IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 18101 accession number: HEN.M.23C-1933 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Tuesday 29 April 2025 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: Breastplate and tassets for use by a pikeman. The breastplate is medially-ridged and dips to the centre of the waist. Its arm-openings and deep, narrow neck-opening have plain, inward turns bordered by single incised lines. Riveted at each side of the chest is a modern pierced stud and swivel-hook to engage the shoulder-straps of the backplate. The lower edge of the breastplate is flanged outwards to receive a fairly deep, transversely-boxed skirt formed in two halves joined medially by an overlapped and riveted join. The lateral and lower edges of the skirt have plain inward turns accompanied, in the case of the former, by recessed borders embossed with simulated rivets. Riveted at each side of the skirt are a pair of pierced rectangular studs that serve to attach the tassets which are suspended from them on scaled straps. The L-shaped top scale is in each case pierced with a rectangular slot and furnished with a swivel-hook at its upper, inner corner. The rectangular tassets are each formed in one piece and embossed to simulate seven lames. Each 'lame' is decorated at its upper with a single incised line. The lateral and lower edges of each tasset have plain inward turns accompanied by a recessed border containing lining-rivets. Those of the right tasset retain substantial portions of a buff-leather lining. The right tasset, which shows some small rust-perforations, is decorated with three vertical lines of round-headed rivets, one of which is replaced. The left tasset is decorated with three vertical lines of simulated round-headed rivets, produced by embossing. A number of later holes in the left tasset, just to the inside of its inner connecting-strap, have been plugged with externally-flush rivets. Part of the composite pikeman's armour HEN.M.23A-D-1933. title: breastplate (body armour) NOTES ----- type: history note value: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex. LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Applied Arts collection: J.S. Henderson creditline: J.S. Henderson Bequest STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18101 TECHNIQUES ---------- the breastplate is medially-ridged and dips to the centre of the waist, the rectangular tassets are each formed in one piece and embossed to simulate seven lames; hammered, shaped, riveted, decorated with recessed borders, embossing, incised lines and rivets hammering TECHNIQUES ---------- patinating TECHNIQUES ---------- forming CATEGORIES ------ category: armour DATING ------ creation date: 1630 - 1640 creation date earliest: 1630 creation date latest: 1640 culture: 17th Century CREATORS -------- maker: Unknown DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Weight units: kg value: 3.94