Military Hospital in the castle of Chalcis in Iuilx)ea, thirteen miles from Thebes. All the pieces had been bricked U|) in a casement («;/ rdduif) and were only brought to light by the falling down of a party wall. Hefner, in his Tracltten des christlichen Mittelalters (vol. i, p. 83), gives indifferent illustrations of cer- tain of the helmets and states that they were found in a cistern. The collection consists of bascinets, salades, armcts, some body armour and jambs, cuisses, and arm-pieces; in all probability they were not walled up intentionally Ix-fore the evacuation of the castle; for they would hardly have been worth the trouble of preserving. But it seems more likely that 76 THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE they were thrown aside as needing repairs or as being past repairing. For Hefner's statement that they were found in a cistern, there is no authority. Buchon, too, only mentions their having been found and gives no details beyond those we have mentioned. On its discovery the armour was first removed to Athens and placed in the museum of the Acropolis; but at a later date it was removed to the Ethnological Museum, where it was, until quite recently, labelled Casques Normands, Croisades du XII' Sidcle. Buchon in his notes dealing with the Chalcis collection in La Gr^ce et la Morde (page 134) connects this group of helmets and other armour with the battle of Lake Copais, where in 131 1 the chivalry of the Morea was defeated by the Catalan Grand Company. This, from the nature of the armaments discovered, is, on the face of it, impossible. It is probable, however, as the castle of Chalcis was ia) Fig. 429. First half of XVth century. Akmet from Chalcis ib) Now in the Ethnographical Museum, Athens {a) Profile view; ib) Back view captured by the Turks from the Venetians in 1470, that this hoard was part of the armour of the captured Venetians, and that owing to its fragmentary nature it was thrown aside as useless by the Turks. It has been rather vaguely stated that the group dates from the middle of the XlVth century, until the defeat of the Venetians in 1470; but we have no hesitation in saying that no single piece can be assigned to a date earlier than the closing years of the XlVth century, not even the bascinet helmets, all of which are of a very late type, even if crude in workmanship. But we are more particularly interested in the three armets of this group, for, associated as they are with the bascinets and early salades found at Chalcis, they confirm the Baron de Cosson's theory of the mid-XVth century existence of this particular class of head-piece. Two of the armets are illus- 77 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS trated in Archaeoiogia (vol. Ixii, Plate LI 1 1), the complete one (Fijj. 429. a, b) beio); very similar in the skull- and check-pieces to an example at the Museum of Artillen- in the Rotunda. Woolwich (Imjj. 431), and to the fine and complete armct in the Baron's own collection (I-ig. 430). The great likeness in these three armets is in the extreme depth of the cheek-plates, in the keel-like cross section of the skull-piece, and in the simple fornuition of the upper Fit;. 430. Armkt Italian, about 1440. Collection : Baron de Cosson outline of the reinforcing forehead plate. This la.st mentioned point we draw attention to, as it will be noticed, on reference to the illustration of the more advanced armets of the XVth century (.see Fig. 437), that this plate has a tendency to Ijccome elaborate in its outline and that the single curve is at a later date usually duplicated. The face opening in all the three armets under discussion is also strengthened by a stri|) of iron of square section riveted round the edge of the skull- and cheek-pieces; while at the back of the neck of the Chalcis armct projects a square pin, which held the rondel. 78 THE On ARMET HEAD-PIECE the three armets found at Chalcis, as on the de Cosson and Rotunda head-pieces, there are brass or iron staples at intervals round the lower edge- These were Tor the attachment of the camail in a similar manner to that adopted in the case of the XlVth century bascinet. This was almost a necessity ; for in the early armets, before the protective neck-plates of metal were added, the helmet offered a very vulnerable spot in the region of the neck. The de Cosson armet, which we have alluded to as having the same characteristics as the Chalcis armets, is the most complete and earliest of its kind known to the present writer (Fig. 430). It was purchased by the Baron thirty-five years ago of Messrs. Willson, the well-known London dealers, to whose gallery it was brought by an Italian dealer in works of art. We mention this fact because we tried, but unsuccessfully, to trace its history previous to its purchase by Messrs. Willson. So, although it was painted in exactly the same manner as the helmets seen hanging in English churches, the circumstance of its having been purchased from an Italian dealer inclines us to think that it was brought from Italy to England for sale. Its fashion and workmanship we unhesitatingly pronounce to be Italian. From the resemblance of its staples to those found on the bascinet head-piece of late XlVth century date, and from its form and workmanship, it must be, as we have already said, one of the earliest armets of its type known. The same pin and hinge arrangement which is found on the bascinet secures the visor to the helmet. The ocularium is not cut in the visor; but like those of somewhat later date is formed by the space between the upper edge of the visor and the lower edge of the reinforcing plate on the forehead. The lower part of the armet consists of two cheek-pieces, hinged to the crown just under the pivots of the visor, which overlap in front and were strapped together below the chin. At the back the small skull-piece is continued by a narrow piece down the back of the neck, and this is overlapped by the cheek-pieces, leaving, however, the central portion of the tail-piece uncovered; from the base of this projects a short stem, to which was originally attached the rondel. The tail of the skull-piece does not quite reach the lower edge of the armet, but is continued by a small piece fixed to it with rivets working in of slots, so that when the head was thrown back, the small plate could slide slightly upwards. The staples for the camail are fifteen in number and are brass. Between the staples are rivets for the lining, which must have covered the whole inside of the helmet, and which was sewn in over the forehead through holes to be seen behind the reinforcing piece. The 79 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS annet is small but heavy, weighing 9 lb. 6 oz. At its summit is a hole by which was attached the crest. It bears a most interesting armourer's mark, the letter I. in a circle, and below a name in full, Liunakix). The annet at the Rotunda. \\'tK)lwich (Fig. 431), possesses e.xactly -\ Fk;. 431. lulian, about 1440. Armet MuMum of the Rotunda, Woolwich the same marked characteristics as the others with which we have asso- ciated it. Indeed, this armet is so similar to the one just described that only its diflfercnccs need be noted. It has not, and appears never to have had, any reinforcing piece over the front of the skull-piece; neither is there any trace of the stem to hold the rondel at the back, which from the very high quali- 80 THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE ties of workmanship employed in this head-piece is rather noteworthy. The arrangement for securing the lining is precisely the same as is to be found on the de Cosson helmet. The armourer's mark upon it is a hand with the first and second fingers extended, and the thumb and remaining fingers closed. The visor is lost; but the rivets and staple fastening by which it was attached are in position. This fine head-piece is scheduled, like other armour in the Rotunda, as coming from the Isle of Rhodes. In our endeavour to form an opinion as to which of these interesting armets was the earliest, we must look critically at the slight variations in I Fig. 432. Italian, first half of XVth century. Armet The cheek-pieces are restorations Collection: Sir Farnham Burke, K.C.V.O. (a) Profile view (i) Front view their construction, and try to determine what was most likely to have been evolved from the type of helmet that was in vogue in the years immediately preceding. It can be taken for granted that the chief variations in these very early armets are traceable to the formation of the visor, to the method of producing the ocularia, and to the reinforcing piece on the fore part of the skull. Authorities have generally taken it for granted that the short, thick visor which fell low enough to form a space to look through between its upper edge and the lower edge of the skull-piece, was the earliest form, owing to its very simplicity. But we are inclined to believe that we have not forcing piece on looked far enough ahead, and that we must take into consideration the rein- the forehead, which is nearly always present on these earliest II 81 M EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS armcts. Let us ask. "Why is it there? It was never found on the bascinet, the immeiliate forerunner of the armet." But wfiat we do find on the bascinet is a a)mplete visor with ocularia and its upper part extcndinjj over the fore- head as a reinforcement. We suggest, therefore, that in the natural order of thinjjs the first visor on the armet was a complete one, such as was used on the bascinet in a modified form, and that the next step was the dividing of the visor into two at the ocularia, converting the upper part into a fixcil reinforcing plate on the forehead, and creating a simple ocularium above the visor as described. This suggestion seems rea.sonable ; for such A Fig. 433. Armet lulian, first half of .W'th century, shown with the viaor ckncd and original heavy wrapper in position Collection: Baron de Cosson an Fig. 434. The same armet With the visor raised and buffe removed arrangement would certainly have produced a visor more easily raised or our closed: visors Ix-ing of heavy construction in those days. There are two armets |xjs.sessing the large visor which we think support view. The first armet of this ty|x; jwssessing such a visor is now in the collec- tion of Sir I-arnham Burke (I'ig. 432) a helmet which the Baron dc Cosson assigns to the second (juarter of the XVth century, thus giving considerable sup{K)rt to our theory, if his opinion Ijc correct. The skull-piece of the armet appears somewhat crudely fashioned in spite of its being of Italian workman- to ship. Of its nationality we are sure, since it bears an armourer's mark akin that used by the Missaglia family of Milan; though it hung for centuries in a church^n Hngland from which it was obtained by its late owner. 82 This THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE helmet has been subjected to clumsy alterations and poorly executed repairs that greatly mar its present appearance. The second armet with large visor supplies better evidence, and has been the means of inclining the Baron de Cosson to a belief in our theory as to the earliest form of armet visor. This is an extremely interesting helmet quite recently brought to light in Italy; it fortunately fell into the Baron's hands, in whose collection it is now to be seen. The armet must be of a very early date, indeed of as early a date as that of the Farnham Burke example; for its visor possesses all the characteristics of the heavily constructed ample visors to which we have just referred (Figs. 433 and 434) and is of the complete kind, solidly fashioned, and furnished with ocularia slits. This helmet, which is perfect in all its details, even to its original detached reinforcing buffe, was found to be sadly battered and knocked about when it came into the possession of its present owner, who has, however, most skilfully remedied the damage incurred by the ill-usage of the past. To leave theorizing on this subject of what may have been the form of the earliest armet visors, we will mention here two extraordinary and early armets forming part of the Graf G. Trapp collec- tion in the Schloss Churburg, which have visors unique of their kind. We have never had the good fortune to see these armets or even to obtain a photograph of them; but the following is their description given to us by one who has handled them. The section of their combs and the forma- 83 tion of their Fig. 435. century Armet Possibly Polish, late XVth Collection: Sir Farnham Burke, K.C.V.O. skull-pieces present no great variation from those of most helmets of the armet type; but they are undoubtedly of very early date, probably coming within the first quarter of the XVth century. It is, however, the form of their face defence that makes this pair of armets so remarkable. It is contrived by having the lower edge of the visor and the upper edge of the cheek-plates cut out in regular castellations, the two edges being so arranged that the rectangular projections on the one fit into the corre- sponding indentations on the other; so that when the visor is closed there are no apertures to look through other than those cracks between the edges of the plates. We should also like to mention am ngst curious armets that have EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND APMS come to our notice two which were obtained from MIowa p], in Russian Poland. They were uj^ly and ptK)rly made; but they unmistakably belonged to a type that was markedly racial. They are the only two of their type with which we are acquainted: and it is just pt>ssible that they were the work of some provincial Polish armourer who hail as his model a head-piece he only half understood (Fig. 435). In reviewing the more ordinar)' and ailvanccd tyjx* of armet, let us first examine three head-pieces that are easily accessible, namely, the three armcts in the Wallace Collectit>n. Nos. 85. 84. and 81. No. 85 api>ears to be the earliest (I'ig. 436). The skull-piece has the keel form ridge with the slightly FiG.4)& Armet 84 Italian, second half of X Vth century Na 85, Wallace CollArtion Fig. 437. Armet Italian, second half of XVth century No. 84, Wallace Collection flattened top; the forehead is strongly reinforced by an extra plate, out of the upper part of which are cut two semi-circles. The cheek-pieces are full, slightly overlap at the chin, and finish Ijelow in an inturned edge of triangular section to lend additional strength. The visor is of one plate, bluntly pointed, and is without any kind of apertures for ventilation. The ocularium is formed by the space between the top of the visor and the lower edge of the reinforcing plate of the skull-piece. The back of the skull-piece Ixrars an armourer's mark, three times rejxjated, which is of Milanese origin. The protective rondel on the tail-piece is mi.ssing, but the hole for its stem is to be .seen. An interesting feature of this head- piece is the applied strip of iron. three-<|uarters of an inch wide, attached by three rosette-headed rivets which originally covered a leather strap, to G A. Armet, Italian, about 1500. Fig. 438 It has been subjected to certain alterations. p.. Armet, Spanish, about 1470-80. Ex Viewed with visor closed and open, c. Don Jose Argaiz collection, Madrid. Armet, Italian, about 1500, showing the original leather strap for the attachment of the camail. Paccietto, Padua. Now D. E G Armet, Italian, about 1470. de Cosson. and F. Armet, Italian, about Viewed back and front. collection. Baron de Cosson. It bears the Missaglia mark. 1480. From the Becoulet Collection. Ressman and Dino Collections. and H. Armet, Italian, about 1490. York. Viewed back and front. I. Armet, Italian, about 1470. Ressman, Cosson, and Dino Collections. Formerly in the armoury of the Doge's Palace. H Now collection, Baron de Cosson. Now Now collection, Baron de Cosson. From the Castello Now collection, Baron Metropolitan Museum of New York. Now Metropolitan Museum of New Now in the Museo Civico, Venice. EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS which the camail was attached, a method that 'superseded fastening the camail directly to the exposed staples. This head-piece is uf the third quarter of the X\*lh centur)'. It is interesting to compare No. 84 Wallace Collection (Fig. 437) with the example just described. It shows a slightly advanced type, though it is only a few years later in date. It will Ix- noticed that the cheek-pieces are more ample, and more closely modelled to the shape of the side of the face and of the neck ; they also extend to a greater length, splaying out towards I-u;. 43y. Italian, about 1470. Akmkt Cullection: Baron de Cossfjn their base in a gorget-like manner; at the back they siijj^htly overlap and arc attached to one another by a turning pin. The strip of iron that covered the leather strap to which the camail was attached is missing; though the holes for the rivets that fixed it can be seen. It will be ob.servcd in the case of both these armets that the hinge and pin arrangement for attaching the visor, which, as we saw on the bascinet, made possible a rapid removal or re- fixing of this defence, is now placed in a position of safety beneath the ex- tremities of the visor. Space to permit of this arrangement is obtained by the visor being slightly embossed at the extremities so as to allow space for the concealed hinge between the visor and skull-piece of the helmet. 86 THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE We will not weary our readers with a full description of the other Italian armets we illustrate; but so rare is a complete head-piece of this type, that we have been at some considerable trouble to collect a group of sufficient number to show the varieties of form of these head-pieces. The examples illustrated (Fig. 438) are of north Italian make and fashion and date from about 1470 to 1510. Three other armets of the Italian type we reproduce on a larger scale. The first (Fig. 439) shows the chain camail fastened beneath the lower edge of 87 Fig. 440. Italian, or possibly Spanish, about 1480. Armet Collection: Mr. Frank B. Macomber, Boston, now in the Cleveland Museum the helmet. The second (Fig. 440) is an armet which is considered by some to be of Spanish origin, but which, in the present writer's opinion, is also north Italian, dating from about 1480. As in the case of other armets referred to (Figs. 436 and 437), around the base of the skull-piece of this helmet there is riveted a thin strip of metal beneath which was the leather strap to which the camail was sewn. The third armet (Fig. 441) is a very fine north Italian example in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris (No. H 56). Here can still be seen the true Italian armet, hut in its latest form. The low comb of the skull-piece is already cabled, and/a suggestion of similar ornamentation appears on the visor. The borders o; the principal plates, and other parts of EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the armct. arc carefully etched and glldeii in the Milanese manner which is usually a.elow the snout. This we also find on a visor of a Spanish armet formerly in our own possession, but now in a private continental collection (Fig. 444). 90 THE ARMET HEAD-PIECE There is an armourer's mark of some importance on the back of the skull of the Wallace Spanish armet; but it has been so rubbed down in the past by overcleaning of the helmet as to be almost obliterated. In what we are about to describe as the English variety of the armet, we note an Italian influence in construction, but an Italian influence subservient to a curious insular simplicity. The splendidly protective Italian armet of about 1460-70 was indubitably the forbear of the English armet of the first quarter of the XVIth century. But it must be borne in mind that a long period had now elapsed before the group of closed helmets we illustrate (Fig. 445) were in general use in England. The result was that the beauty of contour which marked the Italian model had disappeared, to be replaced by an originality in the shaping of the skull-piece and of the vi.sor not wholly dis- pleasing to armour enthusiasts, who find in them the same attraction that Fig. 444. Spanish, about 1500. Armet It has at some time been subject to alterations Ex Murrietta Collection they discover in the ordinary furniture and decoration of the English home of the period, which was then being subjected to a but dimly appreciated Renaissance influence. Let us now look at the English armet and note how the form and construction vary from those of the Italian model. The most important differences are in the formation of the protective plates for the cheek and chin, and in the manner in which the helmet is opened, so as to place it upon the head. Seldom, in the present writer's opinion, do we find on English made armets the large whole cheek-pieces opening outwards on a separate hinge below the visor pivots; but the chin and cheek defences are of one whole piece like those seen on nearly all XVIth century close helmets. Such chin-pieces were hinged on the visor pivot itself, with the result that the helmet, when being adjusted on the head, had to be opened at the sides. It can readily be understood that, with this arrangement for opening, the use of the short chain camail so characteristic 91 of the Italian armet became EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS impracticable, as it would have necessitated the division of the camail at the side, with the conseijuent loss of its protective quality. The camail is therefore nearly always rcplacetl on Ilnj^lish made armets by j^orget plates such as are seen on helmets of a later period. A gotnl illustration of these is to be noted on the Bur)' St. Edmunds armet (Fig. 445, a, h). It is difficult to explain the characteristic contour of the b.'ick of the skull-piece to which we have referred; but taken jjcnerally it will be found that the top of the skull-piece is somewhat flattenetl, ami that from a point about half-way down the back a concave outline is apparent. An examination of the illustrations of the armet which can be seen in liye Church, Suffolk {\''\^. 446), a very characteristic English example, will help the armour student to appreciate this particular form of skull-piece. Another feature of the Iinglish made armet consists in the circumstance that while the fore part of the skull-piece is reinforced with a plate of the same form, as can be seen on those of Italian origin, the ocularium is rarely formed by the sjjacc between this plate and the top of the visor. In nearly all cases English made armets, when they jxjssess their original visors, have sight-slits in the visor itself, as in the case of the earliest Italian forms (see pages 81, 82, F'igs. 432 and 433) or as seen on the Spanish armets (Figs. 443 and 444). Of the armourers who produced these ordinary early XV'Ith centur)- fighting head-pieces, or indeed of any English made armour of these times, we are wholly ignorant. The armets are as a rule unmarked; and if by chance an armourer's mark is found it is sure to be one of which no record exists. We think that many of the original visors of the English armets shown in our illustrations, from English churches, must have been altered or adapted when they were used for funerary purposes. We have notcxl those which, in our opinion, are preserved in their original condition. In the case of two other helmets (Figs. 445, i, j) we see a somewhat different form of English armet, an armet in which the general proportions of the head-piece appear to \)c evolved from the later bascinet helmets of the middle of the Wth centur>'. They are the only two FInglish armets of this type with which we are acquainted, and their general construction leaves little doubt that they were made by the same armourer. Both skull-pieces arc drawn out to an apex at the top, while the chin-pieces and the tails of the skull-pieces, which are complete, splay outwards in the manner of gorgets; but this formation of the lower part of the helmet is not brought about by the addition of gorget plates, as seen in most English made armets, but by the formation of the lower edge of the helmet, which is drawn or flanged out of the back of the skull-picxe and from the chin-plate itself. 92 The second Fig. 445. A The English armet and B. Profile and three-quarter view of a complete armet of about 1 5 lo, in the parish church of St. Mary, Bury St. Edmunds. c, Armet, altered for funerary purposes, about 1515. The skull-piece may be Italian of about 1480. In the parish church of St. Mary, Bury St. Edmunds. D. Armet, about 1520, the gorget plates are not the original. Tower of London. E. Armet, about 1 525, the gorget plates wanting. Collection : Sir Edward Barry, Bart. F. Armet, probably of the Capel family, about 1520. From old Rayne Church, Essex (see page 155). It has the wrapper round the bevor. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby. G. Armet, English, about 1520. The skull-piece might possibly be Italian. H. Armet, altered late in the XVIth century for funerary purposes. Hanging above the Hastings tomb in Stoke Poges Church, i. Skull-piece of an armet of a different type, about 1 500. Formerly belonging to the Dering family, Surrenden, Kent. Collection : Sir Edward Barry, Bart. J. Armet apparently by the same armourer as the skull-piece I. This head-piece is complete and untouched. In St. Peter's Church, Stourton, Wilts. EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS of these two helmets (Fig. 445 j) is still in St. Peter's Church, Stourton; but the first (I'^ijj. 445 1), which lacks its visor, is now in the collection of Sir Edward Harr)- of Ockwells Manor. The painted surface of this last- mentioned helmet makes us confident that it must orijjinally have hung in some English church. I'inally. we will turn to the German make of the armct head-piece. These helmets appear to have Ix-en characterized by no particular originality of form, the great tierman armourers of the early years of the With century content- ing themselves with copying the l)est nunlel of the head-piece procurable, namely, the north Italian ty|x; of the closing years of the W'th century. As we we have said, the armct head-piece fiuind little favour in Germany, and though («) Fio. 446. A TvruAi- KN(ii.isii akmkt About 1520-30. Kye Church, Suffolk (*) («) Profile view, the visor raised ; (6) Profile view, the visor clo.sed are able to give illustrations of two which are the work of jxThaps the most famous of all the German armourers, we know that both were made to be sjnt to other countries, the first to England, the second to Spain. The armet (1-ig. 447) made by Conrad Scusenhofer of InnsbrUck, which goes with the suit (Tig. ioi6) given by the Emperor Maximilian to King Henry V'lII, is a pr:in, when it is found as a knij^ht's achievement over his tomb, is often surmounted by a crest; \vc illustrate the one now hanging over the tomb of Sir Cieorgc Brooke, K.G., in Cobham Church, Kent (I-ig. 442 n). These crests are all, however, made for funerary purposes only, and are of carved and painted wood, which, from their vcr)' weight, would have rendered their use on the helmet impossible in fighting or even for ceremonial use. Other such funerary crests are to be seen on the armet of the Hastings family in Stoke Poges Church (Fig. 445 h), and on the armet said to have belonged to Sir William Drury in Hawstead Church, Suffolk (I'ig. 442 a and n). In our account of the armet we have not alluded to the ilamaged condi- tion of many Italian specimens, due to the cutting away of part of the anterior portion of the skull-piece and the upper part of the check-piece or pieces. This was due to the later use of these armets for the Giuoco del Ponte — the opening produced by the cutting away being covered by a large roughly made barred visor. Where these damaged armets have passed into the hands of armour collectors they have often been restored. It is not without interest to collec-tors to know that they may still have the gcK)d fortune to recognize in an old Pisa helmet the remains of an Italian armet. 98 CHAPTER THE XIII HELM OF THE XVtii CENTURY P to the first years of the XVth century the hehii continued to be the principal head defence of the knight both on the battle-field and in the joust; but from this point onwards it lost popularity in its double capacity, and was discarded as a war defence. It was found that the visored bascinet, armet, and salade possessed many more qualities fitting them for use in warfare, chief amongst them being the fact that they were less cumbersome and equally protective. The helm being now retained for the joust only, the weight was not of so much con- sequence, and the opportunity was therefore taken of adding generally to the thickness of the plates, especially in that part of the head-piece most likely to receive the lance shock. Doubtless the most interesting tilting helm in England, characteristic of the early years of the XVth century, is that credited to the ownership of King Henry V, which hangs, with his saddle and shield, upon a beam over his tomb in the Confessor's Chapel of the Abbey Church of Westminster (Fig. 449, a, b). We have to admit, however, that this is no battle-helm ; it was constructed especially for jousting and not for field wear, and could not have been worn by the King on the field of Agincourt, as tradi- tion would have us believe. That it was worn by him at all has of late years been denied, but solely on account of an error made by Rymer in his printed record of it contained in the entry of the Issue Roll of the funeral expenses of to the King in 1422. The Rymer printed record reads translated: "Also the same Thomas [Daunt] for making of a crest and helm for the King 33S ^d " \^^g have, however, to thank Sir St. John Hope, who contributed an article to Archaeologia (vol. Ixv) on the subject, for discovering an error in Rymer that puts a different complexion on the record. Sir St. John Hope with his usual care turned to the original Latin account only to find that the word printed by Rymer as fact lira is plainly //V/wr*?. ''Item eidem Thome [Daunt] pro pictitra unius crest e et unius helme pro Rege xxxiijs iiijcl" Sir St. John Thus it is a question of the painting and not of the making of a helm; and, as Hope says, " since no other helm is mentioned in the 99 Hfxm Finrt quarter of X Vlh ccntur>'. Fig. 449n. Hanging above the tomb of King I fcnry V in the Abbey Church of Westminiiter. lOO Profile view Fig. 449/J. First quarter of XVth century. Helm Hanging above the tomb of King Henry V in the Abbe\- Church of Westminster. Front view lOi EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS bill, this is really an old one after all, and Hcnr)*s?" if an old one why not King By the courtesy of Dr. Robinson, when Dean of Westminster, we were allowed to remove this helm and the other interesting achievements from their beam and to have them carefully photographed. On looking closely at the illustration of this helm (I*'ig. 449, a, b), and comparing it with the I'cmbridge helm (vol, i. Fig. 324), it will be seen that there are many points of difference. As a piece of craftsmanship the W^estminster Abbey helm is vastly superior. It is made of five pieces instead of three, and is of very much greater weight. At the lower edge of the ocularia, the metal is a full quarter of an inch in thickness; while the plate at the back is com- paratively thin and light. The heads of all the rivets are flush on the outside, so as to leave no projection against which the point of a lance could catch. The skull-piece of the helm is moulded much on the lines of those of the "great bascinet," and may be roughly called egg-shaped. At the summit, a plate, nearly flat, is fastened from the inside. A band of brass, engraved and once gilded, runs round the base of the helm, an addition made probably to render it more ornamental at the funeral pageant of the sovereign; but as there is in this band a series of twin holes for the attachment of a lining, there is a possibility that this brass enrichment is part of the original head-picxe. In the extreme front of the lower edge of the helm is a clumsy and poorly fashioned ring for attaching the head- piece to the breastplate; but so thin and light is it, that we imagine that this poor substitute must have replaced the original ring at some early date. At the back of the helm is a staple more substantial in make and shaped to hold the strap that secured the helm to the backplate. It is interesting to obserxe that the metal strip that retained the staple, though now broken, once extended some distance up the back of the helm, widening towards its top, where it finished in a "cut card" ornament. This is obvious from the fact that the part of the helm once covered by the ornamental metal strip is considerably less corrtxied than the rest of the surface. The rivet holes, too, and certain of the rivets themselves that originally retained this strip in position are still apparent. Immediately above the mark left by the metal strip is riveted a down-turned hook. It has been supposed that this hook was for hanging the helm at the saddle Ix)w; but the shape of the hcxjk, its sharp point, and its position on the helm all jxjint to its having l>cen added for the purpose of hanging the helm to the wall over the tomb. 102 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY There are hvo fine helms in Cobham Church, Kent, associated respec- tively with the to name of Sir Nicholas Hawberk, who died in 1407, and with that of Sir Reginald Braybrook, who died in 1405. Unlike most helmets found in churches, both these head-pieces probably belonged to the knights whose ownership they are attributed; for the dates of their deaths corre- spond with the fashions of the helms, and the helms resemble those engraved First quarter of XVth century. Fig. 450. Helm Hanging above the tomb of Sir Nicholas Hawberk, Cobham Church, Kent on 103 their brasses. To many persons this general aspersion on the attribution of church helmets may, at first sight, appear to be uncalled for; but it must be remembered that helmets are frequently found placed over monu- ments with which they have no rightful association whatsoever. The explanation of these fallacious attributions seems fairly obvious. Ab- stracted from the of of churches for various reasons during the troublous times the Civil Wars, or removed for their better protection when the fabric the building was undergoing repair, these head-pieces have been put EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS liack by ficrsuns who were cither ignorant or rq^^artllcss of their original positions. The result has been that the subset juent sites of these helmets have been more or less indiscriminately chosen, huieetl it will generally be found that these church helmets are later than the monuments over which they are hung. Occasionally, however, monument and helm are contem|H)rary, in which case it is always jH)ssible they may then l)elong one to the other. The Nicholas Ilawberk helm is almost identical with that of Henry V just described. It is made of five pieces, the only noticeable difference being that it has not the brass band added at its base. Here, too, the plates at FiC. 451. First quarter of XVth century. IlKLM Manginf; above the tomb of Sir Reginald Rraybrook, Cobham Church, Kent the bottom edge are rolled outwards. Just above this rollcti edge, round the front and the right rear of the helmet, is a series of twin holes for .sewing in the lining, which are not, however, continued round the left rear. There is, too, as in the case of the Henry V head-piece, a jx)orly fashioned ring riveted to 104 the front of the helmet, which must also be condemned. About the skull- piece of the crown are various holes intended for the aiglettes by which the orle and lambrc(|uin. or more |K>ssibly the lining cap, was secured. Upon the summit of the helm, in the flat plate inserted at the top, are riveted four staples. To these were attached the crest (Fig. 450). The next of the only three genuine helms of this periont pt>rtion is at the top. turned over and inwards, forming a ledge about one inch broad. On the right side, and thus far away from any lance stroke, is a squarish aperture, three inches by four, anti probably at one time closed by a dtwr with a spring catch. Where the upper Ictlgc was turned down inside the helm, a piece of metal has been fi.xed on the interior, thus prevent- ing any sharp edge remaining opposite the wearer's face. This piece of metal is about three inches deep ami then conforms to the general lines of the front." Viscount Dillon proctx*ds to point out the very common error committed by modern heraldic artists of showing openings for air on the sinister side of helms. *• No real tilting helms would have these, as, in an encounter of left arm to left arm. no such encouragement for a lance point to bite the surface would ever have been given.' A hole, probably for hanging-up purposes, has been made in the apex of the helm, and three pairs of holes, one pair on each side and one pair behind the apex, are original, and were for points or laces to keep in position the quilted cap worn inside the helm. On the back piece, near its upper margin, are two pairs of holes which we may suppose .served the purpose of fastening the helm to the wearer's backplate by means of rings and rods. This plan, which is seen in some German helms, would probably be quite as effective, if not more so, than the hasp or locket attached to the lower part of the helm at the back. The lower part of the back portion of the helm has been much corroded and broken, but was prob- ably at no time very thick. At the neck there are sixteen holes for the connection by rivets of the leather strap to which a lining might be attached. At the lower part of the front piece, where the metal splays out for the shoulder, are three holes, two on the sinister and two on the dexter side. To these holes we may suppose were fixed the forelocks by which the helm was braced to the breastplate. This splay extends about two inches, and in later times a thinner plate, about two and a half inches deep, and with a wired margin, has been added, probably for the purpose of suspending the helm in ♦.he church. It is not ca.sy to say how, but it appears probable that some shock, occasioned either by the helm having received a tremendous blow on its top, or by its having fallen on its top with great violence, has thrown the various plates out of position; likewise, certain of the rivets are missing, especially those that connect the top piece with the front ixjrlion. The unusual heaviness of this helm (it weighs 25 lb. 13 o/„) is due to the great 108 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY thickness of the top piece, which is as much as one-third of an inch (Pig. 454). As we have said, so accurate and detailed is Viscount Dillon's description of the Lindsay helm, that it would be superfluous to describe the three others with which we are acquainted, and which are of the same family; it will suffice to note their differences. Of Fig. 453. Late XVth century. Helm the other three of this It bears an armourer's mark attributed to Jacques Voys, armourer to Philip the Fair. 109 Collection: Porte de Hal, Brussels group the one most like the Lindsay helm is that now hanging on a staple by the site of the tomb of Henry VI in St. George's Chapel, Windsor (Fig. 455). The backplate is a little more botnbd in form, and the edges of the front plate are escalloped in their outline. For funerary purposes it will be noticed that the front and back of the helm have been cut away at the base, and that to the latter a deep pointed gorget-like plate has been fastened. A spike has also been added to the top, and there are the remains EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS of heraldic bars that have been riveted at intervals over the oculariuin. As in the case of the Lindsay helm, the door closing the rectangular opening on the dexter side of the front plate is missing. Those reatlers who are attracted by the romance of the armour collector will l)c interested to learn that this helm and the one described on page 141 (Fig. 481) were said to have been discovered in London by Mr. Pratt, the well-known dealer in anuour and arms of the first half of the XLXth century, to whom we shall have occasion to refer in a later volume of this work. Fig. 454. Engliiih, about 1475-90. Hki.m The helms were Collection: Captain H. Lindsay purchascxl at the i>ersonal expense of the Prince Consort, who was informed that they were the helms which originally belonged to the res|)cctive tombs of Kings Henry \'I and lidward IV. It was Mr. Pratt's tale that they had been missing from St. George's Chapel since the tombs in question were demolished by the Parliamentarians. After the purcha.se of the two head- picxes they were hung on staples near the spot where these kings were buried. No possible credence, however, can be attached to the attribution of their former Koyal ownership, or to Mr. Pratt's supposed history o( the helms; for, on the face of it, they do not correspond in date to the reigns of the 1 10 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY monarchs in question. They are, however, genuine helms of the greatest rarity, and most interesting possessions, though sadly mutilated. They have certainly been adapted at some early date for hanging over tombs. But over what tombs, and in what church, we shall never know. The next of this family of English helms to be considered is that now preserved in the Py.\ Chapel of the Abbey Church of Westminster (I^'ig. English, about 1475-90. Fig. 455. Helm ' ' Erroneously supposed to have belonged to King Henry VI St. George's Chapel, Windsor 456, a, b). For many years it was deposited on loan in the Rotunda, Woolwich. There it remained until comparatively recent times, when it was once more returned to W^estminster. It has been fully described in the Archaeological Journal, vol. xxv, p. 224; so in this narrative it will suffice to mention the points in which it differs from the other two helms of the class we have been dealing with. On comparing the general outline and the construction of the head-piece, it will be noticed that in the case of the Westminster helm III EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the plate that forms the crown is shorter at the back, necessitating^ the extension of the backplate of the skull-piece, thus jjivinjj it a more pleasing Fig. 4560. English, about 1475-90. Helm Found in the triforium of the Abbey Church of Westminster Now in the I'yx Chapel, Westminster. Profile view cr>ntour. The hinjje in front, the staples at the side, and the rinj^ at the back by which the helm was attached to the backplate, are all in position. 112 It will be THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY seen that the aperture in the dexter side of this helm takes the form of three circular holes, two placed one above the other, the third a little to the left, in Fig. 4s6d. English, about 1475-90. Helm Found in the triforium of the Abbey Church of Westminster Now in the Pyx Chapel, Westminster. Front view the centre. Apparently there were never any means of closing them; for there are no rivets or holes for the rivets, by which a cover or door of any kind could be attached. The fourth of these helms is, in our opinion, " 113 Q EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the most complete ami interestintj. even if a lilllc inclined to be clumsy in workmanship. This is the hehn hanginj^ over the tomb of Sir John Foggc in Ashford Church. Kent (Fig. 457)' The construction is precisely the same as that of the other three; but not one of the edges of the plates is escallojicd. It will also be observed that a band some three inches wide is firmly riveted to the lower edge, splaying out to fit o\er the breastplate. Despite the great thickness of this helm, a reinforcing plate, attached by staples and pins, covers Fig. 457. Knglish, about 1475-90. Helm Hanging over the tomb of Sir John Foggc, sometime Treasurer to the Household of King Edward IV, Ashford Church, Kent 114 the sinister side of the front. This is hardly noticeable in the illustration, the short return of the reinforcement around the front of the helm being alone visible. The weight of this helm is 23 lb. 15 oz. The fifth (Tig. 458), the New York example, certainly of the same school, is rough in make and now sadly overcleaned on the wheel; it shows that curious flanged protection to the dexter opening on its front plate which is .so pronounced in the Broad- water head-piece (see page 148, I-ig. 487). These helms link tf)gether the less known types, which we date between 1470-1490, with those on the continent of a slightly later date, the portrayal 115 Fig. 457A. German, or possibly English, about 149C-1500. Helm Rotunda, Museum of Artillery, Woolwich EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS a of which was the delight of Dtlrer. Fine and inassi\e, however, as are these inrticular Hnglish hehns, their profile outline cannot comp;ire with those of continental origin. We can show two only of the latter class in lingland, one on tilling suit in the Wallace Collection, the other in the Rotunda. Wool- wich. Inasnuich as the Rotunda example, thouj^^h having all the elegance of a (tcrinan made hehn, has l)een considered by some aullu)rities as possibly of Hnglish workmanship, we will examine and describe it first. Fig. 4S& Helm En};Iish. about i47CM)a Mr. W. H Collection: Riggv Mctro(K>litan Mu!>cum, New York Fig. 459. Helm German, or possibly English, about 1490-1500. Collection: Signor Rcssman, Hargcllo, Florence This helm (Fig. 457A), known as the Brocas helm, from having been pur- chased at the Brocas sale in 1834, has Ijeen proclaimed by the Baron dc Cosson to be " perhaps the grandest jousting helm in existence." As in the case of other helms we have described, it is composed of three pieces of diflferent thicknes.ses, varying according to their placement upon the head- piece, fixed together by iron rivets with salient heads a good half inch in diameter. In this case the heads are mostly covered by thin plates of brass soldered on, which led the author of the excellent account of the helm 116 117 Helm Fig. 460. German, or possibly English, about 1520. (a) Profile view; (d) Front view; (c) Back view Hanging over the tomb of Sir John Dawtrey, St. Mary's Church, Petworth, Sussex EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS given in the .-I nhaeohgical Journal, vol, xxi, p. 60, to say. "The rivets are curiously composed of three metals, iron, white metal, and brass." But it will be found that most armour of this epoch that is riveted with what appear to be brass rivets is actually riveted with iron, over the heads of which a thin covering of brass is soldered. The front plate of the helm, under the opening that forms the ocularium, has been rolled back for about one inch to give it additional strength; while the upper plate is reinforced just alxne the opening by a strong piece riveted inside it. There are four pairs of twin aiglette holes in the crown for holding up the lining, which, at its lower edge, was secured by rivets which appear round the neck. Two inches below the most salient point at the back of the helm is a hole with a screw thread which probably served to secure the crest. There are eight holes punched just lK*hind the line of rivets on each side of the helm. These, which are most roughly executed, were probably made for ventilation after the helm was finished. The arrangement for fixing the helm to the breast- and back-plates by means of large pierced hinges is very complete, showing a distinct advance on the other tilting helms described. Ikforc we deal with the essentially German helm of the Wallace Collec- tion we will allude to a splendid head-piece that has much in common with the Hrocas helm. Formerly in the Meyrick Collection, it is now in the Hargello at I'lorencc, having been be(|ueathed to that museum with other portions of his collection by the late Signor Ressman (Fig. 459). When the Meyrick Collection was sold, about 1875, certain of the finest pieces were disjxjsed of privately, among others being the helm in question. It was purchased by the famous antiquary, M. Louis Carrand, in whose collection it remained many years. Signor Ressman coveted this superb helm, but could not give the price asked. Eventually, however, he became possessed of it by exchanging for it the English made tilting helm (see page 140, Fig. 480) now to be seen in the Carrand Collection, Florence, and certain other objects. There is no record of how and when Sir Samuel Meyrick purchased it. In our opinion, it is possibly English made; though from the grandeur of its contour it must undoubtedly be German in conception. It differs a little from the Hrocas helm, being somewhat higher in the crown, and having down either side a series of circular and oblong apertures for the purposes of hearing and for attaching the straps that held the inside cap in position. It has lost the hinge in front, the means of its attachment to the breastplate; but the seven rivet holes by which it was secured are to lie seen. The present writer thinks that the helm from Petworth Church, Sussex 118 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY (Fig. 460, a, b, c) should rank as one of these so-called Anglo-German helms, German in conception but English in make. It now hangs over the tomb of Sir John Davvtrey on the north wall of the chapel of St. Thomas a Beckett, known as the Northumberland chapel. As Sir John Dawtrey died in 1527, about the period when the helm was made, there is the possibility that it is now hanging in its proper position above the tomb to which it belongs. This helm closely resembles in contour the Brocas-Woolwich example; but it is less fine in its lines and construction, not so ample in its proportions, and lacking in general aspect that grandeur which makes the Woolwich helm so remarkable. It has rather the inclination towards the form assumed by that family of somewhat cylindrical English helms which are mentioned on pages 1 06- 1 14; but it is more shapely, the almost S-shaped swing of the line from the base of the recessed backplate to the front apex of the visor being particularly effective. The fastenings in front and back are missing, and nearly all the rivets that secured the plates together are also wanting, the parts being only held together by three or four unclinched nails. On this evidence it has been suggested that the helm was never finished, and that it was bought for funerary- purposes only. But the present writer feels that so far from the helm being unfinished, it is one which had been discarded; for on the evidence of the numerous holes in the gorget of the helm it is apparent that its original mode of attachment to the breastplate has been several times altered, and that finally its lower edge has been cut away to adapt it for funerary purposes. It has been painted brown— there are traces of decoration upon it in some lighter colour. The weight of this helm is 21^ lb. The excellent photographs of the helm which we present have been taken by kind permission of the Earl of Leconfield and through the courtesy We of the vicar of St. Mary's Church, Petworth, the Rev. Thomas Penrose. will now turn to that characteristic helm of German make in the Wallace Collection, the first we describe of the real German series (Fig. 461). It is on the suit of tilting armour. No. 327. We had better give a detailed account both of the helm and of the body armour; for in describing this suit and its parts, the only genuine harness of its kind in a British collection, and allowing for certain variations, we are delineating the general construc- tion of almost 119 every German harness made for use in the German joust. The Wallace helm weighs 20 lb., the whole suit, inclusive of the helm, 96 lb. The surface of the helm and of the palettes of the body armour is in many cases deeply grooved and indented, owing to lance thrusts, which seem almost as if they had been dealt with the pointed lance aoutrance,2in6. EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS not with the corond or rebated lance-head customarily used in the jousts of peace. The suit bears the Augsburjj jjuild mark and the letter S with an indistinct bar, baton, or axe runninjj^ through it. This same mark, together Fig. 461. Hri.m, with its acx omianyinc iiarnks.s German, about 1 500-1 510. .Vo. 327, Wallace Collection with the .Augsburg guild mark, is to be seen on two of the fine tilting harnesses of the same nature at Vienna. Augsburg was famous at the end of the XVth century for the production of these ponderous harnesses. In the fine scries of such armour exhibited in the National Germanic Museum of Nuremberg is a suit, a counterpart of the Wallace harness, made also at 120 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY Augsburg, and very possibly by the same armourer. At Nuremberg is to be seen another suit very similar, but furnished with the tilting salade head- piece. This latter suit is dated 1498. Appended are the details of the Wallace helm and suit: The helm is composed of three plates of varying thicknesses, which plates we will call i, 2, and 3. Plate I. The top of the skull-piece. Down the centre of this runs the comb. It is of convex section, and on either side of it there is fluting, which radiates from a point some gl inches from the base of Plate 2. The average thickness of Plate i is /^ of an inch. In the centre of the comb is a screw with a faceted, hemispherical head; which served for the attachment of the crest. Further forward in the comb are twin holes, which are repeated at 4 inches from either side of the comb. These were for the passage of the aiglettes, which secured the quilted lining cap in position. Plate 2. The back of the skull-piece. Fastened beneath Plate i, it extends a distance of j} inches below the level of the shoulders; the lower edge is cut to four slightly curved facets. At the extreme base is a hinge, detachable in the centre by a staple, the lower plate of which is pierced with a circular hole, through which passes a screw attaching the helm to the backplate.. Above this, a little to the left, is a buckle, with which the strap that retained the small wooden tilting shield in position is connected. On either side of Plate 2 is a group of eight perpendicular apertures, 1} inches long. Above and below there is a second group of four circular holes, the edges of which are fitted with latten eyelets, through which passed the leathern thongs that again secured the quilted lining cap. An annular design is engraved on either side of the back of the skull. The average thickness of Plate 2 is about | of an inch. Plate 3. The front of the helm. It fastens over both Plates i and 2. In this, perhaps, is manifest the most skilful piece of forging in a head-piece which, as a whole, is a toiir-de-force of the armourer's craft. The upper edge is turned inwards, reinforcing the most vulnerable part of the tilting helm, namely, the part beneath the opening of the ocularium. The lower edge of the plate comes down to a distance corresponding to that at the back of the skull-piece; but with this difference that it widens to 9I inches at its lower part, along the border of which are three groups of twin holes | of an inch in diameter. Through these pass the three screws that secure the front of the helm to the breastplate. The ocularium is formed by the aperture between Plates I and 3, the greatest actual width being 2| inches; but owing to the II 121 R EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS position of the helm on the shoulders, when a course was to be run, an opening of not more than half an inch would present itself to the adversary's lance. The average thickness of Plate 3 is from p*^ to \ of an inch. The three plates of the helm are fastened together by hemispherically- headed rivets of iron, on which are soldered latten caps half an inch in diameter. The breastplate of this harness is of slightly globose form, the gussets Fig. 462. German, about 1 50a Helm National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg Fig. 463. German, about 1500. Helm H 14, Mus^ d'Artilleric, Pari.s flanged to a triangular .section. The right-hand side is forged to a rectangular form, and has at its extreme corner a lance rest attached by a strong .screw and two guiding staples. The lance rest itself is forged from one piece, and is in the form of a bracket, at the end of which is a .semicircular arm, which is supported in turn by a bar of moulded pilaster form. At right angles to this, and passing beneath the. right arm, is the queue, under the end of which rested the butt end of the lance. It is 2,\ inches wide, ,\ of an inch thick, and 21 inches long, grooved for loi inches, no doubt with the object of reducing its weight. This queue is attached to the breastplate by two 122 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY large screws. At the sides, as at the top of the breastplate, are hinged iron straps, pierced with circular holes, which fitted over staples in the backplate, and which, when united, were secured by rosette-headed nuts. On the left hand of the breastplate are two circular holes, ~ of an inch in diameter, and | of an inch apart; through these pass the plaited braids of flax, which in their turn pass through the small wooden tilting shield {Stechtartsche), assisting to hold it in position. The breastplate varies in thickness from \ to \ of an Fig. 464. German, about 1500. Helm Collection: Prince Ernest of Wtndisch- Graetz 123 inch. Attached to the bottom of the breastplate by a single screw is the placate, the top edge of which is chamfered and finishes in a flattened point. To this are riveted the taces, of four plates. Attached to these are the tassets or tuilles, each of one plate, turned under on the inside to a strong flange of triangular section. Down the centre is embossed a ridge, engraved with a rope pattern. The "buckles are secured by brass rosette-headed rivets. The backplate is composed of three parts. Plate i is a foundation wedge-shaped plate, widening towards the top, along the edge of which is a EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS line of small holes for the attachment of a leather linini:^, which remains at the side, where it is pierced with holes for the lacing. 'I'o the toj) of this plate is secured, by five rtush-hcaded rivets, Plate 2, an inverted V-shaped plate 2j inches wide. It is shaped to .vflat ridge across the apex, the edges of Fic:. 465. 124 HKLM, with its ACCOMPANVINd HARNESS Made for the Emperor Maximilian I. Imperial Armour)', Vienna which are flanged outwards, forming a slot, into which fits the third plate, which is also of V form. Plate 3 is held in position by two screws, which pass through Plates 2 and 3, fitting into any two of a series of eight holes that arc in Plate 2, By this ingenious arrangement the angle at which the tilting helm was worn is governed by the length of the backplate. At the THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY base of the backplate is the buttock defence {garde-de-reifi), of five plates, fluted in a radiating manner, and attached by a single screw to Plate i of the backplate. The shoulder plates — the pauldrons — are of five plates, decorated with 125 *■ Fig. 466. Helm, with its ACcoMrANYiNG harness German, about 1515. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg radiating fluting, and attached by two rivets to two diamond sectioned projec- tions, around which it is supposed were formerly wound the tails of the lambre- quin. Attached to two pin holes, and suspended from the top of the pauldrons, are the two large circular plates protecting the arm-pits, which are called the palettes. Each is 9I inches in diameter, the right hollowed slightly at its EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS edge to allow a freer use of the lance. The arm jjuards consist of the plates protecting the fore-arm (rerebraccs) and the elbow guards (coudes), each of five plates. On the left arm the gauntlet is of the jX)uldermitton tyjie. The bend of the arm is protected by an extra piece, finely Hutcd, which is attachetl to the vambrace by three screws. This plate is stamped at the border with the guild mark of the City of Augsburg. The extra piece on the right arm differs somewhat in shape from that on the left; but it is also stamped with the guild mark of the City of Augsburg. Attached to the flaxen braids already mentioned is the wooden ^shoulder shield {Stechtartsclie). It is of oak, shaped somewhat to the form of a steel grandguard, and is covered with leather, parchment, and gesso, tooled and painted with a coat of arms. Its dimensions are 14 inches wide by i \ inches deep. Judging from the general fashion of this tilting harness, we may date it as coming within the last quarter of the X\'th century. As we see it to-day it has been subjected to certain small restorations. Having examined the Wallace tilting helm and suit in detail, we will content ourselves with mentioning where the three other fine German helms and four German tilting suits illustrated may be seen; though we may add that all have bcvn chosen for their representative character. The first helm (Fig. 462) is in the National Germanic Museum of Nuremberg, the second (Fig. 463) in the Mus<5e d'Artillerie of Paris, and the third (Fig. 464) in the collection of Prince Ernest of W'indisch-Graetz. This last splendid helm, though undoubtedly German, bears as armourer's mark the letters R. N., which is curiously Italian in character. Of the tilting sets, that made for the Kmperor Maximilian I, which is in the Imperial Armoury, \"ienna, is the finest (I'ig. 465). The second (Fig. 466) is in the National Germanic Museum of Nuremberg. The third and fourth (Figs. 467 and 468), both splendid German harnesses, are in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris. If space permitted, the national armouries of Dresden, and of Munich, and of the Porte de Hal in Brussels, would afford us additional illustrations of similar Cicrman tournament helms and harnesses. It must, however, be borne in mind that though so full a list of the great German helms can be made out, to say nothing of their complementary accoutrement, such harnesses are, as a matter of fact, of the greatest rarity. Proof of this may be found in the fact that within the last thirty years only two such equip- ments have found their way into the market, and even those two cannot be regarded as homogeneous. In other words, they were comj)osite, made up of various pieces from different suits, although harmonizing admirably as 126 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY put together. One of the two tournament sets in question is one now in the collection of Viscount Astor at Hever Castle, and the other in the Metro- politan Museum, New York. The Astor helm and tilting pieces were pur- chased some few years ago from a well-known Paris dealer, and may be looked upon as fairly satisfactory. The set in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (Fig. 469), was purchased with the Due de Dino's armoury, and 'SS^^^^^^I r^^r ^^Wl ^rafv^t 'i^ME Fig. 467. HARNESS \ '^^^1 \ L 111 ' Helm, with its accompanying 1 German, about 1515. No. G 163, Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris was P'iG. 468. Helm, with its accumianying HARNESS German, about 15 15. No. G 164, Mus^e d'Artillerie, Paris 127 made up in the following manner by the late Signor Ressman, in whose collection it formerly was. The breastplate came from M. Bachereau, of Paris, and is genuine; as are the arms and large tilting palettes which came from the collection of the Baron de Cosson. The back part of the helm is old; but Signor Ressman had the front constructed to complete it, and also made several smaller additions to the suit. The appearance of the whole married together is admirable; but owing to different degrees of EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS rust oxidization the surfaces of the x'aryinjj parts had to be placed upon the burnishing wheel in order to make them harmonize in general efifect. Indi- vidual helms of the German and even of the Italian types are occa- sionally met with tions: but, though in private collec- many may be interesting, the authenticity of the majority is oj>en to suspicion. Our next group of the great tilting helms comprises those of Italian and of Spanish make. Let the Italian examples be consitlered first. Looking at the illustrations the reader will at once notice a peculiarity in the almost cylindrical form of the helm and in the flat- ness of the skull-piece, features which are more characteristic of the group of Knglish helms than of the essentially German group just descriljed. As typically Italian and as early of its kind as any known to us is the helm in the Muscc d'Artillerie of Paris, H ii (rig. 470). Its date can safely be assigned to the third quarter of the XVth century. In the official catalogue of the Musde d'Artillerie it is described as German ; but there can be no doubt of its Italian origin. It is remarkably shallow, and only a Fit;. 469. Hei.m. with it.s acco.mi'anying HARNESS Oxnprchcnfivcly German, about 1515. politan .MuMTum of New York Metro- careful study of that scholarly passage, in his DUtionnaire dii Mobilier l'ranqais (vol. ii, page 391), in which M. Violiet-le-Duc explains how this helm set Upon the head, renders it possible to understand how it served as a defensive head-piece (I-ig. 471). was 128 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY we From this solitary Italian helm in Paris will turn to those two splendid helms which, together with their tilting armour, are to be seen in the Arsenal at Venice. It is not unlikely that they were originally part of the armoury of the Doges' Palace, most of the armour and weapons now in the Arsenal having been formerly there; but Signor Mario Mocenigo, in his excellent work on the Venice Arsenal, states that he has found no former refer- ence to these two wonderful Helm Fig. 470. Italian, third quarter of the XVth century. d'Artillerie, Paris H 1 1, Musi^e sets, unless the simple entry of "Ancient Helmets, 3, "inthe inventory of 1548, is a note referring to these two helms and to the-celebrated bascinet (see vol. i, Fig. 299). Gravembroch gives a rough drawing of the helm numbered C 5 in the Arsenal (Fig. 472), the more important of the two sets, stating that it is " a very heavy and large-sized iron helmet found among the wonders of the Venetian Arsenal." So much for what we know of its history. As to its original owner, we can only quote from Signor Mocenigo. He states that at Fig. 471. M. ViOLLET-LE-Duc's DRAWING Showing how the helm (Fig. 470) was worn the back of the skull-piece " there are en- graved three interlaced rings, obviously the emblem of the Sforza family, and between them can be read the initials A. M., which leads one to surmise that this armour had belonged to Cardinal Pope Ascanio Maria Sforza, the Alexander VI (Borgia) at the end of the " Grand Elector " ^ of XVth century — a man more apt for war and intrigue than for the exercise of his priestly office." ^ The term "Grand Elector" alludes to the fact that at the Conclave of 1492 the election of Cardinal Borgia as Pope (Alexander VI) was secured by the transfer to him (for a monetary consideration) of Cardinal Ascanio Maria Sforza's votes and those of his party. II 129 S EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS The tilting set catalojjuctl in the X'enice Arsenal as C 5 comprises a helm, preat placate, breastplate, and l>ackplate. The skull-piece of the helm is slightly boutlk'. The visor is in one single picxe of nearly half-cylindrical shape, varying in thickness according to the strength required in any particular section. It is fixed with large bolts placet! on either side lx:neath the skull-piece of the helm, and fitted also to the back part of the head-piece, which is simply grooved in chevrons. On the dexter side it has a square opening. As in the case of all tilting helms of this class, the ocularium occupies the space between the front lower edge t)f the skull-piece and the top of the visor. The helm is attached to the breastplate by two lateral hinges, and by a central hinged strap of iron of oblong rectangular form in which are four holes for receiving as many staples as are attached to the breastplate. These staples, when fitted through the holes made to receive them in the hinged strap on the helm, are rigidly secured by a single metal bolt passing through the group. The great placate has in the front three large movable bolts by which it is attached to the breastplate. The front and backplates are connected at the sides with a hinge and movable bolts, and on the shoulders with two broad strips of steel like a hinge, uhich contain various perforations to enable their position to be regulated. On the back arc six buckles to which were fastened the leather straps which supported the espaliers which are missing. In the centre eight large apertures are arranged vertically in pairs. All round the rims there arc a number of small |x;rforations, intended for the attachment of leather lacings and linings. The great placate carries the lance-rest, which is of the most massive description; now hollow, it was originally filled with some sh(x:k- resisting material. The second Italian tilting set in the Venice Arsenal is numbered C 6. It is much the same in sha|)e and in its parts as that just described, save that it is rather smaller in its dimensions. As distinguished from the pre- ceding suit, this one has the great placate attached to the breastplate merely by means of the four pins near the lance-rest. At the back of the skull-piece of the helm are etched three interlaced rings on a gilded ground with orna- ments and initials A. M., as in the case of the preceding armour. This seems to show that it l>elongcd to the same owner. An armourers mark of dis- tinctly Milanese character also appears on the harness, a mark not unlike that used by the Missaglia family, though the stamped initials are not the same. The splendid armoury of V^ienna supplies us with an cxamj)le of just such another helm and tilting set (Fig. 473); but in this case the helm, in 130 Fig. 472. Italian, late XVth century. Helm, with its apparel Supposed to have been made for Ascanio Maria Sforza Arsenal, Venice EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS actual formation, is more like the Italian head-piece describeti on paj^e 107 (Fig 452). and is probably of corresiK)nding date. The late Herr W'endclin Roehcim slates that this tournament harness bears the mark of Antonio Missaglia of Milan. It figures in the 1583 inventory of Castle Ambras, and is there erroneously described as having belonged to the Duke of Milan. There is now little doubt that it belonged to Gasparo Fracasso of Milan, the ambassador of Ludovico Moro to the Court of Maximilian I. Heforc Fk;. 473. IIei.m! with its aj'Parki. tulun. third quarter uf ihc XVth century. Said to have belonged to Gasparo Fracasso t>f Milan lm|)crial Armour>', Vienna the death of Gasparo Fracasso there is a record in contemporary accounts of its having l)een purchased by Ma.ximilian in 1502 for the sum of seventy-two gulden, to be placed with his collection of armour in Castle Ambras. The date of the make of the helm on this set might be as early as 1465. Wc will now consider a ty|X! of helm of Spanish origin, and worn with the Spanish tilting harness; in Spain there was a sjK'cial joust |x;culiar to that countr)'. Padilla. in his chronicle, says that the Catholic kings, in order to 132 THE HELM OF THE XVm CENTURY celebrate at Toledo (1502) the confirmation of Princess Joanna and of Prince Philip the Fair as heirs to the crown of Castile, among other public rejoicings, arranged with Don Garcia of Toledo, son of the Duke of Alba, to hold a royal tournament in Zocodover, and this " seemed very good to the Prince and the foreign gentlemen who were with him " (Collection of Docunientos indditos para la Historia de Espaita, vol. viii, page 87). Some years later, the young king, Charles I, afterwards the Emperor Charles V, held at Valladolid (15 18), according to his Flemish chronicler, Laurent Vital, two kinds of tournaments, one of them being " that which they call royal, where great shields and blunt lances are employed " (Gachard, Chroniqiies Beiges, vol. ii, page 189). Both quotations go to show that this form of joust was distinctly Spanish, that the Flemish witnessed it for the first time, and that they afterwards practised it in Brussels, along with the reed-spear games and other diversions of Spanish origin, in honour of Philip II when he was heir-apparent (Calvete de Estrella, Viaje de Felipe II). It is because of their connection with this particular form of Spanish jousting that we select two helms from the Madrid Armoury, one with its harness attached, which represent yet another different shape of jousting helm. In the Count de Valencia's catalogue the numbers of these two helms are A 16 and 17. Owing to a sketch which appears in the Inventario de Carlos V, and to statements made in the Relacion de Valla- dolid, the armour described as A 16 (Fig. 474) was formerly believed to have actually belonged to the Emperor Charles ^/^ The armourer's marks indicate that it was made in Valencia, about the time that the young husband of Princess Joanna was seeking exercise in jousting, as his chronicler says, "<-? la mode dEspaigne." However, the reference to it in the Relacion de Valladolid is " Armour engraved and gilded as for Royalty," which we may take it really means for royal tourriaments. So we have no direct evidence that it was ever the personal property of the Emperor Charles V. The helm on this jousting harness, to judge by the dimensions and general outline of the visor, might easily be Italian; but before coming to a definite 133 opinion we must note that it bears an armourer's mark — a fleur-de-lis — very similar to that seen on a Chapeau de Montaiiban, described on page 64 (P^ig. 415). The breastplate of the body harness is composed of two thick plates of steel, which are placed one over the other, each being tinned to prevent rust, while the exterior was covered with gold brocade. The lower plate serves to protect the whole front down to the waist, the upper plate reinforcing the chest only, as far as the horizontal line of gilded nails. The EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS one is joined to the other by a rotator)' hinge placed in the centre of a lai^e circular n>se of j^ildetl and engraved metal. The breastplate is completed by a third plate, which covers the shoulder-blades in place of the back piece, and pnUecls the shoulders from the friction of the helmet. The l)ody armour is covered throughout with the same brt>cade over strong canvas, and reaches to the waist, where it is drawn in and fastened with cords and stay-like Fi8. 474. Helm, with its APrAkEL Spanish, early XVIth century. A >34 16, Royal Armoury, Madrid fastenings. This jousting breastplate is clearly Spanish. Apart from the Moorish character of the engraving and open metal work which constitute the ornamentation of the large rose in the centre, it bears on the inner side of the plates a mark which undoubtedly shows that it was made in Valencia. This is the tetragon with the bars of Aragon, which Don Jaime gave as a coat of arms to the city conquered by him. The lance rest, though massive, is hollow, a fashion peculiar to Spain and Italy. It was originally filled with cork, in order to deaden the shock of assault received from the vamplate of THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY the lance. To the large iron ring fixed on the breastplate, just below the lower left edge of the helm, an object not unlike an iron door-knocker is fastened, with a nut at the end. This unscrews, in order to fasten on the wooden shield, known in Germany as the Stechtartsche. This shield is miss- ing from the harness. A ball of leather, stuffed with tow, as can be seen in the illustration, was placed between the Stechtartsche and the breastplate, which, performing the office of a fender to a ship, deadened the shock of impact. The breastplate terminates in front in a skirt of three thin plates or taces and two leather straps; these last, judging by the position in which they are sketched in the luventario, must have crossed below the buttocks of the rider, thus serving to secure the breastplate. Over the left hip is a single and delicately- moulded tace in two pieces, decorated at the edges with a punched design, after the Spanish fashion of the time. The arm defences are sus- pended, by means of leather aiglettes, from the leather jacket, which generally was of buffalo hide, worn under the mail hauberk. Each is composed of three pieces only; but they are of different shapes. The right is smooth, and has a strong rerebrace flanged curiously outwards at the top; the left, which is jointed at the shoulder, has the fan-shaped elbow cop wing, after the manner of a war harness of the time. The Fig. 475. Helm Spanish, early XVIth century No. 17, Royal Armoury, Madrid gauntlets and vambraces, although of the same period as the rest of the armour, do not form part of the set. 135 The second tilting harness in the Madrid Armoury (No. A 17), which figures with that just described in the Inventario de Carlos V, so much resembles its companion suit, that it is unnecessary to describe it. But an account of the helm, which more closely resembles those of English origin which we have described, might perhaps prove interesting. It is bulkier than that seen on the last suit; it has also no rim to rest on the shoulders of the wearer. On the dexter side of the visor is a rectangular opening closed by a door larger than those we have alluded to in other helms; this door occupies, in fact, the entire side of the helm (Fig. 475)- Before quitting the subject of the great tilting helm of the transitional EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS years of the .\\'th-X\*Ith centuries, we will iwuse to consider the manner in which it was worn, and the elaboration of detail necessary in order to adjust it carefully upon the head of the wearer. If the reader will imagine a muscular man in a set of tilting armour weighing often over loo lb., on a heavy charjjer, carr)'ing also the great additional weight of the s.iddle, chan- fron and thickly |>added caparisons, meeting a similarly armoureil combatant, shtKk to shock, even at a slow gallop, he can form .some idea of the violence of the encounter, and of the precautions that must have been taken to reduce the dangers. The literature dealing with the etiquette of the tournament in the closing years of the XVth century is voluminous, and admirable illustrations of the joust and ceremonial are extant from the pen of Mans Hurgkmair in the Freydal, and also in the drawings of the Swabian artist Hans lialdung, sometimes called Baldung (irein or Griln. But the actual adjustment of the armaments is somewhat lightly passed over, as is also the description of the great precautions taken to catch an unhorsed knight before he reached the ground. This office, which required great agility and presence of mind, was performetl by the Grieswartel, and it was upon them that the combatant depended for his escape from serious injury. It was a most dangerous moment for the knight, and the greatest attention was paid to the construction of the lining and padding of the helm, in order to protect at least the most important part of the human body, the head, from contact with the ground. As can be seen, the shape of the tilting helmet was adapted to this purpose. It was .so large that neither the neck nor any part of the head touched it on the inside. On the head itself was worn a cap made of thick cloth lined with ordinary linen, and stuffed with tow. This, when put on, was again secured to the helmet with leather laces and straps, in fact, with the aiglettes. Of these padded caps, only some half-dozen original sjK-cimens are in existence, which as far as we know are all in the Imperial Collection, Vienna, whither they were brought from Castle Ambras. A description of one of the padded caps given by the late Herr VVendelin I^ichcim is accurate and most interesting. Although the caps varied a little at different times and places, they were yet in the main similar. Herr Ikiehcim states that this head-pad consisted of a close-fitting, thick cloth cap, covering the head and the neck as far as the breast-bone, with a small opening for the eyes and nose. To the upj^er and lower edges of this ojKrning were attached narrow leathern straps, the ends of which, of equal length, were left hanging free. On four, or sometimes only on three, jiarls of the crown, and on the sides, leathern straps were sewn, also 136 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY in such a manner that the ends hung free. Just above the temples on both sides were placed small cushions filled with cow-hair (Fig. 476). Before the heavy helm was put on and fastened, the quilted cap had first to be adjusted and carefully bound and buckled. Every precaution was taken to ensure that no uncomfortable folds were formed, that the cap was not moved out of the right position, and particularly that the small cushions referred to above exactly covered the temples. Then, the straps and leather lacing which were left hanging free from the padded cap, were, when the helm was finally placed on the head, laced through the various apertures in the head-piece, and fastened on the outside so that the head was exactly in the centre of the helm and lashed there by the even pull of the straps and thongs in every direction; much in the same manner as a delicate piece of glass or porcelain is secured in a wooden case by experi- enced packers for transit. The helm was then fixed on to the body armour at the front and back by means of easily movable screws and an arrange- ment of staples, the details of which we have re- ferred to, and which are to be seen on all complete helms and tilting sets. From this it will easily be realized on how many small and complicated , details depended the equipment of a tilter, and how indispensable were the services of a skilled armourer and dresser. It must also be borne in Fig. 476. Quilted tourna- ment CAP Early XVIth century. mind that there was no less difficulty in properly adjusting the horse equipment. To explain in words the elaboration of the final fastening of the inside cap to the helm and of the latter to the breastplate is a difficult matter; but we call to our assistance the splendid drawing made by Albrecht Diirer in 15 14, now in the royal collection, Berlin, the most valuable pictorial evidence available Im- perial Armoury, Vienna (Fig. 477). Before describing the final form of the tilting or fighting helm, after which its development into the armet or ordinary close helmet seems but a step, we will take note of a family of helms which of late years has been recognized as being of English workmanship and fashion, and which are illustrated in the famous tournament roll in the College of Arms, London. This roll is "A Description of the Solemn Justs held at Westminster the II 137 T EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS 13th day of Februaiy in the first year of King Henry ye VIII in honor of his queen Katherin upon the Birth of their eldest son Prince Henry A.D. 1510." These helms are of very simple construction; indeed, they show no advance from the point of protection upon the English helms of nearly half a century earlier. They certainly belong to the first quarter of the XVIth century; and so reference to them now places them in their correct chronological order. We can record four examples of such English helms at present known to us: — A A helm in Haseley Church, Oxfordshire. helm in the Wallace Collection. Fig. 477. Two drawings after Albrecht Durer Showing the elaborate attachment of the interior quilted cap by means of straps and aiglettes fastened on the exterior A A helm in the Bargello, Florence, and helm hanging -by the site of the tomb of King Edward IV in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. To Mr. Alfred Billson must be given the credit of the discovery of the helm in Haseley Church, Oxfordshire, where it hangs over the tomb of Sir William Barentyn, who was High Sheriff of that county in the reign of King Henry VIII. In the present writer's opinion this is one of the cases in which the head-piece may well have belonged to the owner of the tomb over which it is now suspended. The Barentyn helm (Fig. 478) consists of four plates, the front piece, the back piece, the domed crown piece, and a broad band encircling the lower part. It has been fully described by Mr. Billson in the 138 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries (i6 January 1896). He accounts for the broad band which runs round the base of the head-piece in the following manner: "As regards the metal encircling band, I think there is reason to suppose it was an addition specially supplied to suit the convenience of the wearer. In a MS. describing the armour worn in the middle of the XVth century, which is quoted by Rdnd de Belleval in his Costume Militaire, it is laid down that the summit of a jousting helm shall be rounded and a space the breadth of three fingers left between the top of the wearer's head and the dome. Evidently, when Sir William tried on his new head-piece he found, either that this condition had not been complied with or else that the Fig. 478. English, early XVIth century. Helm Now hanging over the tomb of Sir William Barentyn Haseley Church, Oxfordshire 139 position of the ocularium did not suit the line of sight; for the band was (presumably) added, and had the effect of lifting up the lower edge a good inch and a half on either shoulder." The Wallace helm, No. 78 (Fig. 479), differs a little in construction from the Barentyn example, being formed of two plates only. The skull- piece and back part are formed of one piece, and the front part of another plate, the two being riveted together down the sides, and flanged over at the top on either side for a distance of six inches, where the. fastening is made with four more rivets. The ocularium is formed by the gap between the two plates. Mr. Ellison's suggestion as to the origin of the band round the lower edge of the Barentyn helm is greatly strengthened by a comparison of the EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS sizes of these two head-pieces, the Wallace helm being 14I inches high, and the Barentyn helm 12^' inches high, as it was originally made previous to the addition of the band of i\ inches. The helm in the Bargello (Fig. 480) was bequeathed to that museum by M. Louis Carrand with the remainder of his collection. It is certainly the finest and most complete of this particular family of helm. It came originally from Castle Hedingham, Essex, and is supposed to have belonged to John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford. He fought at Bosworth Field in 1485, against Lambert Simnel in 1488, and against Lord Audley and the Cornish- FiG. 479. Helm English, early XVIth century No. 78, Wallace Collection Fig. 480. Helm English, early XVIth century Bargello Museum, Florence men in 1497. ^^ was Great Chamberlain of England on the accession of Henry VIII in 1509, and died in 15 13. Hedingham Castle was the seat of the de Vere family, and was granted by William the Conqueror to Aubrey de Vere. The helm was at one time in the collection of the Rev. Brooke Bicknell, an ardent armour lover and enthusiast, and was purchased from him by Mr. Evelyn Wright, of Wardour Street, who disposed of it to Signor Ressman, who in his turn gave it later to M. Carrand in part exchange for the famous Meyrick helm (see page 1 16, Fig. 459). The Carrand helm must originally have hung above a tomb, having at one time been painted with scrolls, etc., by the undertaker, which fact has served to protect parts of the surface of the metal ; so that to-day it presents the appearance 140 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY of having the surface decorated with scroll-work in brightened steel on a russetted ground. This is the result of the paint added by the XVIth century undertaker, which has protected that part of the surface that it covered against the effect of the atmosphere, while the exposed parts of the surface have rusted. We cannot be certain about the place from which it originally came, but there is every reason to believe in the traditional attribution of ownership. Fig. 481. English, early XVIth century. Helm Erroneously supposed to have belonged to Edward IV St. George's Chapel, Windsor The helm hanging by the site of the tomb of lidward IV in St. George's Chapel, Windsor (Fig. 481), owing to past ill-usage and to its transformation into a helmet for funerary purposes, is in a very dilapidated condition. Most of the rivets at the sides are gone, the lower edge is cut away and jagged, a spike to hold a crest has been inserted in the crown; and worst of all, the lower edge of the ocularium, with its skilfully reinforced thicken- ing, has been roughly broken away in order to give greater space to the 141 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS sight opening, across which at intervals have been roughly riveted iron hoops in the hope of lending to the helm the appearance of an heraldic barred helmet. Doubtless it was in the latter years of the XVIth century that the alterations were made — ruthless treatment to apply to so fine a specimen of English tilting helm. On pages 109 and no we told the story of its purchase, together with that of the other helm (Fig. 455) in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. All the four helms of this group are good and simple in workmanship. Fig. 482. Drawings of two helms by the Author In the fashion of the end of the XVth or commencement of the XVIth century (a) Helm of English fashion and make {/>) Helm of German fashion, but possibly of English make and we have little doubt that they are from the hands of the same armourer, whosoever he was; but they are all without an armourer's mark of any description. We are reluctantly forced to admit that their general outline is poor in comparison with the contour of the German helm of a decade earlier. Their tops are flat and evenly proportioned; but the outward curving of their back plates corresponds too closely with that of their front plates, lending to them a chimney-pot appearance. They all have the same character, and are recognizable at once as belonging to the same family; but they are not grand or suggestive of the great art of the armourer of those 142 THE times. HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY The period of their manufacture was probably between the years 1510 and 1530. To we ilhistrate what we mean when we speak of their weakness of contour, will give an outline drawing of one of this group of English made helms and place beside it an outline drawing of a fine German helm (Fig. 482, a, b). Through each drawing we mark a central vertical line, which very clearly shows in the English-made helm the want of bulk in the back part of the skull-piece and the tameness in the outward swing of the front visor plate, as compared with the vigorous-contour of the German head-piece, which, it is ^ (") % Fig. 483. Probably Burgundian, late XVth century. Helm Found in the neighbourhood of Bourg-en-Bresse Metropolitan Museum of New York {a) Front view; {b) Profile view; {c) Back view ('■) obvious, would rest upon the shoulders with dignity, and which from its sound- ness and feeling for construction creates a .sense of satisfaction and balance. This feeling, to those who are accustomed to make a careful study of head- pieces, is curiously 143 lacking in all the helms of this particular English group. Having given illustrations of the various forms of the rigid tilting helm without movable visor, used when the opposing weapon was the lance alone, we shall now endeavour to link together the various classes of helms which formed a defence against all manner of weapons, including the lance, sword, and mace, and which, as in the case of the helms of XlVth century date, did double duty, being used in war as well as in joust. We may consider the first helm of this kind that we take as contemporary (about 1460-80) with the EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS last of the complete bascinets mentioned on pages 260 et sqq., vol. i. Indeed, we are confronted with no small difficulty in differentiating between the last of the great bascinets we have described and the first of the general service helms : so alike are they as head defences. We select the helm now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, and formerly in the collection of the Due de Dino (Fig. 483, a, b, c), because it illustrates a hybrid combination of the fighting bascinet and of the tilting helm, and also because it is the first of its class to show the movable visor. The helm in question was found in the neigh- bourhood of Bourg-en-Bresse, which in the XVth century was within the Bur- gundian domain; so it is possibly of French origin. It is of unusual shape, and was used by mounted knights in con- tests of both lance and sword ; but unlike certain other helms of this same family, it was not used for foot contests, head- pieces for that purpose having numerous small openings for breathing purposes. F^oot contests required violent exertion, and it was therefore necessary that re- spiration should be Fig. 484. Helm-bascinet as free as possible. This helm has only one opening — that for the sight, which is strongly protected by the projection of the lower edge. The skull-piece resembles in form the, large bascinets already described, and is of one About 1460-80. is Mus6e Lorin, Bourg-en- Bresse 144 piece, having the part which forms the pro- tection for the back of the neck riveted to it. The visor, which is extremely solid, fixed by hinges and pivots. The fully protective chin-piece riveted to to the skull-piece covers the base of the visor; but it is so attached as be it was immovable. It is probable that this helm, at the period at which worn, was subjected to some alteration. The pivots show that originally the visor could be raised; but the alteration has obviously been made by the same armourer who made the helmet itself, his mark THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY being found on the visor as well as on the skull-piece. Strong buckles were used to attach the helm to the breast- and backplates. It is inter- esting to note that in the Musde Lorin of Bourg-en-Bresse there is another helm bascinet of the same family, bearing the mark of the same armourer, a large Gothic C, a circumstance which strengthens our belief in the French or Burgundian origin of the Due de Dino head-piece. This helm-bascinet (Fig. 484), though evidently the work of the same armourer, was apparently made for a purpose different from that to which its com- FiG. 485. About 1470. Helm-bascinet Salle de Garde, Museum of Dijon panion helm was put, and would, from its construction, rather suggest that it was meant to be used by an unmounted knight; for the visor is very salient, and in no way embarrasses the wearer's breathing. Yet another helm-bascinet of the same family, meant seemingly for a knight's unmounted use, and possibly the work of the same armourer, is to be seen in the Salle de Garde in the Museum of Dijon (Fig. 485). This has been a helm of great solidity; but some of its parts are missing. It is much corroded from having been buried in the ground. Careful and judicious restoration has, however, given it a new lease of life. II 145 u. EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Placing the date of the three last mentioned helms at some time between 1460 and 1480, we are obliged to jump a quarter of a century before we can produce our next example, the fine helm in Cobham Church, Kent, a head-piece which more closely resembles the first helms of the last group described than any Avith which we are acquainted. It is quite possible that this helm, Fig. 486. IIi;lm accredited to Sir Thomas Broke, who died in 1522 ■ Cobham Church, Kent which is known as the helm of Sir Thomas Broke, 7th Lord Cobham, who died in 1522, is perhaps like the " heaulmet " mentioned by Olivier de la Marche, and in "Le Challange de Phillipe de Bouton " (see p. 72); for it has the character of both the jousting helm and of the armet. The slit for the sight is here cut out of the body of the visor; and above the slit is a rein- forcing piece, which, on to overlapping the lower edge of it, may have been put narrow the opening. The lower edge of the slit is turned inwards 146 THE to in on HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY give strength. The pin and hinge device for this visor is similar to that use visored bascinets and on Italian armets. It is quite possible that different visors could be used with a helm of this kind, according as it might be required for tilting, for foot combat, or for fighting in the tourney. A short additional bevor is fastened below the visor to protect the lower edge of it from an upward blow; but this has now been riveted on so tightly that the visor can no longer be raised. The lower part of the helm furnishes evidence that the mode of fixing it to the cuirass has been changed; for a horizontal slot in the front, through which a staple originally passed, is now partly covered by one of the rough hinged pieces of iron which are fixed with clumsy rivtts to the front of the helm, and which served to secure it to the breastplate. The chiri-piece is con- nected with the skull-piece somewhat below the point where the visor is hinged (Fig. 486). There was sold in the collection of Lord Londesborough in 1888 a helm (Lot 440) that was said to have come from Aylesbury Church. The present writer has never seen the head-piece, so is not in a position to give an opinion on its authenticity ; but judging from an illustration (Fig. 486A) of it, it would appear to be a similarly constructed helm to the last described, with aper- tures for seeing { i y Fig. 486A. Helm Said to have come from Aylesbury Church. Late XVth century. Collection : Mr. W. H. Riggs,- Metropolitan Museum, New York and breathing in its massive visor. It is now in the collection given by Mr. W. H. Riggs to the Metropolitan Museum of New York. 147 Next on the list for consideration is that fine fighting helm in Broad- water Church, Worthing (Fig. 487, a, b) known as the De la Warr helm. It may be a head-piece of a rather later type, but it certainly belongs to the same family as the helm just described. This helm was carefully described by the late Mr. W. Burges in the "Archaeological Journal " (vol. xxxvi, p. 78). In as the outline of its skull-piece a very distinct improvement can be noted regards the modelling of the back, and also in the additions for the EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS strengthening of the face defence. Planned on the lines of the closed helmets of the XVI th century, it shows broad fluted decoration on its skull-piece. Almost the entire front of the skull is protected by a reinforcing piece, which in an attenuated elongation descends down its comb to the level of the visor pivot. Over this again is a fullvisor, having the slit ocularium. This visor from its most salient point descends at an angle to the chin-piece, and has, as in the case of the two previously mentioned helmets, an additional plate Fig. 487. Late XVth century. Helm Placed over the De la Warr tomb, Broadwater Church, Worthing {a) Profile view; {b) Front view Strengthening it immediately above the sight aperture. The top of this plate, like the top of the large visor, has an escalloped edge. On the visor's dexter side is a triangular opening, which possibly was always coverless; for the side is very strongly flanged outwards to prevent a lance blow delivered from the front slipping into the aperture. Below this opening is the latch and bolt fastening attached to keep the visor closed. The chin-piece of the helm de.scends to cover the upper part of the breastplate, to which it must have been attached by simple screws, a device similarly carried out at the back. To it is now attached a length of chain, certainly of early make, added J48 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY apparently for the purpose of securing the helm to the tomb. It proved, how- ever, to be of little use; for the helm was stolen some seventy years ago, but taken no farther than the town of Washington, at the foot of the Chancton- bury ring, Sussex, to be subsequently recovered much in the same manner as the two helms now in St. George's Chapel, Windsor (see page no and Figs. 455, 481). It is surmised, and probably correctly, that this helm belonged to the De la Warr family. • Next in order of evolution, is the helm from the tomb of Sir John Gostwick in Willington Church, Bed- fordshire (Fig. 488): The large bevor and visor are in one piece with the ocularia slits in it. It will be noticed that the profile view of the visor shows it almost in its final form; and from this time onwards no further alteration can be observed, except in certain head-pieces which were for some special use. On the dexter side of the visor is a large square opening with a protective flange. The frontal reinforcing piece is continued down the back of the helm, and has three apertures into which fitted the staples 149 Fig. 488. that must have been attached to the backplate. The front of the helm descends into a deep gorget plate, a separate plate permanently fixed by eight large rivets. Its upper edge is escalloped, much in the manner adopted by the armourer of the series of helms shown on pages 110-113 (Figs. 454, 455, and 456, a, b). On the sinister lower edge is riveted a strong hinge, which must have fitted a corresponding hinge on the same side of the breastplate over which it was worn. Tradition aflirms that this helm was worn at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. On Helm Said to be that of Sir John Gostwick, with the funeral crest in position. • Willington Church, Bedfordshire the helm is now a wooden funeral crest of later date. This head-piece EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS was 1880. exhibited at a meeting of the Archaeological Institute in November, Other helms of the Gostvvick bascinet, with an type, that is to say, half helm, half advance into the close helmet form, are to be seen in Fig. 489. Helm of a member of the Nevill famh^y Birling Church, Kent various churches in England; take, for instance, that very fine and com- plete helm in Birling Church, Kent (Fig. 489), which may have belonged to either Sir George Nevill, who was summoned to Parliament in 1482, sub- sequently commanded the English army at Calais, and died in 1492, or to his second son, Sir Edward Nevill, who tilted at Abbeville and at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Sir George Nevill lived in Birling and Sir Edward 150 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY Nevill hard by. Mr. Cripps-Day can claim the honour of having re-discovered this helm, and the reader is referred to his note upon this piece in his book on "The Tournament" (page 105). The helm is very difficult to date accurately; it is, however, distinctly English, and might be of any period between 1480 and 1530. The skull-piece is beautifully modelled, and though there is a separate plate welded on at its base, the whole of its great visor. (a) Fig. 490. Armet helm known as that of Sir Harry Sydney English, early XVIth century. (a) Showing the visor raised. As Collection: Lord de Lisle and Dudley, Penshurst Place, Kent now shown the mesail is wrongly riveted below the plate that reinforces the skull-piece (d) The same head-piece, the mesail closed, and the funeral crest in position in which is the slit for the ocularium, is in one piece, and was originally detachable on the hinge and pin principle. On the dexter side is a large rectangular opening with a heavy tongue flange, such as can be noted on the Gostwick and other English helms. Now attached to it is a carved wooden crest of the Nevill family, which is of later date. A somewhat similar head-piece is in the possession of Lord de Lisle and Dudley at Penshurst Place, Kent, called the helm of Sir Harry Sydney. Here it will be seen 151 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS that the lower bevor and chin-piece are in two parts, after the manner of the later arniets. The opening in the dexter side of the bevor has been riveted up, an alteration made doubtless when the helm was used for funerary purposes, and when the wooden crest of the family, a porcupine, was added. It may be looked upon as an Eng- lish armet-helm of the early years of the XVIth century (Fig. 490, a, b). A helm of a similar class to that of the last three described, said to have been worn at Flodden Field in 15 13, used to hang over the tomb of the third Duke of Norfolk in Framlingham Church, Suffolk. To the present writer it appears that the skull- piece is of somewhat earlier date, and might even have been altered from one of the great bascinets of the third quarter of the XVth century; for the top of its delicately moulded crest termin- ates in a slightly pointed apex. Otherwise it is much the same as the Gostwick helm ; though its visor and bevor appear to have been cut about when it was used for funerary purposes. Indeed, so difficult is it to imagine its original form as it now Fig. 491. Helm Said to be that of the third Duke of Norfoll< Framlingham Church, Suffolk appears with the strange exist- ing visor, even with other. visors from helms of the same type before us, that we came to the conclusion after careful examination that the mounted by its visor was made up out of parts of two head-pieces, which have been some- what clumsily riveted together (Fig. 491). For many years this helm, sur- wooden crest, was hung over the Norfolk tomb on the south wall of Framlingham Church, as is recorded by the guide books; but no to opportunity for examining it closely had arisen until 1908, when, owing the dilapidated condition of that part of the church, it was removed by the 152 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY vicar to his house for safe keeping. Little store was set upon it, and it was not until an offer of ;!^5oo was made for it to the present Duke, that its his- torical importance and intrinsic value were appreciated. The Duke, very properly, would not consent to its being sold; but he very generously gave the sum of one hundred guineas to the fund being raised for the (a) Fig. 49 1 a. (/;) Helm English, late XVth century : hanging above the Darell tomb, Little Chart Church, Kent The funerary crest is of the latter part of the XVIth century {a) Profile view, restoration of the church, (d) Back view, showing its bascinet-like skull-piece the purpose for which the money was to have been used had the helm been sold. The third Duke of Norfolk, by his testament, proved the i8th day of November 1554, directed that his body should be buried where his executors should think most convenient, and thereupon they buried him in the south side of Framlingham chancel on 2nd October 1554. Henry Machyn, a citizen of London, records in his diary that he was present at the funeral, and says " 153 . X EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS that there was " as goodly a hearse (? efifigy) of wax as he had seen in those days, with a dozen banner-rods of his progenitors, twelve dozen pennoncels, twelve dozen scutcheons with standard, three coats of arms, a banner of damask and three banners of images, and many mourners, and a great dole followed by a banquet." It may be imagined that this Norfolk helm was borne in the-funeral cortege so graphically described by this observing citizen. Green, in his guide book to Framlingham, states that a helm was carried by the Windsor Herald at the funeral of the father of the third Duke. id) Fig. 492. Helm Said to be that of Sir Giles Capel, of Rayne Hall, Essex. {b) Metropolitan Museum of New York {a) Profile view; {b) Front view Possibly a comparison with the helm in Little Chart Church, Kent (Fig. 49 1 a) may help us to picture the original appearance of the Framlingham helm. The Chart or Darell helm has the same form of skull-piece modelled on 154 the lines of the great bascinet. It has a powerful reinforcing plate covering the forehead of the skull-piece, upon which is superimposed a second plate immediately above the ocularia. The plate of the actual face defence is precisely similar to those seen on the English made tilting helms (Figs. 454, 455. 456, and 457) and is riveted to the first reinforcing plate of the forehead. On the dexter side is an upright rectangular opening with the anterior edge flanged outwards to parry the lance. This helm appears to have been subjected THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY to several alterations, but taken generally it gives a good idea of the original construction of the Framlingham helm. We shall finally mention in this chapter what we term bascinet-helms, that series of head-pieces the use of which was restricted to the knight fighting on foot en champ clos. On examining the illustrations, it will become evident how eminently their construction served their purpose. We vvill first take what is known as the Capel helm, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York (Fig. 492, a, b). Very spacious, it allowed perfect freedom to the head of the combatant. The large visor is pierced with more than two hundred and fifty small apertures, which assisted the respiration of the wearer and allowed him to see clearly. This egg-shaped helm, free from any projections or indentations, offered but a smooth surface to the point of an antagonist's sword or pole arm. The base of the head-piece and the visor are extremely thick, and the remainder of the helm comparatively light. The hinges and pivots were placed beneath the visor, sheltered from blows; when the visor was lowered it was fixed by a spring button, which is now lacking, though its position can still be seen. At the sides of the head-piece are holes edged with brass, through which passed the aiglettes which held in position the cap, alluded to on pages 136 and 137; the helmet was firmly fixed to the breast- and backplates by means of holes which are found near the base. This helm came from the collection of the Baron de Cosson, and later was in that of Signor Ressman; it was engraved and described in " Ancient Helmets and Examples of Mail " by dc Cosson and Burges (London, 1881), in "The Capels of Rayne Hall," by de Cosson (London, 1883), and also in the "Archaeological Journal." In 1840 the old church of Rayne, Essex, was demolished, and this helm, which up to that time had rested over the monument erected in the church to Sir Giles Capel, was, together with another helmet and some old iron work, sold to the builder of the new church, in whose yard these specimens lay for many years, until a lady of the neighbourhood, Madame Courtauld Arendrup, attracted by them, purchased them, and so saved them from possible destruction. Madame Arendrup presented the helm to the Baron de Cosson to be added to his 155 collection of arms and armour. The other helmet that came with this helm was of Elizabethan type, of interest solely on account of its association with the Capel family. The same church of Rayne used to contain two other helmets in the belfry tower, which, however, were sold before the old church was pulled down. One is now in the Saffron Walden Museum, and the other is the armet now in the collection of Mr. W. G. Keasby (Fig. 445f). All EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS four of the helmets from Rayne Church doubtless belonged to various Capels who lived at Rayne Hail, and were patrons of the living. None, however, has the importance of the splendid helm of Sir Giles Capel, a knight, who at the commence- ment of the XVIth century was the lord of the manor of Rayne, and one of the most celebrated champions in all jousts of the reign of Henry VHI. Born about 1485, he died in the year 1556, after a life full of adventure in war and tournament. There is yet another helm of this same class, which can claim English provenance, a fine head-piece which is also in the Metropolitan Museum of New York. Like the Capel helm, it used to be in the collection of Signor Ressman; but it originally came from Lord Stafford's armoury at Costessey Hall, which was dispersed by public sale in 1885. It could be used either Fig. 493. Helm From Costessey Hall. Metropoli- tan Mu.seum of New York in contests with blunted lances or in combats on foot, judged by the number and size of the apertures in the visor, and by the fact that the number of these breath- ing holes is the same on both sides. We should imagine that the latter use was the one to which it was most probably put. The form of the visor is that called a soufflet, which, from "this time, the early years lists. of the XVIth spherical convex visor century, replaced the fitted to helms used hemi- in the The paintings in the manuscript Cdrdmonies des gages de Bataille, published by Crapelet in 1830, show combatants with armet-helm which both types of visor are adapted. Sir Giles Capel. head-pieces to This helmet (Fig. 493), except the visor, is similar in style to that of The visor is pierced with two long horizontal apertures for the purpose of sight, and shorter ones for the purpose of Fig. 494. Helm Now hanging over the tomb of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset Wimborne Minster breathing; throughout it is strong and heavy and has concealed hinges as in the case of the preceding example. 156 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY Not unlike the Costessey helm, and of about the same date, furnished also with a similar soiijffletw'xsov, is the splendid head-piece still to be seen in Wimborne Minster (Fig. 494). It has hung for many years over the tomb of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, who died in 1444, and is figured at the end of the description of the tomb in Blore's " Monumental Remains," 1826. Blore says of it: "An original helmet, so nearly of the date of the monument, is placed above it, that we can scarcely doubt its connection with our subject." The date of the Duke's death is, however, certainly too early for the helm, and its present position in the Minster cannot be its original one. In 1881, when it was exhibited at the Royal Archaeological Institute, both Mr. Wentworth Huyshe and the Baron de Cosson described it in great detail, extracts from which description we give. Mr. Huyshe stated at the time that he had received a letter from the Vicar of Wimborne, the Rev. E. Fiennes Trotman, to the effect that the helm had " no connection with the tomb over which it hangs, and that the old sexton told him that in his boyhood the helm had become unattached, and was lying about the church, and was subsequently suspended over the tomb." The perforated and fluted visor of this helm is movable, and can be detached from the hinges, to which it is fixed by means of a pin on either side, as in the case of the Capel and other helms of the same nature to which we have referred. These pins in the Wimborne helm, it will be seen, finish above in small rings, and a small hole appears near the edge of the visor on a line with its topmost rib. The well- known statuette of St. George in wood on the retable now in the Dijon Museum (Fig. 424A) helps to explain the use of this hole and the ring at the head of the pin; for a small chain is there seen to connect the pin with the visor, so that when the latter was removed the pin remained attached to it and could not get lost. The spring catch, by which the visor, when lowered, was secured to the chin-piece, is still in position and in a fine state of preservation. Few helmets of this early date are provided with so elaborate an arrangement for keeping the visor closed; but as an additional precaution against the possi- bility of the 157 visor being forced up by a thrust from below, there is a small plate fixed to the chin-piece, behind which the edge of the visor falls when it is lowered. When the helm was exhibited at the rooms of the Royal Archae- ological Institute, the total absence of any traces of a means of fixing it to the breastplate led to the supposition being entertained that the lower part of it had been cut away. In are found near the many helms of this kind, however, two large holes lower edge through which passed staples fixed to the breastplate. The Astley MS. describes a similar helm as being " pynid EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS up up on on two greet staplis before the breste, with a dowbill bokill behynde the bak." The Broadwater and Capel helms (Figs. 487 and 492) must have been fixed in this way. If the Wimborne helm has actually lost some part of its lower edge, it is now quite impossible to say whether it was secured in front by staples or by a buckle; and if the present bottom edge is the original one, the means of fixing it on the breastplate becomes a greater mystery still. The weight of the helm is 14! lb. Like the Wimborne helm, but provided with a grander type of visor, is the one in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna. It will be noticed that the Fig. 495. Helm Early years of XVIth century. Fig. 496. Imperial Helm Early years of XVIth century. Armoury, Vienna Musee d'Artillerie, Paris G 3, most salient point of the visor of this helm is higher than those of helms previously described; indeed, its form is altogether more elegant, and has the robust proportions of the fine closed helmets of the second quarter of the XVIth century. The large visor is fluted vertically. These flutings are crossed at right angles in the centre of the visor by three rows of apertures for purposes of seeing; while between each row of fluting, above and below, other rectangular apertures are ranged in a radiating manner. The visor pivots are concealed (Fig. 495). On a helm in the Musee d'Artillerie, G 3, (Fig. 496), the visor is, if possible, even more ample, and the sight and breathing apertures on a larger scale, lending to it almost the appear- ance of open basket work, and making it more akin to the class of helm 158 THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY which was used only for protection against the blunted sword and mace. Two fine examples of the salient-visored tournament helm, which we have very good reason for believing were the personal property of King Henry VHI, are to be seen in the Tower of London. One (Fig. 497) is on the tonlet suit (Fig. 1020) partially decorated with etched bands, and shaped very like the Vienna example. It bears an armourer's mark akin to that used by Missaglia of Milan. It will be observed that the sight and ventilation apertures of this helm are differently arranged, and that Fig. 497. Helm The work of one of the Missaglia of Milan Made for King Henry VHI Tower of London, Class H, No. 7 159 Fig. 498. Armet helm Probably English, early XVIth century Made for King Henry VHI Tower of London, Class II, No. 6 when originally made they proved to be too large, as at a later date they were filled in by the addition of plates riveted beneath them ; these plates were drilled with circular holes that were large enough to serve their purpose for sight and breathing, and at the same time to be proof against a sword or lance. The other helm we speak of (Fig. 498) is on the suit made for King Henry VIII for fighting on foot (see Fig. 1018). It is fine in form, complete as a defence, and small in proportions. Our list of large helms will conclude with the mention of two XVIth century helms which exemplify the final form taken by these head-pieces. EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS They, too, are in the Tower of London Collection. The earlier and finer specimen (Fig. 499) can safely be assigned to the end of the first quarter of the XVIth century. Its workmanship is excellent and its form good. It will be noticed that the entire front portion of the skull-piece is reinforced by a heavy addi- tional plate, as in the case of XVth century armets. Although the visor, unlike that of the ordinary tilting helm, cannot be lifted, it can be detached by means of the pin and rivet fastening, as in the case of the Nevill helm (see page 150, Fig. 489). There is a separate gorget plate, which is of ample proportions. At the base, in the centre, are the four holes by which it was attached to the breastplate. The history of this par- ticular helm is unknown, in save that it came 1848 from the Duke of Buckingham's Fig. 499. Early XVIth century. Helm From Stowe; Tower of London, Class IV, No. i collection at Stowe; but, judged by the condition of its surface, which is deeply pitted with rust in a fashion always associated with the incrustations found upon helmets that have been exposed in churches, we imagine that it must at one time have been set up over a tomb. The other helm (Fig. 500) is also from an un- known source, though it appears in the inventories for the years 1660, 1676, and 1688. In the 161 1 in- ventory it is perhaps the one noted as being at Green- wich "In Mr. Pickering's workhouse," "one greate Head-peece remayning of old." In the 1660 inventory it figures as "Great Hearce of John of Gaunt's — one." In 1676 it figures with the same fabulous attribution: Fig. 500. Helm Middle of XVIth century " Hearse or Large Headpece of John of Gauntes." In the valuation and inventory of 1688 it is described Tower of London, Class IV, No. 2 and valued " Hearse or Long Headpece of John a Gaunts...;^io." The skull-piece is sound in construction and good in form; but its large bevor 160 THE HELM OF THE XVm CENTURY and visor are stunted in shape, and the workmanship is ragged and careless. The breathing holes are unevenly placed and crudely fashioned. The chin- piece somewhat redeems the helm ; but the large hemispherically-headed brass rivets are probably not original. On the extending gorget plate on either side are large circular holes, through which passed the staples that attached the helm to the breastplate. A rare form of tournament helmet or helm can be seen in those head- pieces which can only have served FiG. 501. Hklm For tournanient use against the mace or wooden sword. I'robably German (Saxon), early XVlth century Formerly in the collection of Herr J. M Soyter, Augsburg as the defence against some blunt in- Fig. 502. Helm For tournament use against the mace or wooden sword. German, early XVIth century • Imperial Armoury, Vienn.i strument such as the mace or even the wooden sword. In the present writer's opinion these particular tournament helms come almost within the category of padded fencing apparel, and have not sufficient dignity to be classed as armour in the true sense of the word; but as real examples are very rare, and as countless forgeries exist, more especially in foreign collections, it is our intention to illustrate two genuine examples. The first (Fig. 501) is believed to be still in a private collection, and, being of iron, is more legitim- ately a helm than the other example. At a first glance, the helmet of the diver suggests itself, the skull-piece being spheroidal and the very salient visor II 161 Y EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS beinj^ composed of iron bars, such as are generally associated with those many helmets of various dates which, in the XVI Ith century, were filled with makeshift bar visors for use in the famous games on the bridge at Pisa, Giuoco del ponte di Pisa. The helm pictured is of sound, if somewhat coarse, workmanship, its great visor lifting on a hinge above the forehead, as in the case of the early bascinets. The skull-piece extends well down the back and over the gorget to a corresponding depth. In these back and front parts are large circular holes for the attachment of the helm to the breast- and back- plate. In the case of this example the face defence is kept closed by a chain passing round the neck of the skull-piece. We have never had an opportunity of making a personal examination of this helm, but we have the Baron de Cosson's assurance as to its genuineness. Having compared it with a similar helm in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna which is said to have come from Saxony, we claim for it the same nationality; but we hardly accept it as belonging to the period assigned to the Vienna example by the late Herr Boeheim, that is, to the middle of the XVth century, preferring to place it in the first quarter of the XVIth century. M. Viollet-le-Duc, on page 354, vol. ii, of his famous Dictionnaire du Mobilier Frangais, gives an illustration of a knight, armed for a tournament with a fluted wooden sword and wooden mace, who wears a helmet of somewhat similar construction. The Vienna helm (Fig. 502) of this type is not entirely of iron; but is built up of leather upon an iron framework. This example affords no better protection for the face than can be given by a cross-hatched iron grill; while at its top is a large tubular socket for the crest. The whole head-piece is indeed suggestive of a very complete singlestick helmet of modern times; but from the excellence of its workmanship, its charm of colour, and its curiously heraldic appearance, it is, generally speaking, attractive. In the Schloss Museum of Sigmaringen, in the fine collection of arms formed by one of the former Princes of Hohen- zollern, are two very fine late XVth century leather tournament helms of this same type, but with wirework over the opening for the face, helms quite similar to large fencing masks. We have been unable to obtain photographs of them. THE CREST UPON THE HELM The helmet of the Xlth century, which was pointed at the top, inter- rupted for a or while the ancient custom of cresting the head-piece with wings feathers, horns or masks of beasts. 162 But as soon as the knight's shield THE HELM OF THE XVm CENTURY and coat and trapper took the new tints of armoury the crest came back to a hehii, the round or flat top of which was ready to receive it. Richard Coeur-de-Lion, the first of our kings to bear on his red shield the three golden leopards, is seen on his last seal wearing a crested helm (see vol. i, Fig. 145, a, b). It is an antiquity among crests, this of King Richard. The helm, as it would seem, has a ridged comb rounded to a half- circle, the edge set off with pen-feathers, the side bossed or painted with one of the leopards of the king's arms. Yet the new fashion came slowly into England, and Xlllth century seals and pictures have few crests to show us. The knight is not yet sure that the crest is a part of his armorial devices, to be inherited with his shield. The armourer will make a winged wyvern to sit on the helm of the Earl of Winchester; but he, will make another of the same brood for another earl. Of all those great lords who .seal in 1301 the English magnates' letter to the Pope, only five give us examples of crested helms, and two of these are the Earl of Lancaster and Henry his brother, each with the wyvern. But John St. John of Halnaker put a leopard on his helm between two palm branches; Ralph of Monthermer is crested with the eagle of his arms, a like crest nodding between his horse's ears. These are true crests for the heralds' books, which can take no account of those fan or scallop-shell crests which might be made by the dozen before a tournament. King Edward Ill's costly play of Round Tables and knightly feasts soon gave a crest to the helm of every spendthrift knight who had the fancy of the time for splendid toys. With cord or boiled leather, or moulded and varnished parchment, with paint and gold leaf, the maker of crests set about fashioning any strange device that might be to the taste of the warrior and the jouster. The seal-engraver, then come to the height of his beautiful art, took kindly to the new crests. He set the crest upon the great helm, below which hung the shield of arms, flanked by the grotesque reptiles and the like, which soon became counted, as supporters, a part of that armoury which enriched all things from the lord's gate-tower to his bed and his thumb-ring. To this day there are ancient English houses which have no tradition of their use of any crest; even as, in the XVth century, there were men 163 who, though gentlemen born of free blood, had no care to take any device for a shield. Yet crests were in plenty. Archbishops and bishops are seen sealing with seals that have crested helms, the crests of which sometimes lift themselves from the cleft of the mitre. A priest might not wear a helm. Nor might a woman. There are mediaeval seals with helm and crest for woman and for priest. But we may count this bad heraldry. At the end of EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the XlVth century, when the knight and his lady seal a deed, we look to sec the one sealing with his crested helm above his own shield and the other with a shield alone, a shield of her husband's arms impaling those of her father's house. A multitude of gay crests must have shone in 'the sunlight on helms of war and helms of tournament-yard. Time and change cast that multitude upon the rubbish-heap. A little remains, jetsam cast up into our own times. Of XI\^th century crests the writer can speak but of that wonderful thing on the Black Prince's helm (see vol. i. Fig. 322c), and of that on the helm Fig. 503. Helm crest Italian, Florentine, first half of XVth century Collection: Signor S. Bardini, Florence of a Fk;. 504. Helm crest Said to be that of King Martin I of Aragon (1395-1410) D II, Royal Armoury, Madrid 164 the Pranck family (see vol. i. Fig. 328). He has handled no others of that age; although others must surely lie in some dusty corners of Europe. As part of the warrior's gear the crest did not live out the middle ages. We find it hard to believe that men ever fought under these towering fantasies; yet there is good evidence. It was in time of war that English knights brought the fashion of crests into Scotland. " Crakys of War" — which are cannon and " tymmeris for helmys "-^were seen for the first time in Scotland on one day: " twa noweltyis " they were, says the Scottish poet. Also when the English knights went campaigning into vSpain, the Spaniard saw and wondered at the heads of beasts and soldans, and all the THE HELM OF THE XVth CENTURY other strange shdpes that sat on the hehiis put out, for pride, before the P2nglish tents. The Spaniards followed the English fashion: the Crdnica of Don Alvaro de Lima tells us how the knights in the fight at Olmedo in 1445 were crested warriors: "nor was the number small of those who bore trophies of wild beasts and plumes of divers colours." But we may well doubt if any English knight of the York and Lancaster factions fought under his crest. By that age the crest and the flowing helm-mantle that tossed its tassels in the lists were gear for tournament and joust; the XVI th century, an age of change, would not even joust under crests; they were no more in the mode. Of XVIth century crests we have only those belonging to the undertaker's heraldry, which are still to be seen on rusty helms hung high up on church walls, the helms that were carried in the pageant of the funeral. It is notable that not one of these funerary crests is of great bulk or fantastic shape. They belong to the timid heraldry of their time. King Rene in his Livre des Toiirnois would have every knight show his crested helm at an appointed place before the day of the tournament. Of these XVth century crests two are known to the present writer; one is in the collection of Signor Bardini of Florence and is remarkable for its size and curious quality (Fig. 503). There can be no doubt of its authenticity. It is built upon canvas in layers of gesso and of leather in the form of the head and swan-like neck of an open-mouthed reptile monster, the scaly hide modelled and painted by the hands of an artist. Set on the helm it would rise to seventeen inches out of its torse or wreath, which is modelled, cable- fashion, in twists of black, yellow, and red. Signor Bardini can only say of it that it was the crest of a Florentine House. In consideration of its character and of its Italian origin we should give it a date in the second quarter of the XVth century. The second of these crests is that in the Royal Armoury at Madrid, D 1 1 (Fig. 504). Although not of such quality as the Florentine example it has a pedigree of great historical interest. This is the crest which was borne on 165 the helm of King Martin I of Aragon (1409-10), and was carried as his ensign at the Feast of the Standard held at Palma in Majorca early in the XVth century. Again, we have a monster's head and arched neck, here ren- dered more dragon-like by reason of the wings springing from either side of the base. Such a device is said to have been worn by the princes of the royal house of Aragon from the reign of Don Pedro IV (1343-69) to that of Don Fernando II (1412-16). It is constructed in two parts, the crest itself being of EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS parchment moulded hollow and coloured, the wings gilded. The base splays outward to fit the top of a helm. That disastrous fire which broke out in the Royal Armoury in 1884 burned away the painted ornament of this crest; but, thanks to careful drawings which remain, we know that the lower part was enriched with blazons of a shield in which a quadrangular escutcheon bore the arms of Aragon and the castle of L'Almudayna in Majorca. The late Conde de Valencia de Don Juan heard the story of the crest from Don Jose Maria Quadrado, curator of the archives of Majorca. When it became known that this rare antiquity belonging to the Balearic domain of the Crown of Spain was still extant, a royal decree of 1831 gave instructions that the Majorca corporation should hand over this and other historical objects to the Crown Bailiff. Since that year it has been in the Royal Armoury of Spain, so rich in his- torical pieces. Finally we must mention the gilt metal crest now upon a late bascinet-like head-piece in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna (Fig. 505). This is reputed to be that worn by Georg Cas- triota, famous as Skanderbeg (1406-66). We have always believed that in this case crest and helmet have been brought to- gether in a Fig. 505. Helmet and crest later age, and that the finely modelled crest must have been made for Reputed to have been worn by Georg Castriota (1406- 1466) Imperial Armoury, Vienna a conical bascinet head-piece of the earlier XVth century like that in the Bargello, Florence (vol. i, Fig. 297); for it is not of the fashion of those worn on the great jousting-helm. With this ends the short list of those mediaeval helm-crests which the pre.sent writer has seen and examined. Yet many more must surely wait for the collector in tho.se parts which lie out of the common track. Perhaps, in the armouries of Hungarian and Bohemian castles, crests will yet be found by the antiquary, when circumstances shall allow him again to take up his search for the gear of old wars in such places. The present writer has to make his grateful acknowledgements to his friend, Mr. Oswald Barron, for the simple and yet concise manner in which he has assisted him in dealing with the heraldic significance of the crest. Mr. Barron's rare knowledge of the subject and admirable style are manifest in this concluding part of the chapter. 166 CHAPTER XIV CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES H have from time to time discussed chain mail and similar flexible armaments as we found them represented in pictorial and sculptural art from the days of the Norman Conquest until the middle of the XlVth century. Doubtless, apart from the early Norse byrnie found at Vimosa and Thorsberg, to which we have referred on page 6, vol. i, examples of chain mail may still be in existence belonging to the Xllth, Xlllth, and even Xlth centuries, if but frag- mentary, and we of may have even seen them; but from the utter impossibility of recognizing the period to which they belong, it is useless to mention them individually. With perhaps one exception known to us, we believe, too, that hardly a hauberk of mail is extant that has a pedigree reliable and substantial enough to take it back even to the XVth century. The shape of a piece of plate armour supplies the clue which enables us to assign to it, with fair degree of accuracy, a definite period. But in the case of chain mail defences Xlllth and XlVth century date, this kind of evidence cannot be brought to bear; for it must be borne in mind that as chain mail was in universal demand throughout mediaeval times, a hauberk was of value, and was there- fore constantly being repaired and altered in shape according to the require- ments of the time, so the original "cut" of the shirt may have been "subsequently altered on more than one occasion. We are therefore forced to depend rather upon the make and form of the rings of which the hauberk * is composed when we attempt to assign an approximate date to a hauberk of chain mail. we Let us deal firs<^ with the only example of early chain mail with which are 167 acquainted that has a history, and that might, though we do not believe it, be as old as is supposed — the shirt preserved in the Treasury of the Cathedral of Prague. The so-called Saint Wenceslaus shirt of mail is first mentioned in the inventory of the Treasury of Prague Cathedral, taken in the year 1354, where it figures as '' lorica sancti Wenceslaus^ 1387. Exactly the same entry is made in the ensuing inventories of 1365, 1368, 1 37 1, and We may therefore conclude that a hauberk bearing this EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS name was preserved there in the second half of the XlVth century; and we are further justified in thinking that this hauberk, in part at least — for it has been subjected to restorations — is the actual one mentioned in these inventories and still to be seen in the Cathedral Treasury of Prague. But Fig. 506. HAUiiERK of chain mail Known as the shirt of Saint Wenceslaus. Its date is uncertain, but part of it at least might be as early as the XII 1th century Treasury of the Cathedral of Prague inasmuch as Wenceslaus, Patron Saint of Bohemia, was Duke of Bohemia about 928-936, it requires a very considerable amount of faith to accept as fact all that tradition attaches to this hauberk; for, like afl relics of distant mediaeval times, its history 168 is extremely obscure. But we will CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES ',1 proceed to form an opinion by an actual examination of the hauberk. It is a shirt reaching to the knee, with long, wide sleeves, open at the neck both back and front. The rings are of circular iron wire, small in circum- V^ < ^ i< -^'J^, 1^ '**«• Fig. 507. ^^H t « 1 '^JK a^H i ^^m^\'^^ ' Portion of the " Saint VVenceslaus" shirt of mail Actual size of the links ference and riveted. Portions of the left sleeve are badly torn. Now if we were guided by its shape, we might assign it to some date within the first half of the Xlllth century; but, as we have said, it is on the formation of its rings that we prefer to rely for settling the date. Frankly it is difficult II 169 ^' EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS to associate the form of ring employed in the manufacture of this hauberk with the very early date to which it is ascribed; more especially as hauberks somewhat shorter in length but with similar sleeves and a similar mesh of ring are constantly found among the XVth century armament of the warriors of we the near East. We give an illustration of the hauberk as it now appears (Fig. 506), and a portion of the mesh of the mail taken actual size (Fig. 507). As to have often said, we are always unwilling to throw doubt upon traditions that have been cherished for many centuries; but we feel bound assert that any ascription of this present shirt of mail to the first half of Fig. 508. TiiTET of chain mail Probably added late in the XVth or early in the XVIth century to the "Saint Wcnceslaus" hauberk. a Treasury of the Cathedral of Prague the Xth century appears to us to be absolutely indefensible. There is the possibility, that as was often the case, this Saint Wenceslaus shirt may be substitute hauberk of later date, put in place of the original which was once known to have been preserved in the treasury; a substitution made probably as early as the reign of Ottokar or that of his son Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia, in the first half of the Xlllth century, a period in which the fashion of hauberk which this particular specimen follows was popular, and in which the belief in the survival of relics of past heroes was devoutly cherished. Whatever may be the history of this interesting mail shirt, it certainly claims the right from the mention in the 1354 inventory to 170 CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES be examined as perhaps one of the oldest mediaeval examples of which there is actual record. We may add that the sword and helmet attributed to Saint Wenceslaus are also to be seen in the Prague Treasury (vol. i, Figs. 55, 170). There is a chance that the helmet may possibly be as old as the date to which it is ascribed; indeed, it is interesting to note that it bears Northern Runic ornamentation, a circumstance which might give rise to yet another speculation as to the provenance of the Wenceslaus achievements. The blade of the sword may be of early date; but the hilt and scabbard have been adapted to it in the latter part of the XlVth century. A tippet of chain mail has been placed upon the hauberk; this appears from its make to be Austrian or Polish, and was no doubt added in the early years of the XVIth century (Fig. 508). Early mention of chain mail other than that we have alluded to in the opening chapters of this work is constantly met with. In the admirable article contributed by Mr. Francis Kelly to the " Burlington Magazine" for March 1905, which deals \\^th the inventory of Raoul de Nesle, Constable of France, and contains the description of a knight's wardrobe in the first years of the XlVth century, several entries of chain mail appear. The original inventory is now preserved with the archives of the town of Lille. In the list of the Constable's apparel are the following mentions of chain mail: The Old French Item, i hauberiau et i camail Item, vii hauberions que corses Item, xlii pieche de causes Item, pour viii que hauberions, que haubers et iii camaus Item, haubers a tournoier English Translation Item, an haubergeon and a camail. Item, vii haubergeons and corses. Item, xlii chausses. Item, to viii haubergeons and hauberks and iii camails. Item, a tourney hauberk (or hauberks). Item, pluseurs menues pieches de hauberjons Item, several bergeons. small fragments of hau- Occasionally confusing allusions to chain mail hauberks are found: in Chaucer's " Rhyme of Sir Thopas," for instance, the knight has a " hauberk full fyn ... of plate." This can only be explained by the doubtless loose nomenclature of the time, which allows iron chain mail to be spoken of as if made " of plate." As in the case of most individual armaments, certain towns were famous for their production of chain mail; of these, Chambly (Oise) in France, and Milan in Lombardy, stand out pre-eminently. Thus, in the in- ventory of Louis le Hutin we find reference to the names of these places: Haultes gorgieres doubles de chambli Un haubert entiere de lovibardie. EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Perhaps before we mention those complete hauberks and other portions of chain mail that we can assign to the end of the XlVth century, we should say a few words as to the construction of the apparently complicated mesh of which they are composed. As in the case of many manufactured articles the make of which seems difficult to understand, the process of chain mail " weaving " once grasped is seen to be extremely simple. The actual medium of the chain mail was iron wire, of varying thickness according to the need, either Fig. 509. The manufacture of chain mail According to the theory of the late Mr. A. Burge.s, A.R.A., from "Ancient Helmets and Examples of Mail," reprinted from the " Archaeological Journal " A. H. c. i). E. r, G. H. The foundation or rod on which the wire is wound, with wire in position The wire in rings, the ends overlapping The ends of the rings flattened by hammering The flattened ends of the rings pierced by a punch The triangular rivet in position The joint finished off between two punches, an upper and lower A I, J, K. ring of mail double riveted by a clamp Method of making a ring when it was desired to thicken the rivet juncture and so stiffen the mesh L, M, N. Method of making an unjoined ring, the centre punched out, the outside trimmed off drawn out mechanically, a process discovered, it. is maintained, in the early years of the XlVth century, or formed of thin strips of metal rounded by means of the hammer. This thread of iron of the requisite thickness had then to be made into rings. This was accomplished by obtaining a cylindrical bar of metal, a little smaller in diameter than that of the ring. Round this was carefully wound the wire, each twist being afterwards cut with a chi.sel; for the iron was worked cold. The cut ends were then flattened with a hammer or strong pincers 172 until they overlapped; and CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES were finally riveted together, either by the mechanical process of a small rivet being inserted with strong pliers, or by an ordinary rivet and riveting hammer (Fig. 509). Both these tools figure in use in a late XVth century drawing of a chain mail maker that can be seen in the Town Library of Nuremberg (Fig. 510). As to the form of the rivet used in connecting the links, it has been suggested that its shape establishes the nationality of the mail; for instance, rivets of triangular section are said to appear on European mail, and circular upon that of Eastern origin; but experts are not agreed upon the point. But in all cases, it was the endeavour to make the inner side of the mail present as smooth a surface as possible, and to take away any asperity from the apex of the rivet. The linking of the rings together was entirely a matter of practice, and might be likened to the tatting of a fishing net; but it will generally be found that a series of four rings are fitted through a centre one. A very great many variations in the arrangement of the rings pre- vailed, according to the required thickness of the mail. This is but the roughest description of chain mail making; there were many ways of forming the rings : some were stamped out, whilst others had their ends not riveted, but forced or butted together as in the case of the heavy fragment shown in our illustration (Fig. 514). Of the examples of chain mail on our list the next in point of age are those two coifs of mail which are to be found respectively in the Musee d'Artillerie and in the collection of Mr. Fig. 510. Chain MAIL MAKEK From the Mendel and Lan- dauer MS. Zwolfbriiderstiftung in the Town Nuremberg Library, Henry G. Keasby. The Musee d'Artillerie example, H 5, is said to have been found in a tomb at Epernay (Cote d'or), and that in the Keasby Collection (Fig. 51 1) has a similar 173 provenance ; both are of the same shape, roughly speaking that of a short cylinder with dependent ear flaps. Although apparently they are genuine riveted mail caps, the date that has been assigned to them — the Xlllth- XlVth century — has been a subject of considerable controversy. We should add that there is a very similar coif with rings of the same proportions in the Porte de Hal, Brussels, which is assigned to the XIHth century (Fig. 512). For our next information we may now turn to the examination of certain fragments of Xlllth-XIVth century mail that have come under EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS our own observation. The now almost famous piece of very large ringed mail with double rivets, which used to be in the Meyrick Collection and was de subsequently in those of the late Mr. W. Burges and of the Baron Cosson, is now in our own possession. Mr. Burges gave the following description of it : The history of this piece of mail, as told by Sir Samuel Meyrick, is to be found in vol. i, p. 141, of the "Journal of the Archaeo- logical Association." One of Sir Samuel's tenants procured this and another piece, the latter much broken, from the son of a ropemaker, who has used them for the purpose of rubbing down the projections in his work. The account given was that the entire piece, before it was cut into two portions. Fig. 511. Chain iMail cap Attributed to the Xlll-XIVth (?) century. Said to have been found in a tomb at Epernay (Cote d'or) Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby Fig. 512. Chain mail cap Attributed to the XlII-XIVth(?) century. Porte de Hal, Brussels came from a church in Gloucestershire. Sir Samuel Meyrick assigned it to the early part of the XlVth century (Fig. 513). The iron wire from which it is made is circular in section, and the points of junction of the rings are flattened out very greatly. At the opposite side of the rings are also traces of 174 the hammer; but these are not by any means so perceptible as those at the points of junction. The rivet has been formed in the shape of a mason's cramp, viz., with two sides turning up (see Fig. 509 h). Next we illustrate (Fig. 514) a fragment of chain mail with large heavy rings half an inch across in the interior diameter. These are not flat but circular in section, and are not riveted but simply butted together. This most massive piece of chain mail was found some thirty years ago in the foundations of an old house at Nottingham. It is very old, belonging probably to the XlVth century; but CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES its very great weight makes it seem almost impossible that it ever formed part of a hauberk, and we would suggest as a possible theory that it must originally have belonged to some horse apparel. This piece of chain mail is now in the collection of the present writer. The Musde d'Artillerie, G 426, exhibits ix genouil/cre of plate around the edging of which is attached chain mail. We must confess that we have never handled or critically examined it; but since it is the only extant example known to the present writer of reinforced Wm-^^M i ^ \ ^^^^ ^^V^B* / c /J^ 1 Wi Fig. 513. 1 ^ ^ ^ i 4 i TMfcJP^n. ^ ^ ^^ 'jjtrJi 1 0 0 ^SSmSr^^ jSmm ►. jB^L J&^^ PiKCE OK CHAIN MAIL WITH CLAMI" RIVETS Supposed to have come from a church in Gloucestershire. Assigned to the cariy part of the XlVth century Ex Meyrick, Burges, de Cosson Collections. . (Actual size of rings) chain mail of supposed European provenance in the fashion of the early part of the X I Vth century, we are inclined to be sceptical, and to consider it ^M^ 175 j^ Asiatic and of later date. It was presented to the Musee d'Artillerie by M. Jouste, the famous antiquary. Another fragment of large linked chain mail is worthy of illustration (Fig. 515)- It appears to be of late XlVth century date, and was found in the cellar of a house pulled down during the Aldwych improvements. It is now in the London Museum. In the remarkable collection of Mr. W. Riggs of Paris, {f recently presented by him to the Metropolitan Museum of New York, is the camail W^' EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS p^^^ from a bascinet helmet made of alternate rows of riveted and solid rings. The representation of such a camail attached to a bascinet can be seen on the famous Dijon statuette of Saint George (Fig. 424A); and even the fastening of the edge of the camail to the jupon by means of the groups of laces, is clearly ^^^^m^ '^M ai iwivji M ^p^^^^*-^,^__ . ^^Bfl^^Efe tif K: XlVth (?) century. . Fig. 514. . _. ■■■■ '■n...-:- - Piece of chain mail -*«j»^ : 4 ^ 1 ■'5.: Found in the foundation of an old house at Nottingham Collection : Author. (Actual size of rings) shown. These laces, according to Victor Gay, were known in France later by the name oi clavel. The Riggs camail is an example of chain mail of the third quarter of the XlVth century, without reproach and in its original form. Mr. Riggs purchased it at the sale of the Baron de Cosson Collection in 1893. Certainly foremost among these shirts of mail that have been preserved complete and unaltered is that splendid 176 late XlVth century hauberk, CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES formerly in the Meyrick and Noel Paton Collections, and now in the Royal Scottish Museum (Fig. 516). It is certainly the finest with which we are acquainted. Its condition leaves nothing to be desired, its manufacture is of the highest order, and its shape of exceptional grace. To assign it to a par- ticular nationality is difficult, and we must leave its origin to conjecture; though the late Mr. Burges held that this is one of the few coats of mail which has any decided history. The history, however, that Sir Samuel Meyrick gives of it Fig. 515. I'iecp: of chain mail With curiously widened ends to the ends of the rings ; these are not riveted but overlap XlVth (.') century. From the foundation of a house pulled down during the Aldwych improvements. London Museum. (.Actual size of rings) in his "Critical Inquiry" takes it back but a comparatively few generations. Sir Samuel stated that "it had been purchased by a Jew from an ancient family at Sinigaglia, near Bologna, in whose possession it had been beyond their records." He also goes on to relate that "the Jew bought it by the ounce and paid for it forty guineas." The hauberk is of the simplest con- struction, with no slits and no reinforcements. There are, however, two gussets in the lower part in order to make it widen satisfactorily over the hips. The sleeves are ten inches long from the armpits. The size of the rings, which appear to have been made originally of wire of circular section, II 177 AA EUROPEAN'^ARMOUR AND ARMS but which now through constant wear are somewhat flattened, average a full half inch in their interior diameter. It will be noticed that the lower edge of the shirt is vandyked, and that the links for a little distance up are composed of brass riveted with iron, a fashion which is also followed in the formation of the edge of the sleeves. This custom of vandyking the lower edge of the hauberk dates, as is well known, from the third quarter of the XlVth century to the first quarter of the next, which fact enables c»s. ViC ^AQ_o^» .-i^^^^'v -^ US to sT^^' Fig. 516. Chain MAIL HAUBERK Late XlVth century. Ex Meyrick and Noel Paton Collections Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh assign this particular shirt to about that period. The equestrian statue of Bernabo Visconti, erected in 1354, now preserved in the castle of Milan, is habited in just such a hauberk (see Fig. 964); such a shirt also figures in the brass of Sir Thomas Burton, 1382. In the early years of the XVth century hauberks of this kind with the vandyked edge are represented on brasses, of which that of Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, is a good example, and on the efiigy of Sir Edmund de Thorpe, in Ashwel- thorpe Church, Norfolk (Fig. 517) which may be dated about 1418. 178 CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES A mail shirt of nearly equal importance to the Sinigaglia example is now in the collection of the late Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant, U.S.A. This hauberk, which was obtained from the collection of the Baron de Cosson, and which dates from about 1400 (Fig. 518), presents a vandyked border at the base of the shirt similar to that just described, but has no edging of brass. The sleeves reach to the wrists. In many respects this shirt closely resembles a fine early XVth century hauberk in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris, G 211 (Fig. 519), except that the latter is without the standing collar. Another very heavy mail shirt of about this period is in our own collection (Fig. 520). It weighs over 33 lb., and is indeed as heavy as any we know of. The texture of the mail links at the sides beneath the arms is of a stronger nature than that of the remainder of the shirt, suggesting that a plastron of plate was utilized in protecting the more vulnerable regions above the chest and abdomen, where in this case the mail is weakest. The rings of the stronger part average half an inch in diameter (Fig. 521). From the very corroded condition of the surface of the links it appears that this hauberk must have been buried in the ground for a long period, a circumstance which lends some weight to the tradition that it was found while excavations were being carried out on the site of an old house in the Whitechapel Road. We we can can mention many hauberks to which Fig. 517. From the effigy of Sir Edmund de Thorpe About 141 8. Ashwelthorpe Church, Norfolk. Stothard After assign a date within the early years of the XVth century: — for instance, an example in the United Service Museum, Whitehall; part of a hauberk which, together with an armorial badge of the O'Neills, now in 179 the collection of Mr. Starkie Gardiner, was found in Phoenix Park, Dublin; the fine mail shirt in the Wallace Collection, No. 335 in the catalogue; and a variety of hauberks with and without sleeves that are to be seen in the Tower of London Armoury. In the Museum of Artillery, Woolwich, is a sleeveless coat of mail edged with, brass rings which the late Mr. Burges considered might date as early as the latter part of the XlVth century. The present writer must confess that he always looks with suspicion on extant examples of mail leggings or chausses when they are supposed to be of very early date; for on careful examination they have generally the EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS appearance of having been fabricated to meet the mid-XIXth century de- mand for early armaments, either from mail sleeves or from portions of hauberks. Specimens of such alteration of mail can be seen in the Wallace Collection, under No. 336. These specimens purport to be mail chausses complete with sollerets. Made of riveted chain, but with links of various Fig. 518. Chain mail hauberk Late XlVth century. Collection: the late Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant, U.S.A. sizes, they resemble in general appearance the form which it might be imagined the chausses of the Xlllth century assumed ; but the actual chain mail of which they are composed, though of European origin, does not appear to be of an older type than that of the XVIth century. Most, indeed, of the so-called chUusses that are found in museums can make no serious of Eastern origin. claim to authenticity in their present form, unless of course they happen to be 180 CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES As may be supposed, chain mail was employed for many purposes throughout the XlVth and XVth centuries: — in the armament of the horse, in the secret linings of civil costume, and in the guarding of those parts of the human body which cannot be effectively protected by plate armour. In many cases the chain mail required fitting to that part of the body which it was to protect. This was done by means of the insertion of gussets, etc. Fig. 519. Early XVth century. Chain mail hauberk G 211, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris One of the most interesting examples of fitted chain mail is to be seen in the Zeughaus of Berlin. It is a complete bevor to be worn beneath a salade or chapel and is so reinforced in places as to render it almost stiff (Fig. 522). In the many collections which we have visited we have never seen a finer example of modelled chain mail, although a chain mail brayette in New York is perhaps to be compared to it (Fig. 522A). A usual defence in chain mail towards the second half of the XVth century was the haussecol gorget of mail or haussecol standard as it was termed. It is frequently seen portrayed 181 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS on the brasses and efifigies of that period. Often the standard of chain mail, which was worn like a small tippet with a reinforced stiff collar around the neck, was edged with brass links riveted with iron. The fullness in the mail that extends over the shoulder is obtained by gusseting, the lower edge of the mail being made into four escallops like one half of a hexagon with concave sides. The ends of the collar were either strapped together at the back or fastened by a hinge with a movable pin. We illus- trate three examples: — the first (Fig. 523), a remarkably fine standard in the Artillery Museum, Rotunda, Woolwich, where the actual collar of reinforced Fu;. 520. Chain mail hauherk Early XVth century. Collection: Author Fig. 521. OF Actual size of the rings THE hauberk (FiG. 520) mail is of unusual depth; the second (Fig. 524), formerly in the Roach Smith Collection, now in the British Museum, and originally found near Thames side; the third (Fig. 525), a specimen in the collection of Mr. W. H. Fenton, found in Worship Street, and of rather later date than the two others mentioned. As plate armour became the vogue in the early part of the XVth century, chain mail more than ever became an auxiliary defence of the fighter; though in countries more distant from the centre of civilization it long remained the principal one. In Hungary, Poland, Russia, and in semi-civilized states, for example, it was the sole armament till well into the XVI Ith century. 182 The CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES Irish were content with the protection of the mail hauberk alone until the closing years of the XVth century. Indeed, in the reign of Elizabeth, we find Spenser stating that the Irish chieftain still wore a shirt of mail over a leathern-quilted jack which was long enough " to cover his trouse on horse- backe," a fashion associated in English costume with the early years of the Xlllth century. Even in the principal countries of Europe complete suits of mail were in use until the early years of the XVIth century. But they were only employed as a subsidiary defence to plate, though some of the finest mail from the point of actual technical manufacture dates from these times. Two beautiful shirts of fine riveted links, certainly of Pluropean origin, are Fig. 522. Bevor of rivkted chain mail Middle of the XVth century To to be be worn with a salade-hke head-piece Zeughaus, Berlin Fig. S22A. Riveted chain mail brayette I.ate XVth century Collection : Mr. VV. .H. Riggs, Metropolitan Museum, New York seen in the Oriental Armoury of the Wallace Collection, Nos. 1509 and 1858, finding their place in that section of the armoury merely because they were obtained with the Eastern armour. We illustrate a shirt of chain mail in our own collection that might well date within the first quarter of the XVIth century (Fig. 526). We also give a picture of an early XVIth century mail gus.set, showing the actual size of its mesh. This depicts an interesting feature, as the section of the wire of which the rings are 183 composed is seen to be practically triangular, with rivets that are pyramidal (Fig. 527). With the advance of the XVIth century,whole shirts of mail worn beneath plate armour were mostly discarded, only the vulnerable parts of the body Fig. 523. Standard of riveted mail Second lialf XVth century. Artillery Museum, Rotunda, Woolwich Fig. 524. Standard of riveted mail Second half XVth century. Found in the Thames at Thames side Roach Smith Collection. British Museum Fig. 525. Standard of riveted mail Second half XVth century. Found near Worship Street. Collection: Mr. W. H. Fenton Fig. 526. Early XVIth century. Riveted chain mail hauberk Collection: Author 185 Fig. 527. Part of a riveted mail gusset Early XVIth century. Collection: Author. II (Actual size of rings) BB EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS which were insufificiently guarded by the covering of plate being protected by chain mail. The armpits, the buttocks, and the cods alone depended upon chain mail for their defence, the chain mail bag for the last-named being known as Wv^faidde. The portions of chain mail which protected all these parts Fig. 528. By Giovanni Moroni. Portrait of a noi;leman Showing chain mail gussets attached by aiglettes to a leathern doublet. National Gallery were sewn or laced upon a foundation of leather. No better illustration of this can be given than their representation in the famous picture by Giovanni Moroni in the National Gallery, where an Italian nobleman stands ready to be armed. He is habited in a leather coat with gussets of mail laced beneath the armpits; while about him on the ground are pieces of his armour of plate (Fig. 528). It would appear that the mail 186 CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES defence for the buttocks and privy parts was stepped into like bathing drawers, the undulations of the body being most carefully studied in the formation of the mail. A most interesting armament in the nature of a long tippet of chain mail reaching well over the shoulders is to be seen Fig. 529. Landskneciit Fig. 530. Tippet of riveted chain mail of CAPTAIN " Bishop's Mantle " tyfe Wearing the tippet of chain mail By the engraver PD. 154S 187 in a Early XVIth century In the collection of the Author defence much employed in central Europe — the true tippet of mail. This had, as a rule, the reinforced collar and edging of brass rings as seen on the haussecol of the previous century. These tippets seem to have been rather peculiar to Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, though many came from Venice, where they were termed " Bishop's Mantles." They mostly date from the last years of the XVth century well into the first half of the next. EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS They are shown in Burgkmair's "Triumph of Maximilian"; they also fre- quently figure on the armament of the landsknecht class depicted in the Swiss stained glass of the first half of the XVIth century. A very excellent illustration of the tippet of mail in use, together with a three-quarter suit of armour, is given in- the woodcut of a landsknecht captain after the en- graver PD. 1545 (Fig. 529). We illustrate two actual examples. One (Fig.530) is in our own collection, a cape of the " Bishop's Mantle " type, so Fig. 531. TuTET of riveted chain mail Probably central Europe, early XVIth century Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert Fig. 532. Duelling gauntlet Gnanti di presa, with a lining of riveted chain mail. Italian, middle of XVIIth century Collection: Mr. W. H. Fenton, now in the collection of Dr. Bashford Dean possibly Venetian; the other (Fig. 531), in the collection of Mr. Felix Joubert, is somewhat ampler and composed of rather larger links, a circumstance which suggests that it is of Austrian fashion, and dates within the first half of the XVIth century. Probably the latest instance of chain mail being used in European military armament was its employment as a lining to the gitauti di presa of the duellist. These were either ordinary left-hand gaurjtlets lined with mail (Figs. 584, 585), or a leather glove, the palm of which was composed of chain mail; the purpose they served being to enable the combatant to 188 CHAIN MAIL AND INTERLINED TEXTILE DEFENCES close with his adversary and to grasp the blade of his rapier or sword without risk of being hurt. Sometimes a pair of gauntlets are met with, of which only the left-hand gauntlet is lined with mail. Leather gloves with mail lining were in use until the third quarter of the XVIIth century. We illustrate an example from the collection of Mr. W. H. Fenton (Fig. 532). JAZARINES, BRIGANDINES, AND JACKS Whkn we come to consider the flexible defensive apparel of our knightly ancestors other than the true shirt of linked mail we are confronted by un enibaryas de richesse; for from the early times at which we commenced our chronicle such armaments existed in countless varieties. The quilted hacketon, the gambeson, and all those semi-secret defences that were part of the knight's military dress throughout the Xlllth and XlVth centuries come under this heading. Some eminent writers have made a considerable difference between what is now known as the jazarine, the brigandine, and the jack. Yet there seems no real necessity for making these subdivisions; for all these defences, into which plates of metal are introduced, come under the general heading of flexible garments and only vary in name according to the arrangement of the inserted metal parts. One is accustomed to consider the terms jazarine and brigandine as more par- ticularly belonging to the XlVth, XVth, and XVIth centuries garment; while the jack seems associated with the commoner flexible apparel of late XVIth and early XVIIth century date. This, however, is only a mental analysis of the terms used, a contention which we can make good by reference to the arma- ments of old Japan, for in no other country, probably, were such varied forms of quilted defences known ; and yet, though these had many and elaborate sub- divisions, they were all classed under the generic name of Kozane. Meyrick speaks of the word "jazerant" as being derived from the Italian ghiazzerino, a clinker-built ship; while Ducange suggests that gJiiaszerino was an early Italian word meaning a coat of chain mail. The 189 word is probably of Saracenic origin. Both to a certain extent agree that in the case of jazerant armour the plates of metal were exposed ; witness as an example Martin and George Klausenburg's beautiful figure of St. George (Fig. 533). The appearance of the actual ariiiour would, however, resemble that of the XVIth century half suit to be seen in the next illustration. There is record of defensive armour of the jazerant kind as early as 13 16 in the oft- EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS quoted inventory of the armaments of Louis X, le Hiitin, King of France; for among the various apparel appears: — I ton, uns pans et tins bras de jaseran deader. Item, un jaseran dacicr. Item, nne couvertiire de jazeran defer (horse armour). Item, 3 paires de couveytures gamboisees des amies le roy et lines indes jaseguende. I'i'-'- 533- l''in ^" EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS is now in the British Museum but which was formerly in the Meyrick and Burges Collections (Fig. 551), suggests in its general shape a doublet of the period of Elizabeth laced down the front, with an upright collar and tasset-like flaps below. It is made of a series of irregular octagonal pieces of thin iron, or rather of square pieces with their angles cut off, and a hole in the centre of each. These are arranged so that every part presents three thicknesses, and are worked on the tile system, the parts overlapping upwards, the only portions kept quite clear and of one thickness being those immediately round the centre holes. These plates of iron, which are very roughly made, and were most probably covered with pitch to prevent them from rusting, are placed between two folds of coarse canvas, and are sewn down by means of string, which passes through the centre holes, forming a pattern of rough hexagons, with lines radiating from the centres. The rudimentary sleeves are simply quilted; while the edge of the garment is formed of an applied piece of canvas-covered rope. This jack is represented in Skelton's Illustrations of the Meyrick Collection, plate XXXIV, and is there described as being sky blue in colour. Of this colour there is now no trace. 202 CHAPTER THE HEN GAUNTLET XV fighting was almost entirely hand-to-hand, the thorough protection of the hand was necessarily of paramount importance. Armour for the head and body was, after all, but a second line of defence against the attack which penetrated the guard of the weapon. Any damage to the hand which controlled all offensive movements, as well as all parries, would place a combatant at the mercy of his antagonist. Fig. 552. But the armourer had not only to give his attention From the brass of Sir Robert DE SEPTVANS Early XlVth century Chartham Church, Kent. After Waller 203 Fig. 553. From the effigy of William LoNGESPfiE, Earl of Salisbury About 1227. Cathedral church of Salisbury After Stothard to the protective qualities of the covering which enclosed a part so vulnerable and so likely to receive a wound, he had also to consider how he should least interfere with the use of so complicated a piece of mechanism as the human hand. It was on account of these very important considerations that one finds the gauntlet always more complicated in the details of its con- struction than the To rest of the protective harness. deal fully with the subject of gauntlets we must go back once more EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS to the period of full chain armour, almost to the latter part of the Xllth century, and from that point follow their development down to the end of the XVth century ; after which time, until the final disuse of the gauntlet in the XVI Ith century, they practically remained unaltered in their construction. At Fig. 554. About 1298. From the effigy of William de Valence - Abbey church of Westminster. After Stothard first we have only the missal and effigy to assist us in illustrating the different fashions and changes; and it is not until we reach the closing years of the XlVth century that we are able to give illustrations of actual extant examples. In the Bayeux needlework it will be noticed that in every case the sleeve of the hauberk terminated Fig. 555. From an effigy of a knight Early XlVth century. 204 In the church of Schutz, Alsace at the elbow, the fore-arms being Fig. 556. From a sculptural slab Early XlVth century Schonthal Church, Germany covered by the under garment. The hands are always exposed and have no defence except where they are protected by the quillons of the sword. As the XI Ith century progresses the sleeves of the hauberk grow longer until, towards its end, they were extended to form a covering for the hand. This covering, which may be considered the first form of hand defence, THE GAUNTLET included the whole hand and fingers in a single pouch, with a separate com- partment for the thumb, to facilitate the grasping of a weapon. An excellent example of this early form of gauntlet is represented on the seal of Richard Coeur de Lion. It is apparent from monuments and miniatures of the period that the hand could be withdrawn from the mitten and thrust through an aperture in the wrist, allowing the mitten to hang loose, as shown in the brass of Sir Robert de Septvans in Chartham Church, Kent (Fig. 552). The effigy of William Longespde, Earl of Salisbury, in Salisbury Cathedral, who Fig. 557. From an unknown EFFIGY About 1335. Ash Church, Kent After Stothard 205 Fig. 558. From the brass of Sir John DE Saint Quintan About 1397. Yorkshire. Brandesburton Church, After Hewitt died in 1226, affords another illustration of the sleeve gauntlet drawn over the hand (Fig. 553), where it is fastened by a thong or strap round the wrist in precisely the same manner as was formerly adopted by the Japanese in their armour of nearly every period. Towards the end of the Xlllth century this mitten mail defence gradually developed separate fingers, like the modern glove. Of this style we can take a good illustration from the splendid effigy in Westminster Abbey of William de Valence (Fig. 554), who died in 1296. We consider that it was about this time that the mail gauntlet, as a separate armament not attached to the hauberk sleeve, appeared. In the church of Schutz, in the Province of Alsace, there is a monument to EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS a knight, which we may assume dates from the first years of the XlVth century. Behind him hangs his sword and detached gauntlets, which are of chain mail and fingered. Although its conventional treatment of mail is not very convincing, this sculpture furnishes a most interesting record Fig. 559. The right-hand gauntlet of the pair Hanging with other achievements of Edward, Prince of Wales, above his tomb in the Cathedral church of Canterbury {a) Back view; (d) Front view Early in from the fact that the back of one gauntlet and the palm, which appears to be made of leather, of the other are shown, while the strap about the wrist is very clearly defined (Fig. 555). the XlVth century the gauntlet can be seen developing slightly ahead of the body armour; complete gauntlets of scale, and even of 206 THE GAUNTLET plate, are to be found. On a slab in Schonthal Church (Germany), behind the figure of Albrecht von Hohenlohe, who died in 1319, is represented a cuffed and figured gauntlet of quite an advanced type (Fig. 556); while as almost the counterpart of this type in England, we may mention the gaunt- lets seen on an unknown effigy in the chancel of Ash Church, Kent, an effigy which dates from about 1335 (Fig. 557). In the middle of the XlVth century an almost stereotyped form of gauntlet is found in use, which, generally speak- ing, may be said to have remained in fashion for close upon a century. The special constructional feature of this gauntlet, in which the cuff and meta- carpal guard bell out abruptly from the wrist, giving them the appearance of an hour-glass, is that a single broad plate of metal almost envelops the hand from the wrist to the knuckles, which it covers and protects. It is Fig. 560. As The gauntlets shown on the effigy of the Black Prince Cathedral church of Canterbury Fig. 561. One of the lions The " gads " formerly on the knuckles of the existing gauntlets Cathedral church of Canterbury curved round the sides of the hand, but leaves part of the palm exposed. Underneath the plate was worn a leather glove, to the fingers and thumb of which small overlapping scales were attached to complete the defence of the hand. An example of this type may be seen on the brass of Sir John de Saint Quintan in Brandesburton Church, Yorkshire, which may be 207 dated at about 1397 (Fig. 558). The famous gauntlets of Edward, Prince of Wales, known as the Black Prince, hanging with his other achievements over his tomb in the cathedral church of Canterbury, afford an excellent illustration of this kind of hand defence (Fig. 559, a, b). They are fashioned of gilded latten. Their form is rather exaggerated, and their protective qualities small, from which circumstances we have already argued that they were not originally part of a war harness, but were supplied EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS for funerary purposes. The leather gloves still exist within them; and they show the characteristic feature of the first metal gauntlets in having the scales fixed to the fingers of the leather glove beneath and not to the broad metacarpal plate, as was the case at a later date. In the effigy (Fig. 560) the gauntlets of the Black Prince appear to be of the very simplest construc- tion and free from ornamentation; but upon the existing gauntlets hanging Fig. 562. Fragment of a gauntlet Formerly covered with material and studded with metal disks. Tower of London. Class III, No. 773 About 1370 above the tomb small figures of lions have been riveted on to the knuckles (Fig. 561) in place of the embossed or applied spikes called gads, or gad- lings, which are usually found. The leather gloves have certain decoration embroidered in silk. We take it that like other body defences of this period the gauntlet was often covered with velvet or some material studded with metal rivets, a fashionable and protective combination applied to the actual metal founda- 208 THE GAUNTLET tion, in accordance with the jazarine armaments of the time. Such gauntlets often appear in contemporary illumination and sculpture. We are fortunate in being able to give illustrations of fragments of two actual gauntlets of this type; while we know of a third right-hand gauntlet of this make which is in the collection of Graf Hans Wilczek at Schloss Kreuzenstein near Vienna. The first fragment (Fig. 562) is a portion of a gauntlet in the Tower of London collection, the provenance of which is unfortunately un- known; while the other (Fig. 563) is part of a similar gauntlet of the same I Tt^ Fig. 563. Portion of a gauntlet Formerly covered with textile material and studded with metal disks. About 1370. Presented to the British Museum by the late Herr Richard Zschille period, about Fig. 564. an From the brass of unknown knight About 1410. South Kelsey Church, Lincolnshire 1370, which was given to the British Museum by the late Herr Richard Zschille. The hour-glass type of gauntlet continued in fashion until the early years of the XVth century. On a brass in South Kelsey Church, Lincoln- shire, dating from about 1410, it appears in a very elongated form (Fig. 564). From the point of view of defence the great defect in these gauntlets, which had the finger plates attached only to the leather fingers of the glove inside, is, of course, that the point of a weapon could enter the gauntlet between the scales on the fingers and the edge of the main metal II 209 E E ro 72 en u; H E o « a X H ^ ^ M 1 1 H ^: o ^ ci < ?-, 6 210 t^ oc o o -4-J oj 3 nJ c ja XI o Ph o 4-» 75 J2 ■^ (U <1l u tu, ^ o m ^ o rt D ? c S oi O c7) C fl) _ni THE GAUNTLET plate. We regard certain fine gauntlets of this type that are extant as dating from the end of the XlV'th or from the opening years of the XVth century. Among these may be reckoned the superb gauntlets which are now in the Museum of the Bargello, Florence (Fig. 565), and which form part of the bequest of Signor Ressman who obtained them in Florence from the famous effigies. Toscanelli Collection. These are the most wonderful pair of gauntlets of this period in existence; for the richness of their latten trimming appears to surpass in elaboration even that of some of the finest gauntlets sculptured on Though they are of the same fashion and make as those shown in Fig. 566. Pair of gauntlets with enrichments of brass About 1 380-1400. Nos. 6 and 7, Wallace Collection the Wallace Collection next to be described, they are more complete. We think they are of Italian origin for they bear an armourer's mark, a mono- gram, which seems to be that of a North Italian craftsman. At the same time they are more elaborate ; for in between the grooves of the big metacarpal plates are applied strips of latten with acorn-like finials. The cuff-borders are also more solid and the engraved inscriptions in Latin upon them are executed in a superior manner. These are interesting, being but a slight varia- tion of the a text /esus aiUeui transiens per medhim illoriun ibat (Luke iv, 30), motto which occurs on various English coins from 1343 to the end of the XVIth century. 211 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Next in importance to the Ressman gauntlets is the pair formerly in the Nieuwerkerke, and now in the Wallace Collection, Nos. 6 and 7 (Fig. 566). M. to Viollet-le-Duc gives an illustration of them in his Dictionnaire dii Mobilier Franqais; but by an easy stretch of imagination he reproduces them with the missing finger plates, which they must once have possessed, attached the metacarpal plate, and not to the lining glove as we personally imagine they were (Fig. 567). It will be observed that, supplied with the finger plates Fig. 567. The left gauntlet of THE PAIR (Fig. 566) With the finger plate as restored in imagination by Viollet-le-Duc Fig. 568. On the effigy of Sir Thomas Cawne About 1380. Ightham Church, Kent After Stothard they resemble the gauntlets seen on the effigy of Sir Thomas Cawne in Ightham Church, Kent (Fig. 568). Inasmuch as this effigy has with some certainty been dated at about 1380, it is possible that the Wallace gauntlets may also be as early. They are fashioned with short bell-shaped cuffs with three radiating flutings between the knuckle joints, which are continued down the back of the hands. They are formed of one piece, with the exception of the under part of the wrist protection, at which point a small plate, one and a half inch wide, has been added, probably for the purpose of their enlargement at some later date. A band of brass or latten, one and a quarter inch wide, is 212 t THE GAUNTLET applied round the upper edge of the cuffs. This is embossed with a fluted and dotted moulding, in the middle of which is the word amor, twice repeated, on a groundwork engraved with a matted ornamentation. A ragged staff with a ribbon wound round it is also introduced into the decoration. On the cuff of the left gauntlet, where the circumference of the wrist is smallest, is fastened a cable pattern ornament also of latten — this is missing on the right gauntlet — and round the finger edges of the gauntlets are bands of latten a quarter of an inch wide, engraved with an interlaced design and riveted on. Fig. 569. About 1380 Tannenberg. Right gauntlet Found among the ruins of the Castle of Collection: Dr. Bashford- Dean New York We Fig. 570. From the brass of Sir George Felbrigge About 1400. St. Mary's, Play- ford, Suffolk venture to say that the Wallace gauntlets are, with the exception of the Black Prince's, the only true examples of their kind in England. 213 There is, in the Tower Armoury, a gauntlet purporting to be a specimen dating from the end of the XlVth century; but it is a forgery. Going farther afield we may state that Dr. Bashford Dean, of New York, possesses a gauntlet somewhat of this type, found among the ruins of the Castle of Tannenberg, which came from the Hefner-Alteneck Collection (Fig. 569). In the collection of the late Mr. Frederick Stibbert of Florence, is another real example, while the Ressman Collection in the Bargello, Florence, besides possessing the magnificent pair we have described, can show a left-hand EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS example, simply constructed, but of a representative type of about 1420. In that wonderful and mysterious collection of Graf G. Trapp in Schloss Churburg, near Innsbruck, is a pair of hour-glass gauntlets, edged with a latten band, engraved, and bearing an inscription in Gothic letters, which are actually shown in company with the original bascinet helmet of the suit for which they were made. Unfortunately we have been unable to obtain a photograph of these last-named specimens. There was a type of gauntlet that appeared late in the XlVth century which may be considered the forerunner of the fingered gauntlet of the latter part of the XVth century. Not a single speci- men of this kind is extant ; but in the fine brass of Sir George Felbrigge, which dates from about 1400, an illustration of a good example of the type (Fig. 570) can be seen. The cuff is very short and bell-like in form, although this feature is not exaggerated. The fingers, the plates of which are curved round to afford the hand abetterprotection and are not merely flat scales attached to the leather glove, are here riveted to the top of the main plate in the fashion of all later gauntlets. On Fig. 571. From the brass of Richard Dixton, Esq. About 1430. Cirencester Church, Gloucestershire both finger joints are gads, which are beautifully faceted and brought to a point. The last plate of each finger is engraved to at represent a finger-nail, a practice that this period seems to have been not uncommon and is frequently represented. Although, as in the case of most armour of this period, the actual metal field of the gauntlets was not worked upon, nevertheless a fine scheme of decoration was often carried out by means of applied plates of enamel and 214 settings of jewels. Such enrichments are very clearly shown in the hand- coloured engravings of the effigies of this period represented in the early editions of Stothard's " Monumental Effigies " He has pictured the colours of the enamel and of the jewels, etc., which he was able to do from the traces of decoration which he found when he was engaged in examining the effigies late in the XVIIIth century. THE GAUNTLET We or will now discuss a more highly developed type of gauntlet, although not of the fingered order, a gauntlet such as we see on the brass of Richard Dixton in Cirencester Church, Gloucestershire, which may be dated at about 1430 (Fig. 571), and on the effigy of John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, who died in 1434. The short bell-shaped cuff, characteristic of the earlier types, is now drawn out to a greater length and is pointed, its bell-like formation being at the same time far less exaggerated. Instead of each finger being separately protected, a single plate is now hinged to the main, metacarpal, plate, broad enough to cover all the fingers; and to this again is attached in a similar manner another plate, which formed an effective protection to the ends of the fingers even when the hand was bent in grasp- Fig. 572. From the effigy of John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, who died in 1434 Arundel Church. After Stothard (a) Front view ; (l>) Profile view, showing the fluting over the metacarpal plate ing a weapon. The gauntlet has now become of so advanced a type that during the progress of the XVth and succeeding centuries, indeed until its final disuse, its general construction remained unaltered. Actual gauntlets of the kind just described are in existence, but to none of these would it be safe to assign a date earlier than the middle of the XVth century. The superb suit in the Royal Armoury, Vienna, made by Tommaso da Missaglia between 1450 and 1460 for Frederick Count Palatine of the Rhine (vol. i, Fig. 212), is furnished with these simple mitten gauntlets which, though eminently protective, are severely plain if compared with the gracefully fluted and elegantly finished hand defences of the latter years of the century. 215 Sir Edward Barry can show a pair of gauntlets of this type, small in pro- portion though probably of rather later date (Fig. 573). The next type of gauntlet, a type no further advanced as regards pro- EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS tective power, is the long and shapely metal glove seen on those flamboyant Gothic harnesses which were in almost universal wear in civilized Europe, excepting perhaps in Italy and Spain, towards the end of the XVth century. Three fine gauntlets of this type are to be seen in the Wallace Collection (Nos. 27, 28, and 29, Figs. 574, 575, and 576); while a pair of this kind is on the suit No. 340. This pair is especially interesting, as upon the cuff is an armourer's mark that might possibly be that of Adrian Treytz of Miihlen, near Innsbruck, and so would date the gauntlets as having been made between 1480 and 1500 (Fig. 577). On examining a gauntlet of this type it will be noticed that the cuff has grown longer — indeed, in some cases Fig. 573. Right gauntlet (one of a pair) Italian, Milanese, about 1460 Collection : Sir Edward Barry, Bart. Fig. 574. Left gauntlet Possibly French, about 1470 No. 27, Wallace Collection it extends almost to the coude plates — and ends in a point; it only widens sufficiently to fit over the vambrace. The flat formation of these gauntlets is also remarkable, as is also the fact of their being in many cases without the under-plate of the cuff, in substitution of which they are strapped to the vambrace in the oriental fashion. The metacarpal plates are carefully modelled, occasionally delicately designed with tracery at the edge, and often enriched with latten (Fig. 575). This type of hand defence sometimes terminated in plates of the mitten type, as in the case of the specimen just described and like an example in the author's collection (Fig. 578); but more often the fashion of separate or of twin fingers was adopted, in which case gad-like plates protected the finger joints. These 216 pointed gads are shown in a THE GAUNTLET fragment of a German gauntlet of about 1470 which is in the author's collection (Fig. 579). The gauntlets which form part of the equestrian suit (No. 620, Fig. 580) in the Wallace Collection, though of comparatively modern workmanship, afford a good illustration of what the fingered variety of ii this type was like. The composite Gothic suits exhibited in the Tower of London show certain gauntlets of this form that may be considered partly old, but they have been subjected to modern restoration. 1 1 1 kmd 1 Fig. 575. Right gauntlet Probably German, about 1470 No. 28, Wallace Collection The gauntlets of Fig. 576. Right gauntlet French, or made by Italian armourers in the French fashion, about 1480 No. 29, Wallace Collection the so-called "Gothic" suits in Windsor Castle are similar examples and open to the same criticism. To was illustrate the extent to which decoration by tracery of Gothic character carried on certain specimens of late XVth century date we would point to the wonderful gauntlets which are preserved in the Royal Armoury, Madrid, E 88 and 89 (Fig. 581), and which used to be in the armoury of the Emperor Charles V. From their early date and from the fact that they are described in the Relacion de Valladolid as what we might translate "old stuff," it is a probable that they were never worn by Charles V; most likely they were part of fine suit, now lost, that may have belonged to his father, Philip I, II 217 FF EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS or even to his grandfather, Maximilian I. They are of German workmanship, and the present writer thinks that they may possibly have been the work of Hans Grtinewalt of Nuremberg; for they bear close resemblance, though they are more elaborate, to the gauntlets on the suit attributed to him and made for Sigismund of Tyrol, which is in the Imperial Armoury, Vienna (vol. i, Fig. 244). The Count de Valencia in describing them in his famous Madrid catalogue, suggests they may be the work of Lorenz Kolman of Augsburg. Fk;. 577. Pair of gauntlets German, about 1460-80 Probably the work of Adrian Treytz of Miihlen No. 340, Wallace Collection Doubtless he had some good reason for this attribution ; but to us, though we have had no opportunity of examining them, they appear much more likely to have been the work of Hans Grtinewalt. Each gauntlet is com- posed of twenty-seven separate plates; beyond the tracery to which we have referred they are decorated with radiating fluting, and also with bands etched by means of acid. We have now traced the evolution of hand armour from the end of the XHth century, when a covering for the hand was first found to be necessary, and when the sleeve of the hauberk was lengthened to meet this necessity, 218 r THE GAUNTLET up to the end of the XVth century, when the gauntlet, developing far more rapidly than the rest of the body armour, reached the zenith of its useful- ness and beauty of form. From this time onwards its general construction remained unaltered, and we may leave it at this point, though we propose to give as a final illustration two mitten gauntlets of the early years of the XVIth century. One (Fig. 582) is a very protective short-cuffed gauntlet ^^5* 1 1 \± Fig. 578. Right gauntlet German, about 1490 From a castle in the Bavarian Tyrol Collection: Author of ^H Fig. 579. Portion of a right gauntlet Showing in profile the pointed gads upon the knuckle plate German, about 1470 Collection: Author 219 Fig. 580. Right fingered gauntlet A modern production, but of an interesting type, in the French fashion of about 1470 No. 620, Wallace Collection five separate plates now in the collection of Sir Edward Barry. An undecorated but thoroughly protective hand defence, it would appear to be of North Italian origin of about 1500. The second (Fig. 583), which like a previously mentioned specimen (Fig. 578) came from a castle in the Bavarian Tyrol, is the typical broadly-proportioned mitten gauntlet with short cuffs and of German make and of the fluted Maximilian style. Many kinds and indi- vidual styles of gauntlets were made for purposes of the tournament and of the EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS tilt-yard — we may mention and shall describe later the " forbidden " gauntlet and the large tilting gauntlets (" manefers "); while other vagaries of form and varieties of fingered gauntlets will be seen on the full suits of XVIth century date which we illustrate. But, as we have said, from the third quarter of the XVth century until the final disuse of the metal gauntlet in the third quarter of the XVI Ith century, no further protective qualities were evolved; and Fig. s8i. Pair ok gauntlets from the armoury of the Emperor Charles V In all probability they were part of a suit that belonged either to his father Philip I, or to his grandfather Maximilian I. 88 German, about 1490 Possibly the work of Hans Grlinewalt of Nuremberg E and 89, Royal Armoury, Madrid henceforward it was surface decoration alone that influenced the style and shape of this particular defence. We must add to this chapter a brief reference to a particular form of left- hand gauntlet, for without alluding to the type our list would be incomplete, it not being our intention to refer again in detail to the defence of the hand. The gauntlet in question is the duelling gauntlet. It was usually made for the left hand only, and as a rule protected the fore-arm up to the elbow; pairs of such gauntlets are, however, met with, only the left hand one being 220 THE GAUNTLET lined with mail. The greater number of examples extant belong to the early part of the XVI Ith century. If we examine one of these gauntlets in question, three points in their construction are noticeable; one is the cylindrical form of the cuff, and its smallness in circumference; the second is the manner in which the scales that protect the fingers and thumb are arranged so that they lap over one another the reverse way to that seen on ordinary gauntlets, that is from the nails towards the back of the hand, and the third is the mail lining to the left- hand gauntlet. Left gauntlet Italian, probably Milanese, about 1500 Collection: Sir Edward Barry, Bart. Fig. 583. Right gauntlet German, about 1510. From a castle in the Bavarian Tyrol Collection: Author The explanation of these three peculiarities is, firstly, that the cylindrical cuff of the gauntlet was not made to fit over a vambrace of plate, but over a textile sleeve, secondly, that the unusual placing of the scales would cause the thrust of a sword or rapier point to glance up and off them, and thirdly, the mail lining protected the hand as used to parry the adversary's sword. From these peculiarities we may judge that the use of this particular form of gauntlet was relegated to the duel, and this type of gauntlet was almost exclusively Italian, as it was in Italy that the duel with the rapier and dagger was chiefly fought. The intricate sword and rapier hilt of the latter part of the XVIth 221 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS and early years of the XVI Ith century was a sufificient guard for the right hand; but the left hand grasping the dagger, the guard of which at that period had not developed more than the ordinary quillons, was much exposed, and therefore required a special duelling gauntlet. Such gauntlets were termed giicmti di presa by Italian writers of the XVIth century; for not only did they protect the left hand when holding a dagger, they also serv^ed to parry a thrust, or to seize an adversary's blade, being often lined with chain mail, like an example we have already pictured (Fig. 532). Fig. 584. Duelling Gauntlet Early XVI Ith century Collection: Author Fig. 585. Duelling Gauntlet Late XVIth century Collection: Author We illustrate two gauntlets of this type. The first (Fig. 584), an example with a short cuff and close arrangement of scales on the fingers, is a specimen belonging to the early years of the XVI Ith century. The second (Fig. '585), a gauntlet in which the cuff is much longer, and is enriched with embossing and gilding, dates from the closing years of the XVIth century. This latter duelling gauntlet was formerly in the collection of Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick. It is figured in Skelton's Engraved Illustrations of that collection (Plate LXXIX, Fig. 2). 222 CHAPTER XVI THE N TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY the earlier chapters of this work (chaps, ii and iii, vol. i) we discussed at some length the shield of the knight, and described in some detail the fine e.\ample which hangs over the tomb of Edward the Black Prince in the Cathedral church of Canterbury (vol. i, Fig. 1 88). We now propose to resume our account and to trace the history of this important defence from the end of the XlVth century onwards. Up to the period we have covered, the spade or " heater "-shaped shield, to employ the name given it by English antiquaries, had, after its development from the Norman kite, remained in favour for nigh upon two hundred years; but with the advent of the XVth century old forms were improved upon and new ones invented. In the Abbey Church of Westminster the visitor is shown the shield of Edward III, together with the sword of state (Fig. 707). But the question presents itself, is the shield of that monarch's time? Or is it a shield of a type one is accustomed to associate with the last quarter of the XVth century? We understand indeed that little is known about either the sword or shield in question beyond the fact that they have been in the Abbey Church many hundreds of years. We give illustrations of the back and front views of the shield (Fig. 586, <7, b). This relic is now in a dilapidated condition, a circumstance which, though lending it an air of great antiquity, rather hinders us in our endeavour to investigate its supposed provenance; indeed, to-day there re- mains of it but an 223 almost bare rectangular wooden foundation slightly convex with a semicircular base. It is composed of five lengths of some close- grained tough white wood, joined at the back by three thin iron bands; while at some early date three plates of thin iron have been clamped around its much-broken base. Around the whole of the exterior border of the shield at 1 1 inch from the edge is a deep, incised groove; while a patch of metal and strips of canvas have been plastered over the face of the shield by way of restoration. Travellers, and we should imagine many Westminster boys, have been careless enough to record their names upon the face of this poor ci « m » < w H CO is S H cn U > H ^ Q M hJ t— ( < U O V) « ts w o Q Q J CO u , p— 1 d 224 <.) C o t^ 4-> THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVm CENTURY old relic; the Englishman always seems to want to carve his name some- where. Originally the entire face of the shield was covered with stout canvas, and over that was the outside covering of thick leather. This was secured round the border by a series of hemisphcrically headed nails, the leather being impressed wi-th a simple line on either side of them. Fig. 587. Italian siiiicld, painted wood A portion of this Fig. 588. Italian shield, painted wood : Collection : Signor S. Hardini, Signor S Florence Early XVth century. Collection: Signor S. Bard in i, Florence leather and canvas remains on the top right-hand corner, and for some little distance around the border. On the present surface of this leather is now no suggestion of colour. On the front face of the shield, about half way up, and on the left-hand side, are two hemisphcrically headed rivets, one above the other, which originally secured in position on the inside the left arm sling. Although the rivets themselves that held the right arm sling in II 225 GG EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS position are missing, the two holes through which they passed may be noted on the right-hand side of the shield ; but these are placed nearer to the top edge, so that when the arm was passed through the left arm sling and the Fig. 5^9. Formerly in St. Paul's Cathedral. Tomb of John of Gaunt From an engraving after Hollar published in Sir William Dugdale's " History of St. Paul's " (1716) hand grasped the right, the shield of necessity assumed an obtuse position to the line of the shoulders. The interior of the shield shows us nearly all the canvas lining and almost half the original leather covering still in existence. About the centre we can follow a series of nail holes by which was attached 226 THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY the quilted pad against which the arm rested. So much for the description of the shield, or at least of what remains of it. Now as to its probai)le date. There is very little evidence to go by: unless indeed we accept it as a pageant shield of some type concerning which we are almost in the dark. Let us compare it, then, with a finely painted pageant shield in the collection of Signor S. Bardini of Florence (Fig. 587), a beautiful heraldic achievement of much the same proportions (36 inches high by 31 inches wide). Around this shield runs the inscription : come consorto dalle mie radici i porto EL CAPO Di NOi BONAMrcL Now we are able definitely to date this example as belonging to the end of the XlVth century; for painted upon it are the arms of the Buonamici sur- mounted by a mantled helm bearing a crest which takes the form of the three-quarter figure of Bien- heureux Buonamici, the head of the family, who died about 1405. Surely this shield and the so-called shield of Edward III have something in common? Perhaps the Bardini shield is a little more rectangular at the base; but otherwise it is exactly the same type of armament. Again, compare the Edward III shield with a second shield in the same Bardini Collection (Fig. 588); it will be seen that the latter, though simpler in decoration, certainly belongs to the same period, showing the rivets for the arm-straps put on at the same angle as in the case of the Edward III shield. So by comparison with two similar shields, the age of one of which we can fairly accurately give, it seems just possible to assign the Westminster shield to OFARMO'RIES. Ir is very conucx rowiKT-thebcjrcrjwhcihcf W wjfpingthrouGhagCjOrnmidi; of p>rporc. It " hatnindimrnluT more iKtn three qujrtvrt ofa .yeardofUngth.&ibowehilfcayeariimbrciOthi noKC 10 the body is a cinujt gkw'titfta boord, Fig. 590. Shield of John of Gaunt From Bolton's " Elements of Armouries," 1610 its traditional date. But it can be assigned to this date only if it is regarded as having been made purely for pageant purposes. We will now consider another form which we find depicted in heraldry and in sculpture of the early years of the XVth century, that is, the shield of 227 smaller dimensions, roughly rectangular, but strongly concave from the top to the base, which contains on the right-hand side, either at the top or just below it, an opening known in France as ''la bonche de la lance!' The lost shield of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, formerly suspended over his tomb in Old St. Paul's, was of this type. There are three old engravings of it. That in Sandford's "Genealogical History" by R. Gaywood, dated 1664, shows the shield intact with its outer covering. This the author is EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS inclined to think is an imaginative reconstruction by the engraver, who merely added this covering to Hollar's print used by Sir W. Dugdale in his " History of St. Paul's" (171 6) in which drawing the shield is shown entirely stripped of its outer covering (Fig. 589). It is, however, Bolton's illustration in his " Elements of Armouries " (1610) which appears to be the most trust- worthy representation of the shield (Fig. 590). As far as we can judge, the construction of the shield differed a little from that of the later specimens of the same type with which we are acquainted. Bolton goes on to say: " It is as very convex towards the bearer, whether by warping through age, or Fk;. 591. Shield of wood covered with gesso Florentine, XVth century Collection : Signor S. Bardini Fig. 592. Shield of wood covered with gesso Florentine, XVth century Collection: Signor S. Bardini made of purpose. It hath in dimensions more than three quarters of a yeard of length, and fulle a yeard in breadth; next to the body is a canvas glew'd to a boord, upon that thin board are broad thin axicles, slices, or plates of home, nailed fast, and againe over them twenty and sixe thicke peeces of the like, all meeting, or centring about a round plate of the same, in the navell of the shield, and over all is a leather closed fast to them with glew, or other holding stuffe, upon which his Armouries were painted, but now they, with the leather it self, have very lately and very lewdly bin utterly spoiled." The shield is roughly rectangular with rounded corners, and on its top right-hand corner it has the botichede la lance strongly pronounced. 228 THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY Bolton illustrates it so as to show its outside parchment in position and curled back from the right side as with age, but representing clearly on the left side the heraldic quarterings of John of Gaunt. Bolton's book was published in 1610; so up to that date we can be sure that it was still in a very fair state of preservation. Sandford's complete view of the John of Gaunt tomb published in 1707, which reproduces an illustration engraved in 1664, shows the shield completed, as we have said, in imagination, the lance and the cap of maintenance hanging beside it ; while Hollar in Sir William Dugdale's work shows nothing but the curious sectioned foundation of the shield. So this outside covering must have been lost but shortly after the appearance of Bolton's woodcut. \ ^mmfA 1 1 Of this family of shield, though a later form of the type, are two fine examples from the collection already mentioned of Signor S. Bardini, which we now illustrate (Figs. 591 and 592). They are of wood covered with parchment and gesso — each about 25 inches high by 20 inches wide — and are splendidly enriched with heraldic devices in the highest relief. Though they appear to be Florentine of the middle of the XVth century, they represent sufficiently well the group to which the John of Gaunt shield must have belonged. In the same collection is another shield which though somewhat differently curved and having a pointed apex, also shows the suggestion wmk m B^^^^^^^^^^HHJQ^^ ^^^^^^^^I^^^^^S^^^ / ^^ Fig. 593. Shield ok i'ainted wood ■ Early XVth century. Collection: Signor S. Bardini of"/« botiche de la lance." This also is Italian, of somewhat earlier date, l^y,^^ 229 coming possibly within the first half of the century (Fig. 593). It is of softwood made slightly convex to the body and covered with gesso; while on its face has been painted a spirited heraldic eagle. Very clearly visible are the iron rosette-headed rivets that retained the arm loops in position. These are set across the shield so that when carried it was almost at right angles to the wearer. In the bequest of the late Mr. W. Burges to the British Museum is a shield made of the same medium, though more solidly fashioned than those we have just dealt with (Fig. 594). Here the development of the EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS central ridge and the elongation of the form make the shield resemble the kite-shaped specimens familiar in nearly all Italian Renaissance ornament. In its section it is lon- gitudinally concave to the body; while at its topj'ight-hand corner we still note the boiicJie de la lance. The painting upon the surface of the shield we can safely assign to the school of Cologne of the last quarter of the XVth century. It is a fine work of art, depicting a knight kneeling before his lady and the figure of Death creeping stealthily behind. On a scroll in the background is the French in- scription: "VOVSOVLA JMORT." The knight is in full armour, a bastard sword hanging at his side; while at his feet are his armet and pole- axe. The composition is painted in polychrome on a gilded ground. We revert again to the heater- shaped shield in reviewing that historical document — the shield hanging above the tomb of Henry V in the Confessor's Chapel of the Abbey church of Westminster (Fig. 595, a, b). With the helm (Fig. 449, a, b) and the saddle (Fig. 963, a, b, c) it hangs, dust covered, high on a beam above the mon- arch's tomb. Of proportions almost exactly similar to those of the shield Fig. 594. Shield of wood covered with gesso, painted in polychrome Between 1470-1490. Burges bequest, British Museum of Edward the Black Prince, this achievement still occupies the posi- 230 tion inwhich itwas originally placed in C D u X > H W H CO 5 6 ON 231 o >> < DC XI O e 1) o > b/3 c 4-* c -^ H C-' EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS after the funeral of the King in 1422. By the courtesy of the late Dean of Westminster the present writer was permitted to have the helm, shield, and saddle removed for the purpose of being illustrated for this work. It is no more likely that the shield actually belonged to King Henry V than that the saddle was his; it must be regarded as part of the arming for a man with one "cote armor" {tot a aruiatiira pro j homine cum j cote Armur) that was delivered to the sacrist of the abbey — all the more so, since as in the case of the helm, there is the record of the payment of 205. to Thomas Daunt " for beating of a shield of the King's arms": Item eidem Thome pro vapiilacione uniiis sciiti de armis Regis. xxs. The shield is much more nearly spade- shaped than that of the Black Prince, and in its section more curved. The foundation, which is visible at its extreme base, is of smooth oak, covered on the front with a strong fibrous sub- stance, which is overlaid with four thicknesses of coarse linen. These coverings are, for the most part, torn away towards the lower half of the shield; but the larger portion at the top remains in position. It is very obvious that the original face was covered with thick plaster Fig. 596. An actual size reproduction of the siil< damasl< with which the " Henry V " shield is lined or gesso, upon which was painted the blazonry. Although a scaled portion of the plaster remains, there is no trace of the original red and blue coloured quarters. The interior of the shield is, however, in a far better state of preservation, and tells us a more vivid story of its past splendour. Here, again, immediately on the wooden founda- tion are three layers of coarse linen, over which is placed a padding of hair felt; over that again are two layers of strong linen, covered with silk, once a rich blue colour, which is figured with a very small pattern of delicate ivy leaf woven into the silk itself (Fig. 596). The whole of this brocade is powdered with fleur-de-lis, hand-embroidered in yellow silk. The arm pad is of crimson velvet, on which are worked in yellow silk the arms of Navarre, viz.: — Gules, a cross saltire and double orle of chains linked together Or — a charge which somewhat resembles an escarboucle. As we have said, there is now no trace of colour on the face of the shield; but in Dart's "History of Westminster Abbey," published in 1725, the illustration 232 THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY represents it as if painted with the arms of France and England. The arms of Navarre embroidered inside would seem to represent those of Henry IV's queen, those, that is to say, of his second wife, Joan of Navarre, who quartered France with Navarre, and Joan was step-mother to Henry V. Though in the illustration the double rivets by which the arm loops were originally Fig. 597. Shield of wood covered with painted gesso German, late XVth century. Armoury, Vienna Imperial Fig. 598. Shield of wood covered with PAINTED gesso German, late XVth century. Armoury, Vienna Imperial attached are rather difficult to distinguish, on actually handling the shield they are quite apparent. It is interesting to note that they are applied at a very slight obtuse angle to the top line of the shield, proving that when in use the shield was not carried in a position quite parallel with the body. The measurements of this shield are 24.^ inches high by 19 inches broad. When illustrated in 1796 by Gough in his "Sepulchral Monuments II 233 H H EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS in Great Britain," one of its interior armloops was then shown in position. Gough describes it as follows: "The shield which is small, and has lost one of its handfasts." Other shields of the XVth century that have resisted the ravages of time show so many varieties of shape that they cannot be classed together. Returning, however, once more to the rectangular shapes we will give illustrations (Figs. 597 and 598) of two shields, now in the Fig. 599. Ikon shield with etched DECORATION, AFTER ALBRECHT DURER Late XVth century Imperial Armoury, Vienna Fig. 600. Shield of wood covered with GESSO, 1458- 1490 I 234 7, Mus^e d'Artilierie, Paris Imperial Armoury, Vienna, which showa distinct evolution in form from those rectangular shields which we have already described. In the official guide to the collection they are catalogued as having belonged to the Hungarian Guard of the great Maximilian and as dating towards the close of the XVth century. In the late XVIth century they were at the Schloss Ambras, and in an inventory of that date they are quoted as being of Turkish fashion; but in the present writer's opinion they appear to have been evolved from a form THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY in which the boiiche de la lance is the principal feature. Both are of the usual medium of wood covered with parchment, gesso, etc. The more important of the two has painted in the centre the figure of a girl seated with scroll behind her, inscribed i-toim-r-t-n- {Ich wart im garten) (Fig. 597). The second shield has a close arrangement of oak and other foliage occupying the whole surface and rendered in slight relief (Fig. 598). Fig. 601. Shield of tainted WOOD German, late XVth century No. 338, Wallace Collection In Fig. 602. From an illuminated MS. English, early XlVth century A 235 fabulous monster-man armed with a sword and kite-shaped shield. Collection: Author both shields the rivets that hold the arm straps in position are put at an obtuse angle to the top of the shield. A shield of the same form but beautifully forged of bright steel is also in the Imperial Armoury at Vienna (Fig. 599). The surface is enriched with German etching of fine style, introducing among other subjects the heads of children representing the winds, and a figure of death which is EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS strongly reminiscent of Plate IV in Albrecht Dtirer's famous " Apocalypse " of 1498. In the official catalogue this shield is also described as one belonging to the Hungarian Guard of Maximilian I. Mention of the so-called Hungarian Fig. 603. Shield of wood with gesso decoration North Italian, early XVth century Collection : Signor S. Bardini Fk;. 604. Shield of wood with gesso decoration in high relief Italian, middle of XVth century Victoria and Albert Museum shields of the latter part of the XVth century reminds us of that fine example in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris, I 7 (Fig. 600), known as the shield of Mathias Corvin, King of Hungary — 1458-1490. Here the shape is quite rectangular with the exception of the rounded corners; but there is a strongly developed convex central ridge, a ridge as pronounced as that seen upon 236 THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY archers' pavises. This shield, which is in the medium of wood, parchment, gesso, etc., we should imagine to have been the defence of a body guard, rather than a personal armament of the King; for we recollect having seen two other Fig. 605. Shield ok wood overlaid with hide and gesso Italian, 1450-1475 In a private collection, Venice 237 Fig. 606. Archer's shield — wood, covered with canvas and gesso Middle of XVth century Tower of London. Class V, No. i shields of the same design, both of which are unquestionably genuine. On the face of the so-called Corvin shield are traced the arms of Hungary, of Bohemia, of Dalmatia, and of Moravia, and finally of those of the EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS house of Mathias Corvin. Around the border is the inscription in Gothic characters : Alma Dei genitrix Maria, interpella pro rege Mathia This particular shield before passing into the collection of the Musde d'Artillerie was in the famous Durand Collection, and subsequently in that of the Due d'Istre. Yet another development of the wooden shield of the XVth century may be seen in the Wallace Collection, No. 338 (Fig. 601). i V Fig. 607. LKOSSiiowMEN WITH pavois at the siege of Rouen 1450-1475. From the Pageant of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick Here the shield is more elongated in form ; but the developed central ridge is very pronounced. On its face is painted a castle in black on a buff ground. Large numbers of this exact type of shield exist in the arsenals of Germany; so it would appear that they must generally have been a company armament. so l^: Let us now look at that form of shield which we have previously men- tioned as playing large a part in Italian Renaissance decoration, the shield that marks the return to the old Norman kite shape. Throughout the XlVth and XVth centuries this type of shield was in universal use, 238 THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY but perhaps more especially so in Italy. Its construction and its medium were the same as those of the Norman shield, the method of its carriage was similar, and it is only in the character of its decoration that a change has taken place. But before mentioning any actual shields we give the illustration of the large kite-shape form in use, as portrayed in an English illumination of the early part of the XlVth century (Fig. 602). The monster- man figuring in the initial letter from the illumination holds his shield, it will be noted, at an obtuse angle to his body, which it completely covers, leaving only the upper part of his head exposed. Though not a few fine examples of Fig. 608. this XVth Fortitude century Italian type Fig. 609. An are in existence, unknown Virtue From the frescoes formerly in the Painted Chamber, Westminster Palace. After Crocker we will illustrate but three, all varieties of the type. Our first illustration shows a shield in the collection of Signor S. Bardini of Florence (Fig. 603), inscribed with the motto libertas on a bend upon a scroll pattern ground, 239 which was stated to be the motto of the republic of the town of Luoques [sic], according to an XVIIIth century inventory of the collection out of which it was purchased by Signor Bardini. This shield may be regarded as belonging to the first quarter of the XVth century. The arms of Lucca in Italy are a • bend charged with the word "Libertas"; it is therefore obvious that " Luoques " is an old galicized form of " Lucca." Our second illustration (Fig. 604) represents a very fine shield in the Victoria and Albert Museum, modelled in high relief, gilt and painted with the arms of the Villani family of Florence; while our third (Fig. 605) depicts that EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS splendid pageant shield which was formerly one of the chief treasures of the Edward Cheney Collection of Badger Hall, but is now in a private collection in Venice. This last mentioned shield is composed of wood heavy in con- struction overlaid with hide and gesso; the decoration is in the strongest relief. Here one sees the wooden shield of the knight in the final form which such a shield assumed in the closing years of the XVth century. It is kite- shaped, forty-six inches high, curved almost to exaggeration, and concave - %i Fig. 6io. Effigy in Great Malvern Priory Church Middle of Xlllth century After Stothard to 'VN-W')'.! ¥^^ I Fig. 6ii. From an illuminated MS. Early XlVth century A monster-man armed with sword and small buckler. Collection: Author the body. On the exterior, modelled in the manner which is associated with Antonio Pollaiuolo, is the figure of Milo of Crotona rending the oak. The figure is gilt upon a black gro.und, on one side of which are painted the arms of the Montauo family. The border has a double cabled pattern edge, between the cables of which runs the following inscription: — OB INVALIDO SAPIENTIS EST POST VICTORIAM QVIESCERE NIHIL NIHIL TAM FIRMVM CVI NON PERICVLVM. 240 THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY Yet another type of wood and parchment shield which the late XlVth and the XVth century can claim as their own is the one which was employed exclusively by the archer, to whom the shield, pavois, or pavis was almost as important as the bow or arbalest. Large numbers are in existence; but now they rarely come into the market. We illustrate a very fine example in the Tower Armoury; others can be seen in the Wallace Collection, in the private collection of Sir Edward Barry, in that of the late Lord Zouche, and in that of Mr. Godfrey Williams, Although they vary in size, these archers' shields are generally constructed in the same way. Roughly rectangular they show from the back a flattened concave indentation run- ning from the top and widening towards the base. Across this at intervals Fig. 6i2. From a woodcut in Revelationes celestes sanctae Brigittae, 1492 Showing town foot soldiers with their leader iron bands, or even bands of toughened hide, were usually stretched. The manner of using the pavis was as follows. A strong stake was driven into the ground and the pavis placed over it, the stake running up between the groove and its cross bands. Behind such a target the archer could crouch and effect- ively shelter himself. Some of these pavises are of large proportions, over five feet high and proportionately wide; whilst others are small and can only have served the purpose of the knight's ordinary shield. The Tower pavis (Fig. 606), a representative example, was purchased by the authorities at the famous Bernal Sale of 1855. It is of soft wood covered in layers of canvas and gesso. The front surface is painted with the figure of St. George and -the Dragon, the armour represented upon the saint dating the shield at about 1440-60. His salade helmet and breast shield are most II 241 II EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS clearly defined; the latter is charged with three signets. The border is foliated. The nationality of this pavis would appear to be Northern French. There is in the Pageant of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, commonly called the Warwick MS., an authority to which we have already referred, an excellent drawing representing the siege of Rouen, in the left- hand corner of which the crossbowmen can be seen firing from behind their pavises (Fig. 607). This drawing, which dates towards the close of the XVth century, gives an excellent idea of the actual use of the archer's shield we have just described. Here then we complete a comprehensive but by no means exhaustive examination of such shields as have any true significance . in the science of heraldry. With the introduc- tion of metal as the medium of construction, the shield, save in the case of plain bucklers of various diameters, finally ceases to be used as a defensive Fig. 613. Horn Buckler OR Boce 1 5, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris armament. Splendid undoubtedly are the metal shields of the XVIth century, with their glory of embossing and damascening, and their association with the names of great artists ; but they have lost their utilitarian purpose, and we can only put them in the category of pageant armour. In dealing with the auxiliary defence furnished by the shields in use during the XVth century, it must be borne in mind that the circular shield, rondache, rondel, boce, or buckler was still in constant use, and had indeed continued to be used from the Saxon times in which we have first taken note of them. This kind of shield was to be seen twice represented in the perished frescoes of the Painted Chamber, once the glory of old W^estminster Palace, frescoes which date from the first half of the Xlllth century. We give illustrations of two of the Virtues that figured in the frescoes taken from Crocker's famous drawings; the one (Fig. 608) christened " Fortitude " has her circular buckler charged with a cross crosslet and four lions on a field vert, the other (Fig. 609), an unknown Virtue, holds a buckler emblazoned with a cross gules on a field or. Of almost the same period is a round buckler to be seen on the effigy of an unknown knight in Great Malvern Church, Worcestershire (Fig. 610). In the smallformof " boce" these shields figure continuously in the pictures and illuminations of the XlVth and XVth centuries: for instance, the half human monster taken from 242 THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY the initial letter of an English manuscript of early XlVth century date (Fig. 6i i) is represented as armed with boce and sword. The size of the boce varied according to the whim of the owner. Chaucer describes the Wife of Bath wearing a hat " As brood as is a bokeler or a targe." In a woodcut (Fig. 612) from Revela Hones celestes sanctae Brigittae of 1492 the town foot soldiers can be seen with their leader, whose weapon is the bastard sword, and whose auxiliary defence is a bokeler or boce. We Fig. 614. are, however, unable to Buckler of wood and iron Early XVIth century I 6, Mus6e d'Artillerie, Paris ascribe any existing example with which we are acquainted to an earlier date than the second half of the XVth century. The earliest we know of 243 is the specimen numbered I 5 in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris (Fig. 613). The medium of its manufacture is antelope horn bound with hoops of iron. In the centre is an escutcheon once enamelled in proper colours, but now much perished. The grip at the back is of wood. The buckler was essentially the defence of the unmounted knight and even of the man-at-arms. Early in the Xlllth century the " Eskirmye EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS de Bokyler" was taught in England. In hand to hand conflicts the buckler was always popular; indeed it may safely be said that in the XVI Ith century of all types of shields it alone survived. We know of no earlier work on defence than the " Hans Talhoffer" manuscript, an illustrated volume now in the library of the castle of Gotha, dating from 1467, where, in the combats depicted, the sword and even the mace are to be seen used in combination with the buckler. In these fights the defences used are apparently precisely the same as their successors of mid-XVIIth century times. Fig. 615. Buckler OF WOOD AND IRON English, eariy XVIth century Tower of London, Class V, No. 21 In the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris (Fig. 614) is a small buckler, I 6, of very considerable 244 interest, not only as being of early date, but from the fact of its having some historical association with England. According to the Catalogue of the Musde d'Artillerie, " it was probably the personal property of the Earl of Richmond who in 1485 became King Henry VII." We, how- ever, prefer to consider it part of the equipment of some personal guard of King Henry VIII. It has etched around its central boss the arms of England and France quartered, also a crowned rose, a portcullis, and a pomegranate. It is an effective defence as a buckler, with its interior grip of wood fitted directly across its back. The surface of the buckler THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY other than its central metal boss is covered with twenty-four concentric rows of spherically headed nails. We are unable to find any record which shows how the French National Collection became possessed of it. It is of fine workmanship, and like a buckler of very similar con- struction, but of be larger proportions, in the Tower of London (Fig. 615) may considered to date from the first quarter of the XVIth century. Another such buckler made its appearance a few years ago in some country sale, and was catalogued as "Soudanese"; but it was, as the illustration shows (Fig. 616), a fine English example of exactly the same type as the two just Fig. 616. Buckler of wood and iron English, early XVIth century described. In the processions of knights and soldiers in the "Triumph of Maximilian " (one of Burgkmair's woodcuts) are depicted foot fighters of the early part of the XVth century armed with swords and bucklers, the latter of very two types, some rectangular and of painted wood (Fig. 617) and others small and circular, apparently made of metal and of the boce order (Fig. 618). Of 245 the small rectangular shield of this date, not of German but of Italian origin, we illustrate an example (Fig. 619); we also picture a specimen of the small round boce, taken from the collection of the Due de Dino, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York (Fig. 620). Having already wandered from the century within which we proposed to restrict ourselves we feel that little excuse is necessary for our making mention EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS at this point of that series of bucklers that were formerly to be seen in large numbers in the Tower Collection. According to the inventory of the " Guarde- robe of the Towre" taken in 1547, after the death of King Henry VIII (Harleian MSS. 1419), originally eighty existed in the "Towre." To-day these are represented by less than twenty. The Windsor Armoury is fortun- ate in now possessing six of these bucklers, with "gonnes" in their centre. This kind of shield may be described as a round convex buckler made in sections, with a pistol barrel projecting from the centre, and a breech-loading arrangement in the interior. Above the barrel is a small grating through Fig. 618. Fig. 617. AND Foot FiGHTER'*\vrrH sword RECTANGULAR SHIELD Foot fighter with sword AND BOCE From Burgkmair's " Triumph of Maximilian," plates 37 and 38, showing the trained fencers of Hans Hollywaks, the chief fencing master to the Court of Maximilian which the bearer might watch his opponent. The pistol was discharged with a match, in a holder fixed inside the buckler, and worked with the right hand.' The breech-loading is ingenious; an iron cover comes down over and retains in position the chamber, the diameter of which corresponds to that of a modern 1 2-bore cartridge. From a notice of another of these bucklers in the " Guarde- robe of the Towre," it appears that they were originally fringed with green silk and lined with green velvet. The one illustrated from the Windsor Collection is as complete as any of those now extant (Fig. 621). Another example, from the original Tower series, is a specimen which is shown in the Great Hall at Hampton Court. There is yet another in the Hall at Edinburgh 246 THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY Castle (Fig. 622); whither, no doubt, along with other arms and armour, it was brought in comparatively recent times for purposes of decoration. A few of these bucklers have found their way into private collections. An example is also to be seen in the Armoury of Malta; though it is a little different in construction, it is of the same circular convex form; but it is composed of a central nimbus with a border of twelve plates. Each plate is fashioned to the segment of a circle, and has in its centre an embossed ridge, all the plates being laid down upon a foundation of oak, the joints of the plates being concealed by applied Fig. 619. Rectangular Buckler Italian, early XVIth century Collection: Author framing of brass. In the centre is Fig. 620. BocE ui' wood and iron First half of XVIth century. a Dino Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York hole through which formerly passed the barrel of the pistol (Fig. 623); the grated aperture for taking aim has been at some time filled in. Now' as 247 this particularly awkward combination was, it is supposed, the personal invention of King Henry VIII, of which he was according to tradition very proud, the present writer suggests that this buckler at Malta with many others now lost, was sent, together with much -other artillery, in redemption of a promise made by the King in 1526, to LTsle d'Adam, then Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. LTsle d'Adam visited England after his sojourn in Spain and France, to which countries he had travelled in order to submit to their respective monarchs his project Ifc^ EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS . y^ for the recapture from the Turks of the Island of Rhodes, and to seek their assistance either in replenishing the exhausted treasury of the Order, or in providing artillery and troops. In r ^^■l^^r E ^^^^^ni^:^ ^Sb^^^^^B •^K ssgiBimmm ^^1 $^^ support of this expedition against .^'■^'■■/^ A ,,— *s^ ^^flP'^ 'bEk^I^ ^v' ^ ^^^Uks/ / \ 1 .....iwBKf jl ijfe ■■M^^^^r ^i^ Fig. 621. Buckler of iron with central pistol English, early XVIth century Windsor Castle Fig. 622. j^ / "y-Ai^^MMM ^Kf,A':r'\ Buckler of iron with PISTOL English, early XVIth century Edinburgh Castle Fig. 623. Buckler of iron which has had a central pistol English, early XVIth century. Armoury of the Knights of Malta, Valetta the Turks, King Henry VIII promised to provide 20,000 crowns. Five years, elapsed, during which time the King failed to keep his promise; but, in the end, instead of sending the money he despatched a gift of artillery to the value named. In this present of artillery it is probable 248 THE TRUE SHIELD OF THE XVth CENTURY that besides the larger pieces of ordnance, smaller arms, such as, for instance, the target "gonnes" under discussion, were included. This is, we venture to think, the only possible explanation of the presence of one of these shields in the Malta Armoury. There is in the Wallace Collection a small steel buckler dating from the early years of the XVIth century that we think is of a type interesting enough to illustrate, No. 50 (Fig. 624). It shows a border round the edge about one inch wide, flanged outwards and sufficiently raised to catch the point of an adversary's sword. In the centre is a deep boss, in the interior of which was the fist grip. Of the common type of ordinary small bucklers is the example in Lord Kenyon's Collection — a quaint little armament of Fig. 624. Buckler of IRON Middle of XVIth century No. 50, Wallace Collection Fig. 625. Small buckler of embossed iron English, late XVIth century Collection : Lord Kenyon rough workmanship, embossed round the border with the inscription: — Wisdom, Faith and Prowess Support Kingdoms. In the centre are the rose, fleur-de-lis, harp, and portcullis of the city of Westminster. This buckler is probably of London workmanship, and dates towards the close of the XVIth century (Fig. 625). Belonging to the tournament equipment of a knight is a whole series of small wooden shoulder shields of various forms which have in some instances a considerable likeness to the legitimate fighting shields of the boiiche de la lance type, and in the past have not been recognized as be- longing to a tilting equipment. The famous Meyrick shield, now in the Wallace Collection, No. 324 (Fig. 626), is very representative of the form in question. It is strongly convex in form and made of wood, covered with canvas, parchment, II and gesso. Three ridges run down the centre. 249 KK EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS The exterior surface is black, with an interlaced flowering design in gold. In the centre is a ribbon, upon which is an inscription, in Gothic characters, nearly obliterated and wholly illegible except the word ewig. On the interior are an iron hook and two eyelets. Mr. Planchd, in his Cyclopaedia of Costume, describes it as an ordinary fighting shield. But Fig. 626. Tilting shield of wood, hide, and ges.so German, early XVIth century. No. 324, Wallace Collection it assuredly belongs to a tilting harness; for in Burgkmair's "Triumph of Maximilian" certain of the knights are seen bearing a similar menfonnih'e shield. We will refrain from giving further illustrations of such shields; for they are all of the same order and show but little variety. Moreover, we have alluded to and illustrated them on page 48 (Fig. 399), where they are shown in con- junction with the tournament salade head-piece with which they were worn. 2!;o CHAPTER THE XVII SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY N the first half of the century but little change is discernible in the evolution of the sword ; the simple wheel pommel and straight or curved quillon guard remained the predominating features. Certainly more variations are noticeable in the shape of the pommel; the elongated flattened pear-shaped pommel appeared, with other forms, all maintaining their popularity in turn according to fashion. The sword most generally in favour in the XVth century was of that simple hilted type which had its origin most probably in Germany early in the XlVth century, and which, introduced into England about thirty years later, continued in use concurrently with other swords of various sizes up to the second quarter of the XVIth century, when nearly all simply constructed hilts gave way to that of the more elaborate type associated with the rapier. The particular sword to which we allude was in the later part of the XVth century known as the "bastard" or " hand-and-a-half " sword; and these names are used nowadays to specify the type. It was a weapon with a blade from 36 to 50 inches in length, equally serviceable for cutting or thrusting, its combined usefulness being made possible by the extra length of the grip. This was oval in section, swelling considerably at a point two-thirds of the way up from the quillons and then tapering suddenly to the pommel. Its name, " hand-and-a-half," explains the peculiar make of the grip. It was a sword sufficiently light to be used with one hand, but in a swinging downward cut the extra length of grip enabled the left hand to be brought into play to add force to the blow. Vulson de la Colombiere and Joseph Swetnan speak of the " bastard " sword in the latter part of the XVIth and at the commence- ment of the XVI Ith century. The former alludes to it, when describing the weapons used in a particular duel, " Deux espdes bastardes, potivans a " servir a tme mam et a deux, les gardes dicelles faites a une croisette seulement, et pas dasne ouvert" \ while the latter refers to the bastard sword as sword, the which sword is something shorter than a long sword (two- 251 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS hander), and yet longer than a short sword." Of almost the same family and use are the Spadona, Espadon, and Montante. Throughout the XVth century there is found in use at the same time, though it must be said not in such common use, the true single-handed sword. In gripping the weapon the first finger was generally placed over the quillon, thus securing the hilt more firmly in the hand. Such a grip likewise assisted to direct the edge of the sword in delivering a cut. Even in the XlVth century the practice of such a hand-grip can be noted in the picture of the " Coronation of the Virgin," by Andrea di Cione, called Orcagna, now in the Fig. 627. Sword (bastard type), about 1430 Found in the Thames in the Zion reach. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby National Gallery, a picture probably painted about the middle of the XlVth century as the altar-piece for S. Pietro Maggiore, Florence. In this picture St. Paul is represented as holding his sword with his forefinger over the quillon; while the same hand-grip is seen in a fresco at the Campo Santo at Pisa, painted between 1380 and 1390, which represents scenes from the life of St. Ephesus; again the same grip is to be noted in the great naval battle-piece by Luca Spinelli, which is shown in the Palazzo Pubblico at Bologna, and belongs to the same epoch. In the picture by Paolo de Dono, known as Uccello, in the National Gallery, which was probably painted about 1446, the knight who is delivering a cut at his adversary. 252 THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY has his forefinger on the quillon; while another, who is thrusting, holds his sword in the usual manner (vol. i, Fig. 238). In all these examples the sword is a plain cross-hilted one; but in a small painting by Bernardino di Biagio, better known as Pinturicchio, in the same collection, dating from the close of the XVth century, St. Catherine has a sword with a small semi- circular guard, and in a her forefinger is passed through it. In this practice, and this guard, the first step is being taken^ towards the evolution of the complicated rapier hilts of the XVIth century. As good and early example of the bastard sword we may mention the fine weapon now in the collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby, which was found in the Thames at a spot known as Old England, in the Zion reach of the river. The pommel of this sword is fish-tailed in shape, the quillons Fig. 628. Effigy of William Philipp, Lord Berdolf Showing exactly the same type of sword as represented in Fig. 627 Bennington Church, Suffoll<. After Stothard are long and straight, the blade slender, stiff, and tapering. Except that it is somewhat larger, this weapon is the counterpart of that seen on an effigy in Dennington Church, Suffolk, which has now been assigned, and probably correctly, to William Philipp, Lord Berdolf. We may fix the 253 date of this efiigy at about 1430; so we can safely place the period of the Keasby sword within the first quarter of the XVth century (Figs. 627 and 628). A similar type of hilt — attached, however, to a much more powerful sword — can be seen in the Wallace Collection, No. 42 (Fig. 629). The pommel of this sword is roughly fig-shaped, the quillons are straight and swell to lobes at the ends, while the blade is 46 inches long and 2J inches wide at the hilt. So robust are the proportions of this fine sword, which is certainly Italian, and dates from the middle of the XVth century, that we are bound to consider it as a weapon solely for double-handed use. In EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the collection of Mr. W. H. Redfern there is a remarkably fine bastard sword of English origin, found in the bed of the river Cam, an example we should date within the first quarter of the XVth century (Fig. 630). The pommel is noteworthy for the decoration of ingenious faceting which does not in the least affect the simplicity of its outline. The quillons are of rectangular section and incline downwards at their ends. The tang of the blade is of considerable width and of great strength. It is deeply impressed with a bladesmith's mark; while the blade, which is 34 inches long, and is in perfect condition, even to its cutting edge, is inlaid with the mark of a sword in gold. To the collector the weapon has peculiar charm of colour, now pos- sessing a black bronze-like patina, doubtless from its long immersion in the peat soil of the river Cam. There is in the Tower of London an early XVth century bastard sword (Fig. 631) that was found in the river Thames. It belongs to the same family of sword as the last described ; but though graceful from the possession of long, straight, rectangular sectioned quillons and a faceted pear-shaped pommel, it is altogether a poorer make of weapon. A sword, remarkable both by reason of its graceful lines and of its splendid balance, is to be seen in Mr. Godfrey Williams' Collection at St. Donat's Castle, Wales. TYPE) Fig. 629. SwoKD (Bast.aku First half of XVth century No. 42, Wallace Collection In the sale of the Bernal Collection in 1855 it figured as Lot 2305 in the catalogue and fetched six guineas. It then passed into the Londesborough Collection, at the sale of which, in 1888, it appeared as Lot 39 and was disposed of for _;j^i4i 155-. At both sales an English origin was ascribed to this sword, an as- 254 cription no doubt due to the Tudor rose-like orna- ment that is etched some little distance up the blade. That its workmanship is, however, Italian there is little room for doubt; the quillons, straight and widening to rounded ends, are characteristically Italian, as also is its kite- shaped pommel. The theory of its Italian provenance is further strengthened by the etching of trophies and scroll-work, once gilt in the manner of northern Italy, that appears on the upper part of the blade. The presence of the rose- like ornament on the blade has no particular significance, as this was a Fig. 631. Sword (bastard type) First quarter of XVth century. Found in tiie Thames, London Tower of London, Class IX, No. 16 255 TYPE) Fig. 630. Sword (bastard First quarter of XVth century Found in the river Cam Collection : Mr. W. H. Redfern type) Fig. 632. Sword (b.astard century Italian, second half of XVth Collection : Mr. Godfrey Williams EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS universally employed decoration in the latter part of the XVth century. It is interesting to note that the pommel on the sword was made hollow and brazed down the side The grip is a comparatively modern addition. The sword (Fig. 632) can be assigned to about 1450-70, and, like the two swords just described, is of large proportions. A large and varying family of swords of the " bastard " proportions owes its origin to Germany ; though, curiously enough, certain of the accepted German forms found great favour in Italy. The first of this type Fig. 633. SwoKD (dastard tyte) German, end of the first half of XVth century. Collection: Mr. Henry G. Keasby that we illustrate is of the simplest form — the pommel octagonal, the quillons straight and of square-shaped section, the blade wide at the hilt, but tapering to a point, eminently suitable for thrusting and so forcing an opening between the joints of a plate suit. The probable date of this weapon, which came from the collection of the late Herr Max Kuppelmayr (Fig. 633), and is now in that of Mr. Henry G. Keasby, is about 1440 to 1460. In the same collection is a splendid thrusting weapon with an exceptionally long grip, fig-shaped pommel, and simple quillons, the ends of which curve downwards. The blade has a deep ricasso. 256 . This is probably an THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY Italian weapon, but designed on German lines, and dates from about the third quarter of the XVth century (Fig. 634). A sword not unlike it, but assuredly German and of smaller proportions, is in the collection of the Fig. 634. Slender sword (bastard type) Probably Italian, but produced under German influence. Middle of XVth century Collection: Mr. Henry G. Kea.sby Baron de Cosson. This weapon we are also bound to place at a fairly late date in the XVth century (Fig. 635); while a similar sword, in the Wallace Collection (No. 33, Gallery VII) is so late as to exhibit Maximilian influences (Fig. 636). The numerals 141 5 are engraved upon the ricasso of II 257 LL EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS the blade of this sword, but unfortunately they cannot be seen in the illustra- tion. These figures bear, however, no reference to the year 14 15, but merely prove that the hilt was rebladed early in the XVIIth century by the Austrian bladesmith Steyen. It was his common practice to engrave either this group of figures or" i4i4"oreven " 1515 " in combination with the running wolf mark upon blades of his make in order that his work might not be mistaken for that of the city of Passau, which had already adopted the running wolf mark as its Fig. 635. Sword (bastard type) German, late XVth century Collection: Baron de Cosson Fig. 636. Sword (ba.stard type) German, late XVth or early XVIth century No. 33, Wallace Collection stamp. In the National Bavarian Museum of Munich are some remarkable bastard swords, very Gothic in their general sentiment, but mostly of late XVth century date. We illustrate six of them. The first {Fig. 637A) shows the flattened pear-shaped pommel and plain drooping quillons. Unscrupulous foreign dealers have palmed off on armour collectors hundreds of copies of this type; and this particular sword is probably the original which served as the model of the forgeries. The moulded grip is of cuir botiilli, extending over ihe centre of the quillons, almost in an inverted cup form, and fitting over the top of the scabbard; a grip formation popular 258 in the latter part of the % Fig. 637. Swords (bastard type) German, late XVth century. National Bavarian Museum, Munich EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS XVth century as more sheathed. fully protecting the blade from corrosion when This same idea is carried out on the second of the swords (Fig. 637B); horn. here, it must be pointed out that the whole hilt, that is to say, quillons and grip, are of gilded brass, inset in the latter case with plaques of The third sword (Fig. 637c) is a superb fighting weapon with an exceptionally long and delicately moulded grip, ahd very slender quillons; its original sheath is preserved and is of cuir boiiilli. This beautiful sword might be dated as early as about 1460, weapons of this kind being certainly in use at that time; but a sword of identical formation is seen in Durer's famous plate, "The Knight, Death and the Devil," which is dated 1513, a circumstance that affords us an excellent illustration of the difficulty of assigning a specific date to an individual sword of a given type. There is a sword very similar to this in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris (J 24). The fourth sword (Fig. 6370) has a finely moulded grip similar to that seen on the first of these series of weapons, but with a wheel pommel of rock crystal. The quillons are unusual in character, and their flimsiness suggests that they have been added in the latter part of the XVIth century, possibly for proces- sional purposes. Munich. The pictorial representation of pommels of rock crystal may be seen in a picture painted in 1467 by Dirk Bouts now in the old Pinakothek of The fifth sword (Fig. 637E) has a hilt simply constructed, the spiral twist of the gadroon-shaped pommel being continued in the twist of the grip; the quillons droop slightly and are decorated on the exterior side only. On the next sword (Fig. 637F) the exaggerated spiral fluting of the pommel is even more conspicuously continued in the formation of the grip, which in its lower half is pierced a jour, showing the encased tang of the blade. hold obtained on such a grip must have been very secure. The From the type of the blade, which is of triangular section, it may be assumed that the sword was for foining, that is, for thrusting and guarding alone. The " estoc," as this type of sword was called, was of much the same proportions as the bastard sword. The blade in nearly all cases is triangular in section, and tapers to a fine point. There is mention of the use as early as 1268 in a judgment of the Parliament of Paris: '' Sufficient er in- of the estoc ventum est quod diet us Bo so dictum Ademarum percussit cum Ense a estoc in dextro latere propria manu, et de ipso ictu cecidit dictus Ademarus." It was on chiefly employed in the XVth and XVIth centuries for single combats foot in the Champ C/os, which were often combats "to be decided by the judgment of God," the stiff penetrating blade being intended to force apart the plates of the special armour in which such foot combats were 260 THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY nearly always fought. A hafted weapon formed on nearly the same for- midable principle as the estoc is the ahlspiess. This was an Austrian arm, chiefly for yeoman use. But the practice of it must also have been familiar to the nobles; since the Emperor Maximilian in the "Freydal" is seen employing it. Although we could mention and illustrate many more XVth century swords which retain the simple Gothic influence, we have perhaps enumerated a sufficient number for our purpose. * We are now » * compelled to retrace our steps; for the true single-handed sword is worthy of attention, and there are many examples which we must specify as being thoroughly representative. The first that we shall men- tion belongs to the early part of the XVth century, and is now in the Metro- politan Museum of New York, having been formerly in the Dino and Carrand Collections (Fig. 638). It has been suggested, and on good authority, that the sword, as we now see it, is composite in its parts, and that M. Carrand was responsible for its present complete state; but as this theory contradicts Baron de Cosson's description of it in the famous Due de Dino Catalogue, we must on the weight of such an authority accept the sword as wholly authentic. The hilt is of copper gilt and cruciform, with a wheel pommel of XlV^th century formation, drooping quillons, and tapering grip. These are all engraved medallions M. with conventional engraved Carrand and Gothic enamelled construed as being foliage. with those of In the pommel are silver coats of arms which the late Sire de Gaucourt, a brilliant courtier attached to the household of King Charles VII of France. blade is long and The tapering, almost too long to balance the comparative lightness of the hilt. The point is reinforced; while near the hilt is inlaid in brass an armourer's mark, a cross within a circle. It sword was discovered in Normandy in the year 1838. sentative of the is stated that this Thoroughly repre- period, both in respect of form and of decoration, is the weapon which was perhaps the principal treasure of Sir Noel Baton's Collec- tion and which is now in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh (Fig. 639). "The Sword of Battle Abbey," as it is called, was made for the abbey in Sussex, which was endowed by William the Conqueror with exclusive rights. The existing sword was made during the abbacy of Thomas de Lodelowe, abbot from 14 17 to 1434. Sir John Gage, K.G., received this sword into his keeping when he was acting as one of King Henry VIII's commissioners for accepting the surrender of religious houses. of It remained in the possession his family at Firle Place in the same county, until it was presented to 261 Fig. 638. Single-handed SWQRD First half of XVth century Metropolitan Museum, New York P'iG. 640. Sword First Found Abbey quarter in church of the XVth Chapter of Westminster, now in the Pyx Chapel 262 P^iG. 639. The century. House, "Battle SWORD Abbey" First quarter of XVth century Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh I THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY Sir Samuel Meyrick in 1834 by Henry Hall, 4th Viscount Gage. Apart from its historical association, the attraction of the sword lies in its extreme simplicity and severe beauty. The quillons are straight and taper somewhat to either end; the pommel is of the pronounced wheel type, of great depth and of vigorous section. The medium of the pommel and quillons is iron overlaid with sheet silver, once gilt. This method of decorating the hilt was in common practice in the XlVth and XVth centuries; it can be seen in the civil swords of certain corporations, notably in the so-called "King John sword " of King's Lynn (Fig. 706). The thick silver sheeting was applied to the iron core by means of solder. It was an effective and rich adornment; for it could be easily engraved, gilded, and enamelled, as will be seen on looking at the Battle Abbey sword. The engraving upon the quillons of this sword consists in a scheme of Gothic leafage. This is simplified on the pommel, which has on either side of it, in its recessed panels, the shield and arms of Battle Abbey, viz., a cross; in the first and fourth quarters, a coronet of strawberry leaves; in the second and third, a sword the point in chief; the whole coat being placed between the initials " t. L." (Thomas de Lodelowe). These arms w£re possibly enamelled in proper colours; but no traces of heraldic colours are now discernible. Sir Samuel Meyrick, writing of this sword at the time it was in his collection, de- scribed it most accurately as " A war sword used as one of State " ; for it is eminently a fighting weapon as distinct from a regular sword of State. It will be noticed that the blade in section is of flattened diamond shape, and that when new it must have tapered to an acute point in the fashion of the generality of blades of the first years of the XVth century. But from constant cleaning and, what is more unusual, from constant sharpening, the outline of the blade some few inches below the hilt is lost in a curved irregular edge that terminates in a rounded thrusting point. As the section and original outline of the blade have now practically dis- appeared owing to the severe treatment they have received in the past, and as their disappearance lends to the blade the look of one with almost parallel edges, as seen in the case of swords of the Xlth and Xllth centuries, sug- 263 gestions have been made that the blade itself is of considerably earlier date and that the hilt was adapted to it in the XVth century. But on examina- tion it can be proved from certain technicalities that this is not the case, and that the blade was actually made for the hilt to which it is fitted. It appears evident, therefore, from the details we have given that this sword was manufactured in toto in the XVth century, and that it is not the actual EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS weapon which, according to tradition, William the Conqueror presented to the favoured Abbey. In the chronicles of the Monastery of Battle Abbey which record, under the date 1087- 1095, the presentation to the Monastery by William II after his coronation (in accordance with the wish of his father) of his Royal Pall and Feretory or Feretrum, no mention is made of his sword. It is, however, more than probable that with the pallium regale a sword was included. If such a sword once existed, its later history is un- known. It is said to have been taken in the middle of the XVIIIth century, along with the pallium and the original document known as the Roll of Battle Abbey, to Cowdray House, Mid- hurst, by Lord Montagu, a descendant of Sir Anthony Browne, into whose hands these precious relics fell at the dissolution of the monasteries. In the year 1793 a disastrous fire occurred which destroyed Cowdray House, and presumably the Roll, the pallium, and the sword. This then may be the history of the original sword presented to Battle Abbey; but it now becomes necessary to account Fig. 641. Sword Middle of XVth century. Armoury, Madrid for the sword which is shown in the Scottish collection, and which may be supposed to be the second sword possessed by the Abbey. The truth as to its origin can only be sur- mised. Possibly the precious .sword of Wil- liam I was considered almost in the light of Royal a " Tenure Sword." The abbots, whose sole use for it in that capacity was on cere- monial occasions, may have considered the 264 original weapon from hard wear and the passage of many centuries to have become a mere relic, hardly in keeping with the pomp and circum- stance of the early years of the XVth century, and may have had a new sword made to take its place. There is no reason why they should have considered it necessary to copy the original weapon in their possession. Battle Abbey was luckily not afflicted with an archaeologist who could commit such a blunder. Doubtless, therefore, an order for a fine new sword for pageant purposes was dispatched to some renowned swordsmith of the time, which he executed by sending an enriched fighting sword such as he THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY was accustomed to make: following his true instinct of the artist he decorated the pommel with the coat of arms and the initials of the abbot. Despite the poor condition of the blade and the late addition of a very unsuitable velvet-covered grip, this is certainly the finest sword of its kind we are acquainted with, not only in Great Britain, but even in foreign collec- tions. An interesting sword (Fig. 640), which can be safely assigned to the first quarter of the XVth century, is now to be seen in the Pyx Chapel, in the Abbey church of Westminster. It was found when alterations were being made in the chapter- house in 1840. The blade is broad and tapering, the quillons flat and drooping slightly downwards; while the pommel is heavily proportioned and of wheel form. From the place of its discovery it is not unreasonable to attribute it to English manufacture; but just such another hilt, though of finer workman- ship, is in of the Royal Armoury, Madrid. The blade the Madrid example, which is of different type, having the central ridge, is also finely etched with inscriptions. The hilt also retains part of the original grip (Fig. 641). A type of sword somewhat different, but still exhibiting great simplicity in form, is to be seen in the Wallace Collection, No. 36 (Fig. 642). The pommel and quillons are of gilded bronze, the former being of fish-tail form. The section of the base of the pommel is continued in the formation of of the grip. The blade is 35 inches long, being flattened diamond shaped section and tapering acutely towards the point. M. Viollet-le-Duc illus- trates this sword in his Dictionnaire Raisonnd du ^nS f Fig. 642. Sword Middle of XVth century No. 36, Wallace Collection Mobilier FraiK^ais, but assigns to it a rather too early date. It doubtless belongs to the middle of the XVth century and is probably Italian. Among the beautiful swords left to the Musee de Cluny by M. Edouard de Beaumont, is one which is almost the companion to the Wallace sword in its general form; but it must be con- II 265 MM EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS sidered the finer weapon of the two. the Visconti family (Fig. 643). A On the blade are engraved the arms of very fine sword, complete too (Fig. 644), inasmuch as it possesses its original scabbard, is in the Musde d'Artillerie of Paris (T 26). Fig. 643. Sword Middle of XVth century. It is known Collection: M. Edouard de Beaumont, Mus6e Cluny, Paris as the sword of the Constables of France and belongs to the second half of the XVth century. It has the conventional flat wheel pommel and straight quillons drooping at their extreme ends. In the centre of the pommel there was formerly a coat of arms, but this is now missing. The blade is wide at the hilt and tapers to the point. The hilt, a portion of the blade near 266 THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY the hilt, and a circular panel half way down the blade is semd de lis; but these emblems are so placed that only when the blade is carried point upwards are they in their correct position, an arrangement which shows the sword to be one of ceremony. The proportions of the sword are, however, those of a fine single-handed fighting weapon, a circum- stance which furnishes the reason for its being described here and not among those grouped together under the heading of swords of ceremony. The scabbard is of leather upon which are applied fleurs- de-lis; it has a ferrule and deep locket mount which are also decorated with fleurs-de-lis and supplied with six rings at the sides, for the purpose of attaching it to the belt. The method of wearing the sword throughout the XVth century was naturally influenced by the fashion of the costume with which it was worn. Vagaries and eccentricities in the nature of belts and hangers are seen in association with civil costume; but when it was a question of arming a knight clad in full steel, the simplest methods of slinging on the sword were employed. M. Viollet-le-Duc, in his Dictiomiaire, vol. v, pp. 189-207, gives, under Baiidrier, some admirable drawings and details of sword belts and hangers. * * * 267 Before we turn to those swords in the outline and decoration of which the Renaissance of classical art and taste Fig. 644. Sword and scabbard Second half of XVth century. Known as the sword of the Constables of France T 26, Musee d'Artillerie, Paris began to make itself felt, we will allude briefly to the curved and falchion bladed swords of the XVth century which are extant, and which find a rightful place in this chapter. There can be but little doubt that it was the intercourse with the Orient which led to the EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS swordsmith forging a curved blade after the fashion of the scimitar. We have already alluded to the curved sword known as that of Charlemagne in the Vienna Treasury (vol. i, Fig. 116), and to the only other three of early date that are known to us (vol. i, Figs. 157, 158, and 160), but swords of this type are constantly found appearing in the missals, illuminations, and paintings of the XVth century. It is, however, instructive to note that in these pictures the curved sword appears generally to be girded on personages who are in some way associ- ated with the East or who belong to an unknown country. The Magi in adoration as often as not wear the curved sword. In " Christ, the Light of the World," the famous Hans Memlinc picture of the Munich Gallery, the curved sword is many times represented in the various small groups of figures, but especially noticeable as being worn by the Magi and their attendants. We can, however, obtain ample evidence as to the character of these swords from extant examples, without being under the necessity of having to derive it solely from the testimony of pictures. Of an actual falchion or scimitar which may be legitimately assigned to the early years of the XVth century we give an illustration. This scimitar is in the collection of Mr. Felix Joubert (Fig. 645), and was discovered some years ago in a house in Lorraine, at no great distance from Domremy; a circumstance which gave birth to the tale that it was the original sword of Joan of Arc — a statement without foundation Fig. 645. Curved sword Northern French, first quarter of XVth century Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert and without reason other than that it is of her period and of French origin. The metal parts of the hilt are of gilded bronze, and viewed roughly are in the style of a Persian abbdsi scimitar; with the exception that the pistol-shaped grip and pommel, nearly always seen on the scimitar, are here replaced by a grip with a curved bifurcated pommel. The 268 THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY quillons are straight and of diamond-shaped section, and the grip of chestnut wood is secured to the blade tang by hemispherically headed rivets. The whole of the surface of the pommel and quillons is finely engraved with the figure of the Virgin and Child, and with arrangements of leafage and twisted riband panels, upon which Biblical inscriptions appear. The blade is now short, Fig. 646. Curved sword with falchion blade Italian, latter part of XVth century Collection: M. Edmond Foulc, Paris 269 Fig. 646A. Curved sword with FALCHION BLADE Milanese, first third of the XVIth century Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell # doubtless part of it has been ground off; but it is back-edged, widening somewhat towards the point, and has a section that suggests a direct copy of some of the early Persian scimitar blades. No finer falchion sword of the latter part of the XVth century can be seen than the superb weapon shown in the collection of the late M. Edmond Foulc in Paris. It was in both the Bernal Sale (No. 2309) in 1855, when it sold for ;^i5 los., and in the EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Londesborough Sale (1888), when ^^315 was paid for it, though for some unknown reason in the catalogues of both collections it is called " an execu- tioner's sword." The steel grip is indented for the grasp of the fingers; while the knuckle-guard, single quillon, 2ind pas-d' dne may roughly be said to resemble a snake or monster. The whole hilt is engraved with guilloche patterns and gilt. The blade is back-edged and scimitar-shaped, splendidly etched and gilt for part of its distance with arrangements of scroll-work, introducing the following inscription in Lombardic characters: IHS. avtem TRANSiENS PER iMEDiUM ILLORUM IBAT. It bears three fleurs-de-lis as an armourer's mark, and is probably North Italian of the last quarter of the XVth century (Fig. 646). The last and rather late curved sword with falchion blade we illustrate (Fig. 646A) is of Milanese workmanship of the first third of the XVIth cen- tury. The pommel and grip are in one piece and the ends of the quillons are fashioned with gargoyle heads. The shell of the guard is chased and pierced, the entire hilt being richly damascened. The blade is decorated with intersected recessments. This piece was formerly in the collection of the Count of Valencia and is now in that of Mr. S. J. Whawell. With the advent of the second half of the XVth century comes the earliest influence of the classical Renaissance, which makes itself apparent at first rather in weapons than in armour. The beautiful simplicity of the Gothic form has hardly as yet been affected; but evidence is already forthcoming, particularly in Italy, of the growing appreciation of classical ornament as applied to weapons. Classical decorations, and even the actual shapes are being borrowed from Greek and Roman originals. Germany and northern Europe generally resisted the introduction of this new fashion effectively for another half-century; but by then, with perhaps the exception of the German, all styles were thoroughly permeated by its influence. « The great artist-sculptors of Italy turned their attention to the designing of sword hilts, among whom we may cite Andrea del Verrocchio, Donatello, Polidoro Caldara, and, in the next generation, Leonardo da Vinci; while in other countries such masters as Hans Holbein, Pierre Woeiriot, and in the next generation Antoine de Jacquart, are all to be found responding to the demand for enriched weapons. Although we leap over a few years by so doing, we will turn to the hilt of a cruciform-hilted sword, now adapted to classical decoration, as the first example of the utter banishment of all previous principles of decoration. 270 THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY We refer to the beautiful weapon of the Turin Armoury known as the "Dona- tello " sword (Fig. 647). The hilt of the sword in question is copper gilt, and has a grip of horn. The hollow circular pommel is formed to the outline of two dolphins, their tails joining at the top; astride their backs sit amorini, who support between them a gorgon's head. The quillons are straight and of oblong section, issu- ing from an oblong central block, which is cast and chased in low relief with allegorical figures and cupids. The ends of the quillons have caryatid figures in low relief. The blade, which is flat and broad, gradually tapering to a point, is en- graved with a composition of scroll- work, introducing a winged figure of of victory; the general treatment this decorative theme leads the author to think that it is possible the blade was added to the hilt at some later date. Marcel Reymond, in La Sailpture Florentine, de- scribes the Turin sword and states that it is signed in full with the artist's name, Opvs Donatei.li Flo (rentini), and from the character of the decoration must have been made at a late period in his lifetime. Now the Turin sword is signed, but upon the lower ferrule of the grip. Of late years, however, the genuineness of this particular part of the hilt has been openly debated, and it is now generally agreed that the signature of Donatello is a forgery. The quillons and pommel, however, remain a triumph of Renaissance design, and furnish an admirable illustration of some great Fig. 647. The so-called " Donatello" sword Italian, late XVth century. ■ Royal Armoury, Turin, G 79 bis Italian master's power and skill in utilizing the then new art of the Renais- sance on the most conservative form of sword hilt extant. In the Wallace Collection (No. 34) is an admirable reproduction of the Donatello sword; it has, however, an old blade from some other sword associated with it. 271 EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS Less original in its outline, with a simple wheel pommel and strongly drooping quillons, but exquisite in the delicacy of its enrichment, is the famous sword of Caesar Borgia, Duke of Romagna and Valentinois, which is Fig. 648. The famous sword of Caesar Borgia Italian, late XVth century. Collec- tion: Prince Teano, Duke of Sermoneta now Fig. 649. Leather scabhard made for THE Caesar Borgia sword Cbverse and reverse of the upper part Victoria and Albert Museum preserved in the family of Prince Teano, Duke of Sermoneta (Fig. 648); its superb scabbard of cuir bouilli is separated from it and is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Fig. 649). The enrichment of the hilt is carried out 272 ..-^ THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY in the most delicate cloisonne enamel, in translucent colours, on a gilded copper foundation. Though magnificent in its richness, its pure and simple outline is maintained. The design of the filigree enamel work is what may be termed Venetian Gothic; but the Renaissance influence is strongly in evidence. The blade is superb, being etched and gilded in the finest possible manner with a pure Renaissance ornamentation which we should have ascribed to Hercule de Fideli, even if the signature, Opus Here, had not been present. The ir>scriptions upon the blade, beyond the name of the engraver, consist in the monogram of Caesar Borgia, and four abbreviations: Ces. Bokg. Car. Valen., meaning, Caesar Borgia, Cardinal Valentin ; associ- Fig. 651. Sword Italian, late XVth century Collection : M. Edouard de Beau- mont, Musee Cluny Fig. 650. The Pucci sword North Italian, late XVth century. Now in an English collection Fig. 652. Sword Italian, late XVth century Collection: Baron de Cosson 15- O'*^!. A • l aJvL*^ /^ ih ated are also the following Latin phrases and quotations: Jacta est alea; Cum NO.MiNE Cesarls, amen; Fides prevalet armis; and Bene merent. M. Edouard de Beaumont, in his Fleiir des Belles Epces, speaking of this sword, gives an interesting transcription of a letter, dated Naples, 2 Oct. 1773, written by the Abbd Galiani, in whose possession the sword then was, to a Madame d'Epinay. " I It goes on to say: possess a most curious piece, the sword of Cdsar Borgia, Duke of Valentinois, son of the Pope Alexander VI, who had it made specially with emblems referring to his future greatness and his ambition. It is not necessary to tell you how I obtained possession of it; it is enough to say II 273 N N EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS a that I wanted to make a lucrative present to the pope, and intended to accom- pany it with learned discussion, explaining the emblems. I took the pen and started to write: ' Cdsar Borgia was born.' ... I stopped there, as not my for the life of me could I find out in library or in those of my friends when that fellow was born." "Galiani"(says M.de Beaumont) " left the sword to a friend, a cleric, Monseigneur Honore Gaetani, with a clause in the will stipulating that he should pay to his heirs loo ounces of gold in compensation. If he refused the legacy or made any difficulty about paying the money, the Em- press Catherine of Russia was sub- stituted as legatee." As we have said, the scabbard of this most pre- cious sword is now preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, hav- ing been wisely purchased by the authorities as far back as 1869. It is certainly one of the finest ex- amples of ctiir was 274 at bonilli known, and one time said to have come from the hand of Antonio del Pol- laiuolo. On the front is a group of figures in relief, gathered together under the arch of a temple to offer sacrifice to Venus, whose statue is raised on a pedestal. The grouping Fig. 653. Sword Italian, late XVth century Collection: Mr. Felix Joubert of the figures, and their admirable modelling in so homely a material, fully justify the unknown artist in inscribing on his work the motto MATERIAM SVPERABIT opvs — " labour will triumph over material." The back shows decoration of tongues of flame and a monogram of the name Caesar, the devices of Caesar Borgia. It is, however, most interesting to note that the scabbard was apparently never finished, its extremity having only the THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY design suggested upon it by a few deft lines; subjects are elaborately perfection. From the embossed Caesar and Borgia sword whereas at the top the worked to the highest degree of we turn to one is assuredly the work of the same hand, somewhat less rich in its decoration but none the less beautiful, we mean the Pucci sword (Fig. 650). which have a similar quillons pommel is simikir both in size and formation, Here the but are a little less depressed; in shape. The grip is the the same type, and the blade is of precisely similar make, although unhappily some few now inches slight difference of its original length that farther than the matter of their enrichment. have been ground exists between the two swords away. of The extends indeed no The pom- mel of the Pucci sword is bronze gilt, cast with a Renaissance arrangement of formal leafage that, were it found upon a piece of oak furniture in England, would be known as Holbeinesque in style. The grip is of wood now overlaid with plates of silver; while the quillons are of simple iron, gilt. The blade is superb, finer indeed than that of the Caesar Borgia sword; it is graven and gilt in the same manner, with compositions of figures and with a coat of arms, which curiously enough is not that of the Pucci family, and which up to the present has not been identified. This sword, which has now passed into an English collection, was in the possession of the Pucci family until late in the XlXth century. century Fig. 654. Sword North Italian, late XVth The last time it was used at a public ceremony was on the occasion of a festival procession organized to celebrate the opening of the new facade of the Duomo of Florence in 1888. Mus^e de Louvre It then suffered from some rather rough handling, from which it required time and careful attention to recover. Next we tively in the will mention three beautiful late XVth century Italian weapons, respec- Beaumont Collection, Musee de Cluny (Fig. 651), in the collection 275 of the Baron de Cosson (Fig. 652), and in the collection of Mr. Felix Joubert (Fig. 653), which, if they are not actually the work of the same swordsmith are, at any rate, of the same family of swords. Of the cruciform-hilted Italian swords of the Renaissance type there are very many varieties in shape; but after those just described none possibly are more beautiful than that par- ticular group of which specimen (Fig. 654). the example in the Louvre is a very representative Here the formation of the quillons and of the grip is EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS practically the same as those seen upon the family of hilts just alluded to; though in this case the former are of rectangular section. For em- bellishment these hilts depend entirely on the graceful composition of interlaced scrollwork of the acanthus design; and, with few exceptions, they are fashioned of cast bronze, boldly chased and gilt. The blades made for these swords are very wide at the hilt, tapering to a point; while in de the region of the hilt they afforded scope for the richest etching and Fig. 655. Sword North Italian, late XVth century Collection : M. Edouard de Beaumont, Mus^e de Cluny Fig. 656. Sword North Italian workmanship, but made for Germany. Late XVth century Collection: M. Edouard de Beaumont, Mus6e de Cluny gilding. Another sword with a hilt similar to that of the Louvre weapon, but with differences in the details, is in the Beaumont Collection, Musde Cluny (Fig. 655); whilst another is in the collection of Miss Alice de Rothschild at Waddesdon Manor. In the case of this last-mentioned sword, the grip has been replaced by one of a later date. The most noticeable variations in these beautiful Italian swords are generally in the formation of their pommels. These are nearly always of gilded bronze and are of appropriate sizes to balance the weight of the blades; 276 THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY while the quillons — necessary guards to the hand — are, in a few cases, fashioned of tougher material, iron gilded or overlaid with silver. A very graceful sword with riband pattern quillons diagonally curved at the ends is in the Beaumont Collection, Musde de Cluny (Fig. 656). With the exception of the wire-bound grip, which is a modern addition, it is a weapon of great •1 4 1 Fig. 657. Sword of small proportions Italian workmanship, "late XVth century. Collection: Ressman, Bargello Museum, Florence Fig. 658. Sword with a hilt ov BRONZE Attributed to Andrea Briosco. 277 XVIth century. de Louvre Musce Early beauty. Here the pommel is of bronze; while the quillons are of iron, though thickly gilded. Though we regard it as essentially an Italian made weapon, it appears from the arms and emblems etched upon its blade to have been made for one of the Governors of Nuremberg at the very end of the XVth or at the commencement of the XVIth century. On the blade are the arms of Fig. 659. Six Italian bronze sword pommels Late XVth and early XVIth centuries. British Museum THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY Kress of Kressestein, an ancient patrician family of that town. This sword was brought from Germany in 1861 by M. Tross, nifid. With it came other arms from the castle of Kressenstein. Two other existing swords known to the present writer are much like it. One is in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna; the other, formerly in the Basilewski Collection, is now in the Hermitage, Petrograd. This latter was formerly in the Meyrick Collection, and is described in Skelton's famous catalogue of that collection (vol. ii, fig. 6). These same riband pattern quillons, though in a more exaggerated form, are found on a beautiful little sword in the Ressman Collection in the Bargello Museum, Florence (Fig. 657), the chief attraction of the weapon being the superb quality of the blade enrichment. The field of the blade is darkly blued, and the decoration here takes the form of an elongated cartouche containing a figure subject executed in gold azziminia damascening; while the modelling of the figures is cleverly rendered by exaggerating the high lights and leaving the darkened side of the subject somewhat to the imagina- tion. This little sword belongs to the last years of the XVth century. The tendency of the flamboyant Renaissance to grotesque forms, which to modern taste appear perhaps rather unsuitable for the enrichment of arms and armour, made itself very apparent at the close of the XVth century. There is in the Louvre a curved sword of large proportions, the bronze hilt of which is a striking instance of this feeling (Fig. 658). It has been accepted as being based on a design by Andrea Briosco, known as Riccio, the famous Florentine sculptor of the latter part of the XVth century. Bearded masks in profile constitute the contour of its pommel and the ends to the recurved quillons ; while designs of satyrs, masks, trophies of arms, and fruit enrich the scabbard mounts. The true proportions of the hilt are, however, now some- what obscured by the unsuitable modern grip attached to it. A pommel from just such another sword is in the Salting Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum. If space permitted, we could describe and illustrate quite a large number of fine Italian weapons showing the divers themes em- ployed by the 279 great artists of the early Renaissance in their efforts to elaborate sword hilts. Suffice it to say that the splendid armouries of Vienna, Madrid, Turin, Dresden, and Paris possess fine examples; while in the collec- tions of Mr. W. Riggs, of Mr. Reubell, and of the late M. fidmond Foulc of Paris, of Prince Ladislaus Odescalchi of Rome, and of Major Dreger of Berlin, there are individual swords of this period that will repay the closest scrutiny. The vagaries of form which the Italian bronze sword pommels of these times assumed can be seen in the accompanying illustration (Fig. 659) EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS of six examples chosen from the British Museum. The influence of the East upon the weapons of Italy and Spain in the latter half of the XVth century was very marked. Spain, through its long partial occupation by the Fig. 660. Venetian, late XVth century. SwoKD Showing a Near Eastern influence in its shape Collection : Signor Ressman, Bargello Museum, Florence Moors, originated a form of sword almost entirely its own, of which we will speak later. Italy, through its trading port of Venice, accepted readily the innovation of Eastern forms and decoration. Possibly they appealed as the introduction of a new fashion generally does when it is to be applied to 280 1 THE SWORD OF THE XVth CENTURY personal adornment. The application of semi-oriental decoration to the hilt of a sword is very apparent in the case of that most beautiful sword which is the gem of the Ressman Collection in the Bargello Museum, Florence (Fig. 660). Not only is its enrichment semi-Arabic, but the actual formation of its pommel and its unusual grip protection are wholly oriental; indeed, it is the ('^

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