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
Colman in person took his work to Valladolid, at that time the residence
of the Court. This appears from the following Imperial schedule, given
at Worms, July 29th, 1545. “The King: Don Francisco de los Cobos, &c.,
and our Chief Accountant of Castile: Colman, our armourer, we have sent
to your Court to take certain armour which he is conveying to the Prince
our son, and we have granted as salary for each day he may occupy, two
florins of fifteen _bacos_ each, and we have paid him here six weeks and
because on returning he will need more money, we charge you to provide
for paying him there a like amount in this respect.--I the King.”
The first figure (A189, plate 43) shows a suit of foot-armour for
jousting. It has an armet with high ridged comb, visor with two slits
for the occularium, and beavor freely perforated. The tastefully-decorated
breastplate has laminated gussets, and taces to which are attached the
conspicuous lamboys. The border of this kilt of steel is embossed,
gilded, and etched with the devices of the Golden Fleece, griffins, and
scrolls. Espaliers protect the shoulders, rondels the armpits, and small
coudes the elbows. The gauntlet of the right hand is notable (plate
106A): it extends in several articulations to the inside of the wrist,
where it is closed with a hinge to prevent its slipping off the hand.
The leg-armour is peculiar to this description of harness, and has high
laminated cuisses accommodated to the curves of the knee; genouillères
are, therefore, dispensed with. (Compare the suit A149, made in 1541.)
The second figure (A190) bears a fine mid-sixteenth century tilting helm
in three pieces. The beavor, perforated at the sides, is screwed on to
the upper part of the breast-plate, and is secured to the other parts of
the head-piece by side screws, on which the visor revolves; the back of
the helm, including skull-piece, comb, and tail-piece is fastened to the
backplate, and at the sides of the head to the beavor and visor. On the
arm is one of the pieces mentioned at A101, and “slashed” in imitation
of the civil dress of the time. With these pieces is shown a target,
beautifully etched with fantastic figures in the German style. The
superb barding of the horse does not belong to the suit or the period,
and will be described later.
To figure A191 are attached a notable morion, with roped comb, and arm
guards, waved or imbricated with gold and steel alternately, and
delicately etched. The tassets, cuisses, and gauntlets display the same
decoration as the rest of the armour. The shield A193 was designed by
Diego de Arroyo, like the other pieces.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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