Thomas Del Mar - Arms & Armour

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A COMPOSITE GERMAN ‘BLACK AND WHITE’ THREE-
QUARTER FIELD ARMOUR (HARNASCH), MID- TO LATE
16TH CENTURY, THE CUIRASS NORTH GERMAN,
PROBABLY BRUNSWICK
comprising burgonet formed of a one-piece skull rising to a
exceptionally high roped medial comb, projecting forward
to an obtusely-pointed peak, pierced around the brow, faceopening
and nape with pairs of lace-holes, fitted at the
nape with a plume-holder (replaced) and an obtuselypointed
neck-guard of one lame, and at each side with a
pair of forward-projecting cheek-pieces (associated),
pierced at their centres in each case with five small circular
ventilation-holes, and fitted at their front edges with buff
leather loops (replaced) to receive a tie, ‘almain’ collar of
three lames front and rear fitted at either side with a pair of
integral spaudlers each formed of seven downwardoverlapping
lames extending downwards to the elbow
where it is connected by internal leathers through a shelllike
one-piece couter to a tubular lower cannon, besagues
(restored) each rising at its centre to a conical boss,
breastplate formed of a heavy main plate with a strong
medial ridge projecting forward over the belly , its upper
border struck with a serial number formed of ten dots,
moveable gussets at its arm-openings and a fauld of one
lames fitted within its lower edge with a pair of tassets of
each of seven lames extending to just above the knees,
one-piece backplate strongly shaped to the shoulders, its
upper border struck with a serial number formed of five
dots, and fitted with a culet of one lame, and mitten
gauntlets each formed of a slightly rounded and flared
tubular cuff , four metacarpal-plates, a knuckle-plate
decorated with a boldly roped transverse rib, five fingerplates
and scaled thumb-defence, the main edges of the
armour decorated with roped inward turns, its surfaces
decorated with bright bands and borders (lightly patinated
and worn), variously raised or recessed against a blackened
ground (refreshed), the subsidiary edges of the burgonet
decorated with scalloped edges, stand not included
£12000-18000