I've recently moved to the lovely city of Glasgow, Scotland, and am currently studying at the University of Glasgow full-time, and will be until 2010. I'm enjoying my new home very much, and while I'm here I have access to two very important gems of medieval Arms & Armour. The first is Prof. Matthew Strickland, whom I met a few weeks ago, and introduced to this lovely site of ours. He was receptive to it, and although he is currently at Cambridge, he will return next semester. Meeting him was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and I look forward to being taught by him in the future.

The second is, of course, the Avant Armour!!!!!!! Let me just start by saying that this armour is absolutely gorgeous. It really needs to be seen in person to understand how it, in my opinion, encompasses practicality of design with a simplistic and absolutely awe-inspiring feeling of power.

Now, for reasons I am unaware of, the Haubergeon has been removed. However, the rest is there, and so I have pictures to share with you all! I would have posted this thread earlier, were it not for my lack of access to the pictures, as my parents took the camera home with them, and have been somewhat slow in sending them to me. More are on their way, as well as pictures of various swords (everything from a Oakeshott's Ingelrii sword to a side-sword with a ridiculously artistic hilt)

Before heading to Glasgow, my parents and I spent a week in Northern Spain, going from Zaragoza in Aragon, to Burgos, Santiago de Compostela, and finally Ponferrada. In Ponferrada there is a lovely castle with mixed 15th c. 14th c. and 12th c. walls. Pictures of that are also included. I would include a picture of the tomb of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (El Cid Campeador), but I haven't got it yet.

An adventure, to say the least!

Anyway, Pictures!


Hello, gorgeous.


Amazing


A lovely set of legs


The other arm


Left arm, back side


The Manliest Skirt Ever


Underside of the gauntlet

And now, Ponferrada!

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Myself at the gates, looking a bit goofy

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The main keep

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Arrow/gonne(?) slit

Alexander,

I just moved from the North of England (York) to the South to continue my research in Medieval Studies. I have to say it is different never having lived in the South but new museums and places to explore as well as a new advisor that will make my PhD a good experience.
You have a great teacher take advantage of it. Prof Strickland has written some very good articles and research. I enjoyed the Warbow very much 9just finished it). I still keep in contact with many of my past advisors and teachers always helps to have friends about with similar interests.
Any info you get on the Avant suit please share (if you can).

RPM

Alexander, thanks for the pics! Please feel free to post more, cause they'll definately be viewed in this neck of the woods. :)

GREAT pics! Can't wait to see the rest.

More pictures! I only took photos of a fraction of the collection. Hopefully I'll get a new camera at Christmastime and will be able to show more detail.


Full Frontal Avant


A beautiful cuirass from 1422!

Now it's time for weapons!


An outstandingly beautiful pommel, about the size of a fig


A crossbow circa 1500


Handgonne... Not a very good picture, but it was deep within a very large glass case, so I couldn't get very much detail.





To digress for a moment: This sword is one of the most unusual I have ever seen. Its blade is of excellent quality, but its hilt is very, very poorly made. The crudely shaped tang is very sloppily welded on using a tongue weld. None of the hilt components fit. The hole in the guard is deformed and far too large for the sword, the pommel suffers the same problem at the point where it enters the sword, and as shown in the picture the peening is haphazard at best and unstable.

It makes me feel a quite sad because the sword has probably undergone some attempt at restoration (whether said restoration is medieval or modern I am unsure), and so it at one time might have been an absolutely magnificent weapon (judging by the blade's quality)... But now it looks more like Frankenstein's monster than a sword, to my eyes.

It's in Oakeshott's Records of the Medieval Sword... I think it's XIIIa 7


Armor, longsword, and warhammer from the 16th century


One of my favourite swords in the collection.


The corresponding hilt

The pictures are made visually confusing by the fact that in the large case they had man-sized scupltures of a mesh of rods that basically defined human figures holding various swords in fighting poses.

Longsword, Basket-Hilt Broadsword (and targe and dirk), Smallsword, Lowlander greatsword, and Rapier and dagger. They were all very interesting, and I haven't yet found descriptions for the weapons held, as they may very well be originals (I dunno!). The poses themselves were actually very good , except for the Lowlander, but that was probably due to the length of the weapon and a lack of space in the case.

Alexander,

The hilt on the sword could be fore a number of reasons. One is it could be restored. It happens. Things also get dropped and bent, damaged, etc. I have restored some armour and weapons on the past (modern damage of course) and things happen... so it could be contorted so due to that.

It also could be that the sword blade and hilt furnature was put on in different places, hence different level of skill and craftmanship involved.

Perhaps damaged in its working life and repaired by a local smith instead of a swordmaker or cutler?


Sure there are many many more,

Thanks for the new pictures.

RPM

Alexander,

What are you studying? Are you in a medieval studies or history course?

RPM

Alexander,
Thanks for sharing this. Please consider writing up a Visitor's Experience article or two for myArmoury. This series will serve as an ongoing guide for our members. If you're interested, please let me know. Thanks!

Randall,
You do have a point. I would continue, but I think this discussion is best reserved for a thread of its own, with more photographs of the weapon itself (I shall take them when I can!)

With Glasgow's course system, you take three courses in the first year. In my case it's History (as they don't have a strict Medieval History course), Archaeology, and Classics. Next year you have to drop one of the three courses (I'm thinking Archaeology) and take a new one (Russian, I think). The third and fourth year you have to take a single or joint honours course. History, in my case. At this point you can be sufficiently specialised to effectively take a Medieval History course.

This semester we're doing Medieval History. Next semester we'll be doing Modern.