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Posts: 12 Location: Lincolnshire

Fri 08 Apr, 2011 9:25 am

1440 Milanese Couter dimensions

Hi Everyone

I was hoping for some help on an arm I am trying to make, its a loose copy of the typical 1440 Milanese left arm, I haven't been able to handle originals or take the measurements I want so I was trying to make this using pictures alone, as you will see I haven't made much armour. The question I had was what is the typical width of a couter, the piece I have made (pictured below) has a couter 5" wide narrowing to 4" at the lower cannon, It just seems to bulky to me but any narrower I think I would struggle to move well in it.

If it helps my elbow is 4" wide with my arm out stretched I am a fairly normal build.

Many Thanks

Ian

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Torsten F.H. Wilke

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Posts: 250 Location: Irvine Spectrum, CA

Fri 08 Apr, 2011 10:35 am

Re: 1440 Milanese Couter dimensions

Ian Sturgess wrote:

The question I had was what is the typical width of a couter, ... It just seems to bulky to me but any narrower I think I would struggle to move well in it.

Hello Ian,

Historically they were most likely around 4.5 to 5.25 inch wide on a well-physiqued adult male combatant, the latter being on the large side of things. If your 4.25 inch wide vambraces fit well, then I believe the couters should end up only being around 1/2 to 5/8 inch wider than them. I was at the Met just a few months ago, and studied these very build details as best I could. :) :) :)

A fairly relevant detail shot of a 1460's style Milanese arm defence for some inspiration...

Photobucket image

The measurements here are: 5 1/8 inch couter, 4 1/2 inch vambrace, and 4 3/4 inch rerebrace (errors within 1/16).
All the elements of the joint are fairly tightly spaced together, and are relatively in-line as viewed from straight above, with just a slight flaring of the joint lames to meet up with the inherent curvature of the couter. As you also may have noticed, the forward joint lame is elongated on this particular arm defence, a style that developed a little later in the period I believe.

Hope that helps some.....

.

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Ian Sturgess

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Posts: 12 Location: Lincolnshire

Fri 08 Apr, 2011 11:00 am

That's excellent thanks Torsten I will make the couter a little narrower to line up with the Vambrace that seems to fit me well, its good to know that Its not miles off.

Thanks

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