[Sean Flynt]

This is Royal Armouries Object V.87, a buckler of ca. 1600, probably English.

I've requested info from the RA-L, but wanted to pose the same questions to this vast community in the hope that some of you have seen V.87:

• The piece appears to be polychromed. If that's the case, what are the colors? Are they believed to date from the working life of the buckler?

• What is the diameter of the piece?

• Is the grip intact? If so, is it iron or wood, plain or bound?

• How long is the spike? Hollow or solid? Threaded or peened?

Any help is appreciated!

[Sean Flynt]

There are a couple of interesting things here:
• The use of slotted screws to secure the grip.
• The decision to keep paint off the rivets. The painter appears to have cleaned the wet white(?) paint from the rivets--you can see where he might have wiped the rivets with finger or rag and also removed paint from the band. That, plus the very dark appearance of the rivets, makes me wonder if they're brass or possibly even silver gilt. If brass, the paint of the band might have been worn off by polishing(?).

[Sean Flynt]

Thom Richardson, FSA, Keeper of Armour and Oriental Collections, Royal Armouries has most generously responded to my question (and at the speed of light, too). Here's the catalog entry:

V.87
Buckler
Possibly English, about 1600

Of flat circular form, with a half turn at the edge and a low boss in
the centre made of a double thickness of metal. The leather lining is
restored. Painted black with gold bands around the boss and outer edge.
Marks none
Dimensions diameter 298 cm
Weights 1.25 kg
Provenance Presented by F.H. Cripps-Day, 1941.

Richardson thinks the paint is later. Grip information pending.

So, the leather lining is restored, which could explain the unpainted rivets and disturbed paint. If the grip is thought to be later, esp. if modern, that also could explain the slotted screws. Later or not, I like the idea of the gold rings on a black field.

You might have guessed that I'm seeing a buckler project on the distant horizon. I'll be collecting research, so any help is appreciated.

[Keith L. Rogers]

[Sean Flynt]

Good catch! Yes, 298mm is 11.73"--a bit more reasonable for a buckler.