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Backplate (body armour): HEN.M.20D-1933

Object information

Awaiting location update

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown (Possibly)

Entities

Categories

Description

Backplate with associated skirt. The backplate is formed in one piece with a broad, shallow neck-opening and a short flange at the waist. The arm-openings and the neck-opening have file-roped inward turns bordered by single incised lines. The incised line around the neck-opening projects downwards as a narrow chevron at its centre. The backplate is decorated with three pairs of incised lines that diverge from its waist to the centres of its neck and arm-openings. A modern shoulder-strap is riveted at each shoulder. Modern single-ended tongued iron buckles have been incorrectly riveted beneath each armpit to connect the backplate to a breastplate. A pair of holes are pierced at each side of the waist for the attachment of a missing waist-belt. A later bolt of uncertain function protrudes internally from the centre of the waist-flange. Attached by a modern round-headed screw and square nut at each side of the waist-flange is an associated skirt formed of two plates joined medially by an internal hinge. The skirt is transversely boxed and decorated with a file-roped rib along the angle of the boxing. Each side of the skirt is pierced near its upper edge with a horizontal slot that would originally have served to suspend it from pierced rectangular studs projecting from the waist-flange of the backplate. The upper edge of the skirt is decorated with a single incised. line. A double-ended tongued iron buckle of uncertain function is riveted at each side of the lower edge of the skirt. Pairs of leathering-rivets at the lower edge of the skirt show that it would originally have been extended downwards by one or more lames. Part of the composite armour HEN.M.20A-H-1933.

Notes

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

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest

Measurements and weight

Depth: 20.5 cm
Height: 40.0 cm
Weight: 3.86 kg
Width: 39.0 cm

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

17th Century, Early#
Production date: circa AD 1610

Note

The backplate and skirt are bright with a partly mottled medium to heavy patination. The neck and arm-openings show some denting, cracking and delamination of the metal.

Components of the work

Buckles composed of iron (metal) ( modern)
Decoration
Parts
Skirt

Materials used in production

Steel

Techniques used in production

Hammering : The backplate is formed in one piece with a broad, shallow neck-opening and a short flange at the waist; hammered, shaped, riveted, hinged, with file-roping and incised line decoration
Forming

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: tag with number

  • Text: PB/30
  • Location: Left tasset
  • Type: Label

Identification numbers

Accession number: HEN.M.20D-1933
Primary reference Number: 18050
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) "Backplate (body armour)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18050 Accessed: 2024-11-25 07:03:28

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/18050 |title=Backplate (body armour) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 07:03:28|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-18050

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