Armour in England, from the Earliest Times to the Reign of James the FirstGardner, John Starkie
History
Armour in England, from the Earliest Times to the Reign of James the First
Gardner, John Starkie
Armor -- England
The Colman family migrated from Bâle to Augsburg about 1377, to again
quote from Böheim. Georg, the father of Lorenz, was well established
as an armourer when he was joined in 1467 by his famous son. In 1477
they were honoured with a commission from Maximilian, then King of the
Romans, for a complete harness for horse and man, which was executed
to his entire satisfaction. Georg died two years later. In 1490 Lorenz
was appointed Court Armourer, and he had prospered so far as to be
able to afford pecuniary assistance to the ever-needy Maximilian.
Towards 1506 he worked for the Court of Mantua, receiving through the
house of Fugger a payment of no less than 4000 florins for a harness
which gave such satisfaction that a further sum was sent him as a
present. In 1507 Maximilian again employed him, and in 1508 begged him
to repair personally to Court, when probably the important change in
the fashion of armour, resulting in the Maximilian fluted armour, was
devised personally between Lorenz and himself. The first edition of
Hans Burgkmair's woodcut engraving of the Emperor in a full suit of
this armour for horse and man appeared in this same year. Lorenz died
in 1516. The only authentic suits by him known to Böheim are in the
Imperial collections of Vienna. One is the magnificent Gothic suit made
in 1493 for Maximilian, a far more complete and defensive suit than
those we have figured, but with similar fleur-de-lis pattern engrailing
to the margins of the plates, while some of the upper edges on the limb
pieces are rolled over and finished with a cable border. The suit is
graceful and of exquisite workmanship, slightly fluted in the arms,
with fingered gauntlets and moderately long and pointed sollerets.
Three other tilting suits bear the Colman mark, the close-helmet
surmounted by a cross, with the Augsburg badge and guild mark.
[Illustration: FIG. 10.--_German late Gothic Suit. Collection of Mr.
Morgan Williams._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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