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Tassets: HEN.M.17E-1933

Object information

Awaiting location update

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Tassets, for use by a cuirassier. The tassets are each formed of thirteen upward-overlapping lames that narrow towards their lower ends where they are fitted with poleyns of five lames that overlap outwards from the third, which is shaped to the point of the knee and expands to a small, pointed wing at its outer end. The lames of the tassets are connected to one another by modern sliding-rivets at their outer ends and by modern internal leathers at their inner ends and centres. The lames of the poleyns are connected to one another by modern round-headed rivets at their inner and outer ends. The first lame is pierced at the centre of its upper edge with a later-enlarged, horizontal keyhole-slot that serves to suspend it from the mushroom-shaped stud of the waist-flange of the breastplate. The two tassets are connected to one another medially by modern straps riveted at the inner ends of their first lames. The strap of the left tasset terminates in a double-ended, tongued iron buckle. the lowest lame of each poleyn which projects downwards to a central point, is at each side with later keyhole-slots, presumably for the attachment of greaves. Riveted within each end of the third lame of the poleyn is a modern leather strap, the outer of which terminates in a single-ended, tongued iron buckle. The main edges of the tassets and poleyns have plain inward turns bordered by pairs of incised lines. The secondary edges of the tassets and poleyns are bordered by pairs of incised lines within single incised lines. The first lame of each tasset is decorated with a file-roped transverse rib. Slight differences in the details of the two tassets suggest that they are not an exact pair but probably derive from the same series of armours. Part of the composite three-quarter armour HEN.M.17A-G-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

17th Century#
Circa 1620 CE - 1630 CE

Note

The armour is bright with a variable light to medium patination overall. It has suffered some dents, buckles and cracks.

Components of the work

Internal Leathers composed of leather ( modern)
Straps composed of leather ( modern)
Buckles composed of iron (metal)
Right Tasset Depth 10.3 cm Height 73.0 cm Weight 1.9 kg Width 28.2 cm
Left Tasset Depth 11.1 cm Height 68.0 cm Weight 2.4 kg Width 29.0 cm
Decoration
Parts

Materials used in production

Steel

Techniques used in production

Hammering : The tassets are each formed of thirteen upward-overlapping lames that narrow towards their lower ends where they are fitted with poleyns of five lames that overlap outwards from the third, which is shaped to the point of the knees and expands o a small, pointed wing at its outer end; hammered, shaped, riveted, with incised and file-roped decoration
Patinating
Forming

Identification numbers

Accession number: HEN.M.17E-1933
Primary reference Number: 17995
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 8 January 2016 Last processed: Thursday 7 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Tassets" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/17995 Accessed: 2024-03-19 03:21:08

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/17995 |title=Tassets |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-03-19 03:21:08|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-17995

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