[James Millard]

I've got a picture here, a scan which includes a woodcut which I think is from the "Triumph of Maximilian". It depicts a set of knights on parade. They all seem to be wearing decorated one-piece sallets, and I was wondering: is this representative of german armour of the period (that is, were sallets commonly worn with Maximilian armour)? . I've seen a similar combination in a woodcut by Durer.

(The image is too large to be attached, so I've uploaded it to a free image host here.)

[Daniel Sullivan]

James,

This appears to be a group taking part in a form of the joust called the Rennen or Scharfrennen using sharp lances. The clues are the tilting cuisses (or sockets), the projecting bracket used with the lance rest, and the special sallet (Rennhutt). The two objects in the air are the jousting shields (Renntarsch) from the second and third figures.

At this time, with the use of sallets with deep visors, development of the armet, and the soon to follow close helmet; shallow versions of the sallet were probably not in common use for mounted men.

Hope this answers your question(s)....

Regards,
Dan

[James Millard]

Thanks for your answer! If I could expand the topic a little, could you (or anyone really) recommend some reading on this subject? (that is, the types of armour popular in Europe in this period of time)

EDIT: German wikipedia seems to have a picture similar to what you've described, here. It shows the various means for attaching the lance and shield, and I note the sallet seems to have the same sea-shell decoration as the ones in my picture.

[Daniel Sullivan]

To my knowledge there isn't anything presently available that is specific to this period. With the exception of a few recent (and excellent) publications that deal with well known collections, most books on the subject are pretty general in nature. Think this is due to expense of developing and marketing a specialty product that would not show an acceptable profit.

That is not to say there aren't some good books out there. A couple I would recommend are Arms & Armour Of The Medieval Knight (Edge & Paddock) and the Historical Guide To Arms & Armour (Bull & North. If I recall correctly, the former has a small but good section on the period you are interested in.

If you are looking for a source of books that are reasonably priced, try using Google to locate Clang Armoury. He usually maintains a good selection and is reliable.

Dan

[Chris Arrington]

Clang's website if you want it.

http://clang.adkinssoftware.com/