Backplate, for field use. Formed of a single plate shaped to the shoulder-blades and the hollow of the back. The broad, shallow neck-opening and the arm-openings have file-roped inward turns accompanied by a recessed border. The border at the neck widens to its centre. The backplate is decorated medially with a single incised line that extends from the border at the neck to the waist. The lower edge of the backplate is flanged outwards to form a short skirt. The edge of the skirt, which is slightly arched at its centre, has a file-roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border. Attached by a single, brass-capped, round-headed rivet with a square internal washer at each shoulder is a modern, buff-leather shoulder-strap. Located just below the rivet is a hole that may originally have served to secure the shoulder-straps. The hole at the right shoulder is occupied by an externally-flush rivet. Pierced just above each of the rivets that now retain the shoulder-straps is a pair of later, vertically-aligned wiring-holes. Attached by a pair of brass-capped, round-headed rivets with square, internal washers at each side of the waist is a modern, buff-leather strap forming a waist-belt. The left strap terminates in a double-ended, tongued iron buckle, secured by a single, flat-headed rivet. The buckle has oval loops with simple, filed ornament at their centres. Pierced at each of the outer ends of the waist are a pair of later lace-holes. Part of the composite half armour HEN.M.13A-F-1933.
History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex.
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Depth: 15.0 cm
Height: 38.2 cm
Weight: 1.49 kg
Width: 38.1 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
16th Century
Circa
1560
-
1570
A small section of the left end of the waist has broken away. The centre of the left arm-opening shows a large crack that has been repaired with a riveted internal patch. The metal of the backplate has perforated just to the inside of the patch. The centre of the skirt shows a smaller crack.
North Italian
The backplate is bright with a light patination and fine pitting over most of its surface.
Belt
composed of
leather
( modern)
Shoulder-straps
composed of
leather
( modern)
Rivet Caps
composed of
brass (alloy)
( some modern)
Buckles
composed of
iron (metal)
Borders
Decoration
Parts
Hammering
: Formed of a single plate shaped to the shoulder-blades and the hollow of the back; hammered, shaped, riveted, with recessed borders, with file-roped decoration
Patinating
Forming
Accession number: HEN.M.13D-1933
Primary reference Number: 17875
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Backplate (body armour)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/17875 Accessed: 2024-12-31 19:06:11
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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/17875
|title=Backplate (body armour)
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-31 19:06:11|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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