Wallace collection man/horse gothic armour

[Dougal Forester]

On the left knee cop and some of the lames, and on the gauntlets, and on the helm edge there is brass. I can understand the helm and the gauntlets, but whats up with the knee?

Mike

[wcallen]

On the left knee cop and some of the lames, and on the gauntlets, and on the helm edge there is brass. I can understand the helm and the gauntlets, but whats up with the knee?

Mike

Simple.

Every bit of the brass on that suit is a fake later addition. Some of it very aggressively added by insetting it into original pieces (where it doesn't belong and wouldn't have been done).

For details on how much of the suit is real, how much is messed with, etc. See the Wallace books - esp. the new digital catalogue.

The armour for the horse is very nice though - as is the backplate.

Wade

[Dougal Forester]

Ahh, thank you Wade for the prompt answer. Are the hinges and the other brass bits on the horse armor added later as well? Were they made to be a matched pair...horse/man armour?

Damn my Belgian would look great in that.

Mike

[wcallen]

Ahh, thank you Wade for the prompt answer. Are the hinges and the other brass bits on the horse armor added later as well? Were they made to be a matched pair...horse/man armour?

Damn my Belgian would look great in that.

Mike

In the catalogues from the Wallace, at least up until 1965, they are claiming that the armour for man and horse are for the same person.

<insert personal opinion> Given how little of the armour for man is original or un-adapted - I don't see how you can make any real claims for it. <end personal opinion>

The armour for horse really is very nice. It appears to really be a good, original horse armour of the late 15th c. A very uncommon survival. I don't think that there is any claim that the hinges are later. Here is an image of one of them with some flutes:



The horse armour is well worth copying.

Wade