The Armour Archive

Was looking through the Codex Manesse the other day and noticed so many of the helmets are gold and/or bronze/brown. Does anyone have any information if these were just artistic interpretations, or is there a period way to obtain a similiar look? I have heard of heat coloring (but know next to nothing about it) and creating a rusty patina through controlled rusting followed by a typical blackening procedure, but I am unsure if any of these really create the bronzed effect in so many of the illuminations. Or is that just it...? Were the helmets made of bronze or some non-ferrous based alloy or perhaps flatout gilt? Either way, has anyone had any luck simulating these colors?

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Cross-guards on the face of a couple of existing great helms from the era are painted with gilding, effectively making the surface a fine layer of gold + paint material. In my opinion, it's likely that the Codex is depicting most of the men in tournament - considering a majority of those shown were actually poets and not warriors, and that gilded helms are probably what's shown.

-Gregory

(FWIW, the University of Heidelberg is doing a big exhibition on the Manesse Codex from October to February as part of its commemoration of the university's 625th anniversary.)

Gregory J. Liebau wrote: considering a majority of those shown were actually poets and not warriors, and that gilded helms are probably what's shown.

For most of those guys there is no distinction between poet and warrior. They are both.
I'm not sure if helms were actually gilded in that period but it would not shock me to find out. Read some of the poetry by those guys and it might actually say. And actually there is/was an academic translator who mostly did that period of German poetry and he really brings the poetry alive, really good stuff.

It would be extremely cool to be able to read poetic renditions of minnegesang. Can you point us in that translator's direction?

Oh LOL I forgot to put his name.

JW Thomas
He's the same guy that did the edition of Ulrich von Lichtenstein's Service of Ladies.

Piers Brent wrote:JW Thomas

He's the same guy that did the edition of Ulrich von Lichtenstein's Service of Ladies.

I've got that edition, I liked it.