Vambrace: HEN.M.12G-1933

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown (Probably)

Entities

• Vambrace

Categories

• Armour

Description

Vambrace for the right arm, for field use or tournament use, with later etched and gilt decoration. Formed of a tubular upper cannon with a turner, a winged bracelet couter of three lames, and a tubular lower cannon. The tubular turner has an inward-overlapping join at the rear, secured by a pair of later, externally-flush rivets. Its upper edge, which slopes down to the inside of the arm, has a file-roped inward turn. The outside of the turner is articulated twice along concave, horizontal lines. The three sections of the turner overlap upwards and are connected to one another at their outer ends by modern, externally-flush rivets. Attached by a single, modern round-headed rivet with a hexagonal, internal washer at the inside of the upper edge of the turner is a modern buff-leather loop to receive the strap of the associated pauldron. Three modern, externally-flush rivets at the upper edge of the top section of the turner, occupy holes that originally served to attach a leather tab pierced with lace-holes. Riveted to the outside of the lowest section of the turner, and also the underlying middle section of the turner, is a turning-pin with a flat, semi-circular head that serves to engage a slot cut in the lower edge of the associated pauldron. The turning-pin, which now rigidly secures the top and middle sections of the turner to one another, probably represents a modern addition. The lower edge of the turner is bordered by a raised rib, the hollowed underside of which locks over and rotates on the recessed and outward-flanged upper edge of the upper cannon of the vambrace. The upper cannon is of tubular form, with an inward-overlapping join at the rear secured by three externally-flush rivets. Its lower edge has a plain, inward turn at the inside of the elbow where it is cut away in a concave curve. The couter is formed of three lames that overlap outwards from the central lame which is strongly shaped to the point of the elbow and completely encircles the arm with an inward-overlapping join at the rear secured by two externally-flush rivets. The point of the elbow is severely damaged by rust-perforations which have in several cases broken into one another. The central lame expands to a moderately large wing at both the front and the rear. The upper and lower edges of the wings have file-roped inward turns. The lames of the couter are connected to one another and to the upper and lower cannons by modern, round-headed rivets with square, internal washers. The tapering, tubular lower cannon is formed of an inner and an outer plate: the former fitting within the latter. The plates are connected to one another at the rear by a pair of modern, external hinges, and fastened at the front by a plain, modern, polygonal stud riveted at the centre of the front edge of the inner plate that engages a corresponding hole in the front edge of the outer plate. The hinges are secured at either end by single round-headed rivets with square, internal washers. The upper hinge has rounded ends, while the lower one has square ends and is shaped around the rivets at each side. The upper edge of the lower cannon has a plain inward turn at the inside of the elbow where it is cut away in a concave curve. The lower edge, which slopes up to the inside of the wrist, has a file-roped inward turn. The lower corners of the inner plate are each cut with a trapezoidal notch.
The vambrace is etched with bands of interlacing strapwork involving stylised foliage, partly blackened on a stipple and gilt ground. The bands, which run down the outside of the entire vambrace, down the inside of the lower cannon, across the upper edge of the turner, across the lower end of the lower cannon, and across the wings of the couter, are bordered to either side by three narrower bands, of which the central one is decorated with etched and gilt guilloche, and the outer ones are plain. The same pattern of three narrower bands decorate the subsidiary edges of the vambrace. The transverse rib of the turner is decorated with etched roping, formed of pairs of fine lines. The etching has been added in modern times. Part of the composite half armour HEN.M.12A-J-1933

Notes

History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart

Dating

16th Century, Late
19th Century
Circa 1580 CE - 1590 CE Circa 1800 CE - 1900 CE

Note

South Germany