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Breastplate (body armour): HEN.M.120-1933

Awaiting location update

Maker(s)

Tyne, Ambrose (Probably)

Entities

Categories

Description

Breastplater, for use by an harquebusier. Formed in one-piece with a narrow flange at the waist. It is medially-ridged and dips down to the centre of the waist. Its arm-openings and its narrow, upward-flanged neck-opening have plain inward turns. Riveted at each arm-opening is a mushroom-shaped stud to engage the shoulder-straps of a backplate. Later, flat, downward-projecting belt-hooks are riveted at each side of the waist. Each side of the neck-opening and each side of the waist-flange are pierced with modern wiring-holes. The breastplate is struck to the left of its centre with the proof-mark of a bullet.

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: 15.2 cm
Height: 40.7 cm
Weight: 3.63 kg
Width: 35.0 cm

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

17th Century, Mid#
Production date: circa AD 1650

Note

Ambrose Tyne appears in a list of apprentices of the Armourers' Company of London. His father was an edged-tool maker. He was admitted to the freedom of the Company by patrimony in 1644 and died in 1675 (information supplied by Claude Blair 1982).

English, probably by Ambrose Tyne of London

The breastplate is bright with a patchy heavy pitting and patination.

Components of the work

Parts

Materials used in production

Steel

Techniques used in production

Hammered : Formed in one-piece with a narrow flange at the waist; hammered, shaped, riveted, medially-ridged
Medially-ridged
Patinating
Formed

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: proof-mark of a bullet

  • Location: To the left of centre
  • Method of creation: Struck
  • Type: Mark

Inscription present: maker's mark

  • Text: AT
  • Location: Centre of the neck-opening
  • Method of creation: Struck
  • Type: Mark

Inscription present: the cross of St. George within an ecsutcheon

  • Location: Near top of right arm-opening
  • Method of creation: Struck
  • Type: Mark

Inscription present: crowned IR cipher

  • Text: IR
  • Location: Just to left and below the centre of neck-opening
  • Method of creation: Struck
  • Type: Mark

Identification numbers

Accession number: HEN.M.120-1933
Primary reference Number: 18599

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 11 August 2015

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) "Breastplate (body armour)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18599 Accessed: 2024-04-18 16:00:34

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/18599 |title=Breastplate (body armour) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-04-18 16:00:34|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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-18599

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