Production: Unknown
Breastplate, for heavy cavalry use. Formed of a medially-ridged main plate projecting forward over the belly and fitted with movable gussets at the arm-openings and a separate waist-plate. The almost straight neck-opening and the gussets have boldly roped inward turns. The main plate was formerly pierced at the right armpit with a pair of large, vertically-aligned holes for the attachment of a missing lance-rest. The holes have been plugged in modern times with large, externally-flush rivets. The gussets at the arm-openings are secured to the main plate by modern round-headed rivets with roughly-cut, circular internal washers at their upper and lower ends. The upper ones move within diagonal slots cut in the gussets. Attached within the upper end of each gusset by an externally-flush rivet is a modern double-ended, tongued, iron buckle with filed decoration. The right buckle, which lacks its tongue has a trapezoidal hasp with rounded corners. The left buckle has a parallel-sided hasp with an obtusely printed end. The right gusset is pierced just under the armpit with a later hole of uncertain function. Attached within the lower edge of the main plate by a modern round-headed rivet with a roughly-cut, circular internal washer at each side is a waist-plate which is flanged outwards at its lower edge to receive a skirt. Each side of the waist-plate is pierced with a rivet-hole for the attachment of the missing skirt. The skirt was further connected to the flange by an internal leather located mid-way along the flange at each side. A pair of modern, externally-flush rivets retain a fragment of each of the modern leathers. The centre of the flange is pierced with a small, countersunk hole of uncertain function. Together with the associated backplate HEN.M.112B-1933
History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex.
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Depth: 17.5 cm
Height: 32.2 cm
Weight: 2.48 kg
Width: 34.5 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
16th Century, Mid#
Production date:
circa
AD 1540
South German
The breastplate is bright with some minor patches of light patination and pitting on the main plate and gussets and heavier patination on the waist-flange.
The left gusset shows a different internal colour and workmanship to the rest of the breastplate, and is almost certainly replaced.
Leathers
composed of
leather
( modern fragments)
Buckles
composed of
iron (metal)
Main Plate
Parts
Hammered
: Formed of a medially-ridged main plate projecting forward over the belly and fitted with moveable gussets at the arm-openings and a separate waist-plate; hammered, shaped, riveted
Formed
Accession number: HEN.M.112A-1933
Primary reference Number: 18582
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) "Breastplate (body armour)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18582 Accessed: 2024-12-31 18:59:02
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18582
|title=Breastplate (body armour)
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-31 18:59:02|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-18582
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...