Spanish Arms and Armour: Being a Historical and Descriptive Account of the Royal Armoury of MadridCalvert, Albert Frederick
History
Spanish Arms and Armour: Being a Historical and Descriptive Account of the Royal Armoury of Madrid
Calvert, Albert Frederick
Arms and armor -- Spain; Real Armería de Madrid
“It is the last armour the famous Colman made for Charles V. This is
easily proved by the date (1531), engraved on the left tassets--a date
which agrees with that given us some years ago by the learned German
professor, Carl Justi, to whom it was communicated by Canon Braghirolli
on his finding it in the Mantua archives. It is contained in a letter
from Duke Federigo di Gonzaga to the Duke of Urbino on the 9th November,
1532, in which he says that _the Emperor had shown him his armour, among
which was a beautiful suit by Colman, the last one he made for him, for
shortly after he had died_. The statement was confirmed by the payment
lists of the Municipality of Augsburg, from which the name of the
armourer disappeared in the year 1532.”
The helmet is a _celada de infante_, and has a visor with wide gratings
fastening over the beavor. The evolution of leg-armour is well shown by
the tassets extending, in several plates, below the knee where they
overlap the demi-jambs. There are no genouillères. The lower plates of
the tassets were detachable, those pieces being thus convertible into
tassets of ordinary length.
The shield (A109), embossed with the devices of Burgundy and the Golden
Fleece, was found in the province of Burgos, where it was bought for
seven pesetas. It was purchased for the nation by Alfonso XII. at a cost
of 1,250 pesetas.
The suit A112, plate 28, though of the same pattern as those just
described, is the work of the Italian artificer, Caremolo Mondrone, of
Milan. It is one of two suits presented to the Emperor by the Duke of
Mantua, in gratitude for favours received and anticipated. The gift
elicited the following letter of thanks from Charles (Bertolotti, Arti
minori):
“_Carolus Augustus D. F. C. Romanorum Imperator. III. Princeps consange.
Carissima:_
“_Las armas q. nos truxo Caremolo nos ha parescido muy bien y estamos
muy contento dellas porque son muy bien acabadas ya nostra voluntad, y
lo quedamos del animo con que se embiaro porque lo tenemos bien
conoscido y habemos lo que en el hay para nostras cosas. El nostro para
las vestrases de la misma manera como es razon. Caremolo dira
particularmente lo demas q. toca a las armas. Dat. ex Palencia a quatro
de Septembre an. de MDXXXIIIJ.--Carolus._”
The harness was made in 1534 specially for the African expedition which
the Emperor was planning at that time, and was worn by him on his
triumphal entry into Tunis. The decoration has disappeared, all but a
band of embossed leaves round the border of the tassets. The closeness
of the fit and the flowing lines recall the best days of the armourer’s
art.
The helmet has a pointed visor and beavor in one piece, with
perforations on each side. The breastplate is moderately globose, the
espaliers composed of narrow laminæ bolted on to the breast and
backplates. Rondels defend the armpits. The coudes are large. The
genouillères are composed of narrow articulated plates.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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