Quote:

RARE INFANTRY BREASTPLATE, CIRCA 1500, PROBABLY SPANISH Formed in one piece with a strong medial ridge and bold angular outward turns at the neck and arm-openings, its shoulders in each case fitted with a short strap terminating in a double-ended iron buckle, its lower edge flanged outwards to receive a fauld of two upward-overlapping lames, the lowest fitted at each side, beneath brass rosette washers, with short straps for the suspension of pendant tassets (lightly patinated overall with a few patches of pitting, the main plate pierced at each side with three later holes, the fauld-lames associated and partly reworked, the lowest with some plugged holes, all rivets, straps, rosettes and buckles replaced) 45.6cm.; 18in high Breastplates of this distinctive form were popular in Spain in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Some bear marks including the well-known "crow's-foot mark" attributed to the Aragonese town of Calatayud. One such example bearing this mark is in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (Ian Eaves, 2002, p140). A large number of breastplates of this type were formerly in the armoury of the Dukes of Ossuna. Some of which are to be found in the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Musée de l'Armée, Paris. A further series from the Armoury of the Dukes of Medinaceli is now preserved in the Army Museum, Madrid. Several examples of the type from the armoury of the knights of St John of Rhodes are to be found in the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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I'm thinking about commisioning a reprodcution of the above breastplate, however I'm having no luck in finding out which style of tassets was used with these Spanish style infantry armours. As the type was used by the Knights of St. John there might be additional information in "The Medieval armour from Rhodes" however the only copy in a Swedish library is not available for intra-library loan and is thus out of reach for me. I wondering any of the myArmoury members know more about this particular style of armoru and coudl point me int the direction of information about the missing tassets?
Best regards
Daniel

Hey Daniel.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I am also interested in having one made.

So if you do find out that handy bit of info, please share it with me.

Thanks mate.

I have a copy of the book you mention. Most Spanish armour was either imported from Italy or made in the Italian style. There is an Italian breastplate in that book which is virtually identical to the one you show above. It's now in the Clevland Museum of Art (catalogue number 19.63). It too has the set of fauld lames, but no straps for the tassets (only holes). Italain tassets at this time were of a single piece, similar to the earlier Milanese style. I'll try to dig up a photo of some for you.



Peter Fuller

I looked in The Medieval armour from Rhodes. Unfortunately, the referenced item is not photographed there and is listed as a "breastplate with skirt" so does not include tassets.

Object: Breastplate with Skirt
Short description: For infantry or light cavalry use
Nationality/maker: Spanish, Calatayud
Dated: 1510
Weight: 2.33 kg
Dimensions: 49.4 cm height, 37.4 cm width, 15.6 cm depth

The same item, however, is also published in: Ewart, Oakeshott, "A Man-at-Arms of the Late Fifteenth Century", The Fourth Park Lane Arms Fair, 20th-21st February, 1987.

Photo is included below.

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 Attachment: 65.63 KB

15th Century Man-at-Arms
"A Man-at-Arms of the Late Fifteenth Century", The Fourth Park Lane Arms Fair, 20th-21st February, 1987.

Peter & Nathan,
Thank you for the help, most of my own studies is narrowly focused on German armour of the 16th Century so outside a few general works my knowledge of Italian armour and it's various styles is limited at best.

A search of the Royal Armouries online collection found these two breastplates, both from Rhodes. While diffrent in some parts they clearly belong to the same over all style IMHO.
[ Linked Image ]
[ Linked Image ]

Having seen them as well as the measurements & phioto of the breastplate posted by Nathan I get the distinc feeling that the breastplate which inspired me is missing a part of the fauld (one or two lames) and that the tasset straps are a later addition.

Peter,
A further question if I may. Did the Italian tassets retain the shape commonly seen in late 15th Century armours? Or had they adopted the square tassets seen in for example Paul Dolnsteins drawings of Landsknechts in 1500-1503?
http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk50/Dstab...echten.jpg
http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk50/Dstab...lacht2.jpg