The Armour Archive

James Arlen Gillaspie

Check out the thread on the 'Arms and Armour Forum'.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Um... Those arms are more like right around 1500 at the earliest, and are very much in the style of the 16th century, so could be later. I suppose it's possible that they could be 15th c., by a cat's whisker. Also, that cap is more like what you'd see in a 'frogmouth' tourney helm... if it's real.

James Arlen Gillaspie

I've always liked that guy. This culture was obviously capable of very skilled metalwork, so why does it always seem to be assumed their armour was nonmetallic?

James Arlen Gillaspie

I'll give you a hint; when you first begin to mount, you will know immediately which side should be leathered.

James Arlen Gillaspie

You had better make sure you can mount a horse properly wearing your fauld. If not, you will have to forget the sliding rivets and leather the side that's hanging you up.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Yes, it's true; no picture of a painting really looks just like the painting. Reproductions in books are useful, in that they give me some idea what the painting looks like, and inspire me to go look at the real thing. That goes for drawings, too.

James Arlen Gillaspie

A typical stainless (I don't know what you have on hand in Bavaria; we tend to use some stuff we call '304' here) is much stronger than mild steel. A 1/4" 304 stainless bar is far beyond the actual strength equivalent required. Square bars are also much stronger than the same diameter round bar...

James Arlen Gillaspie

My past response to seeing artwork like this has been, JAPIAAFS! (Just Another Painting of Imaginary All' Antica Fantasy Stuff), but now, due to Knitebee's remarkable work, I have to rethink this. Once again, I find that there were more things in heaven and earth than I had imagined. I think it more...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Here is an example of Venetian armour from another Carpaccio painting;
Fun stuff, eh?

James Arlen Gillaspie

Venetian armour styles in the late 15th through much of the 16th century are heavily influenced by Germanic fashions (see more of Carpaccio's work for interesting examples), but with their own spin. The sabatons are mail with caps. I don't know how common the half greaves were for men-at-arms, but t...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Nope, no can do. 'Papa' Claude Blair, author of 'European Armour' has
already assigned the term 'upper cannon' as the part of the plate arm harness that covers the upper arm and the 'lower cannon' as that which covers the lower arm.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Something to know; while all the lower cannons I've seen were made to do as Wade and Doug have explained, it is not unusual to see period artwork showing the cannons closed the other way. I'm not sure why this is (and, as usual, I can't seem to find an example when I want one...)

James Arlen Gillaspie

There's a reason why real spaudlers have lames at the bottom. They don't even look very functional.

James Arlen Gillaspie

I've been to Mantova, but back in '93 when I was there, no one at the Diocesan Museum of the Gonzaga (English translation) was authorized to open any of the cases. Apparently the care of the pieces is assigned to a specialist from some other museum. Dropping Boccia's name got me a little ways, thoug...

James Arlen Gillaspie

If I NEVER see that woman again it'll be too soon!

James Arlen Gillaspie

There's some rootin' and tootin' going on there! I can't see those pictures without Prokofiev's 'Alexander Nevsky Suite' playing in my head!

James Arlen Gillaspie

Another possibility would be to 'raise' the corners down till they match the helm.

James Arlen Gillaspie

A pity they don't seem to be able to get their full suits all on the same page when it comes to period and style.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Hello, Russ,

I haven't yet been to Copenhagen. It seems they have some fine pieces, though. Lucky you!

Here's a pic' of Rob Valentine sporting one of the more pinched examples, which are the extreme version of the form.

James Arlen Gillaspie

That breastplate, which is probably from Brunswick (Germany), dated in the 1540's, is a pinch shy of a 'tappelbrust'. It doesn't have a name, but it should. It's a very beautiful form. The best one I've seen is the one made by Michael Witz for Ferdinand I, dated 1535, in the Historisches Museum der ...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Well he might - if he could make them cheaply (=quickly) enough. I'm still trying to figure that out.

James Arlen Gillaspie

With respect, I'd have to disagree. Most armourers CANNOT make a decent greave in either the Greek or, say, the very late 14th and 15th century styles, nor will ever be able without considerable training. There are at this time less than half a dozen in the world who can, and then a few more who can...

James Arlen Gillaspie

And, since I can't fit more than three to a post, the last one;

James Arlen Gillaspie

Here are my pic's of the Avant's gauntlets;

James Arlen Gillaspie

Alcy, the picture you are thinking of is German, early 16th c. That part of the HRE had quite a variety of partial mittens.

James Arlen Gillaspie

Here's the symmetrical pair dated in the 1440's at the Met.

James Arlen Gillaspie

There's a pair in the Met NYC that is remarkably similar to the da Fabriano picture, dated to the 1440's, if memory serves. The da Fabriano St. George dates to 1425, I think.

James Arlen Gillaspie

I'm wondering what role captured equipment played in the whole armour question. To give an example of the sort I'm familiar with, Henry V's army was literally transformed overnight by their victory at Agincourt; his archers went from many being nearly naked armourwise to having complete harness. I d...

James Arlen Gillaspie

So Carpini saw SHINING lamellar on some of them! I wouldn't have thought it.

James Arlen Gillaspie

If I'm reading Dr. Boccia right (Armi e Armature Lombarde), he says it's from Lancelot du Lac , c.1380, now at Paris, but from Castello di Pavia. "Un altro testo Francese illuminato in Lombardia, ricchissimo di testimonianze sull'armamento del tempo." Hmmm. The armour is molto Italian, the...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Ah, there you are, Russ. I was just keeping your seat warm.

James Arlen Gillaspie

I wouldn't rely too heavily on illustrations; written records are better. Just because you don't see the armour doesn't mean it isn't there. An example would be this boot, which if National Geographic is to be trusted (big if) has Mongol parallels. Of course, for your purposes it makes no PRACTICAL ...

James Arlen Gillaspie

Here's a picture of what Andrew's talking about; it's c. 1380, from Castello di Pavia (?).

James Arlen Gillaspie

Here's B 3 Mantova. The mannequin situation in the Diocesan Museum reminds me of the Imperial Austria Exhibition back in '91, which had wee mannequins all the same size; some of the armours had the breastplates opened up and pushed down OVER the hips, and their knuckles were practically dragging the...

James Arlen Gillaspie

A 60 and A 62 KMW were made, respectively, for people about 5' 5" and 5' 7" tall.

The Mantova armours all suffer from what I call 'primary mounting goof syndrom' - the waist indent is put at the tops of the hips. Get a load of B3! WHOA!!!