[Adam D. Kent-Isaac]

The armour in the portrait of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, looks very similar to several armours made for Henri III, King of France, possibly by Etienne Delaune.

The portrait:


The French armours still extant, for comparison (note the leftmost):



Looks like a similar style. How was this effect (the consistent pattern all over the steel) achieved? Just etching and gilding, or some other decorative technique as well?

Note also the fluted armour at rightmost. Not a common sight after the early 1500s. A similar style can be seen in a portrait of Gaspard de Coligny.