Thomas Del Mar - Arms & Armour

259
A COMPOSITE EUROPEAN FIELD ARMOUR, 16TH
CENTURY
comprising close helmet formed of a one-piece skull rising
to a high roped comb (crest damaged, the lower left corner
of the face-opening patched) and fitted at the nape with a
plume-holder, earlier visor and bevor attached by common
pivots (replaced), the former of rounded ‘sparrow’s-beak’
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259
form having a stepped centrally-divided vision-slit and
numerous small circular ventilation-holes at each side (the
right edge patched, the beak pierced with two large rustholes),
and two gorget-plates front and rear (the lower front
one restored, the lower rear one patched at its left end),
early 17th century collar formed of a single deep plate front
and rear, breastplate of late ‘peascod’ form (patched at the
left side and centre of waist) with moveable gussets at each
arm-opening, fauld of three lames, the lowest cut with a
shallow arch over the crotch and bearing a pair of
detachable tassets each of nine lames, extending to just
above the knees, one-piece backplate shaped to the
shoulders and flanged outwards at its lower edge (patch at
left of flange) to receive a culet of one lame (patched at
either end), small symmetrical pauldrons each of six lames
(the top three of the left and the top one of the right
patched at their front ends) connected by turners to
vambraces (not a pair) each formed of a tubular upper and
lower cannon articulated to one another by a winged
couter of three lames, the wing of the left one formed as a
separate plate, mitten gauntlets (not an exact pair), each
formed of a long pointed tubular cuff, five metacarpalplates,
a knuckle-plate with boldly roped transverse rib, and
four finger plates (thumb-defences lacking), and a pair of
19th century greaves of tubular construction each
articulated four times at the ankle, pierced with an aperture
to accommodate a spur and fitted with an integral broadtoed
sabaton of seven lames, the main edges of the armour
turned inwards and decorated, except on the collar, with
file-roping, the collar decorated with incised bands and
borders enclosed by volutes, chevrons and punched beads,
the breastplate, backplate, pauldrons and upper cannons of
the vambraces etched in line with symmetrical sprays of
stylised acanthus foliage issuing, in the case of the
breastplate, from a grotesque mask at the centre of the
neck-opening, the couters, upper cannons of the
vambraces, gauntlets and tassets later etched on a
blackened ground with quatrefoils framed in part by
repeated lozenges and engrailed bands (showing significant
pitting and wear with some cracking, bruising, perforation
and disarticulation throughout), stand not included
Inv. no. A086.
The etched decoration of the breastplate, backplate,
pauldrons and upper cannons of the vambraces identifies
them as part of a series of armours made for the use of the
Swiss Papal Guard. Other armours of the series can be
recorded in the Museo Civico L. Marzoli, Brescia, Inv. Nos
860, 927-8, 941 & 947, see F. Rossi & N. di Carpegna 1969,
Cat. Nos 22-5 & 44, pp. 22-3 & 30); the Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge, Acc. No. Hen. M.1.2A-c-1933, see I. Eaves
2002, pp. 123-5, ill.; and the Art Institute, Chicago, see W.
J.. Karcheski, Jr 1995, p. 68, ill.. The decoration, originally
gilt on a blued ground, has in all cases been applied about
1700 to elements of late 16th and early 17th century North
Italian make.
£18000-24000