The Armour Archive

Hello folks,

So today I was wandering around Diocletian's Palace in Split, Croatia. During my tour of the cathedral (which resides within the space of the original palace grounds) I spent some time pondering an effigy by the southern entrance into the main chamber. It shows a man armed in what appears to be a Milanese harness reminiscent of some Italian sculptures and art c. 1430-1450. Although photography is forbidden in the cathedral, I couldn't help but snap one quick photo of the effigy - hence the lopsidedness!

After getting back to the hotel and doing a bit of research - with lots of Google Translate help - I managed to discover that the effigy is reportedly of Janko Alberti, who lived c. 1430-1493. He was of a distinguished noble family that had resided in Split for at least two hundred years before his time, and he was well-respected as a local patrician (obtaining judgeship in Split's high court in multiple years), and for his military service against the Turks throughout the mid-15th century (which earned him a Venetian knighthood).

What interests me is that his effigy apparently depicts a style of armour that would have been very primitive by the time of his death in 1493. This might suggest that it was either a recycled effigy (hence having a different name, perhaps that of his father or another relative) or else that Croatian nobility were rather backwards in their military armament!

To start, there's the obvious inclusion of a shield, which is rare even among earlier Italian art! He is depicted wearing two layers of mail below the cuirass, suggesting a haubergeon as well as a skirt. His lower legs were hidden behind a bench, but when I looked there was no sign of mail sabatons, as we often see in Italy alongside some of these other details. His sword has a rain guard on the hilt, which is a fashion I typically associate with the first half of the fifteenth century. His fauld also appears to be made of large, square scales - I am unaware of the precedent for that. The small pauldrons floating on top of the haubergeon sleeves, the mail standard rather than a plate gorget, and the shape of the armet are all details that also strike me as earlier Italian.

It's interesting to have such a discrepancy between the death date and all of these details. Another possibility is that the Croatian Wiki page and Encyclopedia page got it wrong and that it is actually meant to be one of Janko's earlier relatives, but I rather doubt that... Whatever the case, I thought I'd share since it seemed interesting. Cheers!

-Gerhard

Cool details in that effigy thanks for sharing.
Note that the second layer of mail on Italian style harnesses is due to a curtain of mail attached to the bottom lame of the fauld.

If Nicholai Alberti is Janko's father, I would bet the armor and slab date to his death.

I just realized the word in the top left corner is "Iancus," which is probably Latin for Janko. So, that makes it likely that Nicolai was a second name, perhaps - and also more likely that it actually is meant to be Janko's effigy. Still a puzzlement, in that case, based on the details! I reckon that the effigy itself was probably carved in the early part of the fifteenth century, and was either recycled or did not see use until Janko's death.

The armament bears many similarities to that of the Orlando Statue in Dubrovnik (which I'll examine in a couple of weeks) that was erected in 1418. For that date, it actually has quite advanced details:

https://peripateticbone.files.wordpress ... rlando.jpg

Cheers!

-Gerhard

Here's a cropped photo of a photo of the effigy, which was hanging on the corridor wall in the Split City Museum. Original credit goes to Z. Buljević. In Croatian Janko Alberti is "Janka Albertija," by the way... Cheers!

-Gerhard