[Joshua Anthony]

I'm looking to have a Roman Cuirass made, I'm thinking from boiled leather but I could go with metal if that is more period accurate.. Does anyone know who produces quality stuff?

[Matthew Amt]

Ave!

You may want to look around on the Roman Army Talk board,

http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/

Or the Armour Archive:

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/

Metal is definitely preferable to leather in terms of historical accuracy, though there are still long debates on the subject. Best to stay away from any Indian-made versions, they just aren't right and won't fit well. But there are several custom armorers who have done very nice ones.

The real ones were often surprisingly short, ending at about navel height. So the embossed details do not necessarily line up with the wearer's anatomy. That allows one to bend at the waist.

Good luck!

Matthew

[James Arlen Gillaspie]

Matt gets the gold ring! I've spent a lot of time looking at the bronze cuirasses in the Met NYC, and have been telling people that for years. I'll bet he figured it out all on his own, though! It doesn't stop there, however. There are some other subtle shaping tricks that are incorporated. The pteruges help conceal the odd proportions, too.