IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 18604 accession number: M.17-1947 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Tuesday 13 April 2021 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: Breastplate, for heavy cavalry use, with etched decoration. 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 is pierced at the right armpit with a pair of large, vertically-aligned holes for the attachment of a missing lance-rest. The gussets at the arm-openings are secured to the main plate by modern, round-headed rivets with octagonal internal washers at their upper and lower ends. The upper ones move within diagonal slots cut in the gussets. The slot in the right gusset has broken out and been repaired with a riveted internal patch. Attached within the upper end of each gusset by an externally-flush rivet is a double-ended, tongued-iron buckle with filed decoration and a rectangular hasp. Attached within the lower edge of the main plate by a modern round-headed rivet with an octagonal internal washer at each side is a waist-plate which is flanged outwards at its lower edge to receive a skirt. The left rivet lacks its head and internal washer. Each side of the flange of the waist-plate is pierced with a rivet-hole for the attachment of the missing skirt. Each side of the main plate is pierced just above the waist-plate with a later hole that has subsequently been plugged with an externally-flush rivet. Each side of the waist-plate is similarly pierced on its angle with a later hole that has subsequently been plugged with an externally-flush rivet. The external edges of the breastplate have been pierced with a total of eighteen pairs of later holes, possibly for attaching a lining. The breastplate is decorated with finely etched ornament in bands that border the neck and arm-opening, in a band that runs across the angle of the waist-plate and in three bands that diverge from the waist to the centres of the neck and arm-openings respectively. The ogee-shaped band at the neck-opening is bordered by a pair of narrower bands of which the outer one is etched with circular pellets on a blackened ground. A similar band of pellets decorates the edges of the main plate at the arm-openings. The main ornament, except at the neck-opening, consists of scrolling foliage on a blackened and stippled ground, involving, in bands at the arm-openings, cornucopia and ribands, in the lateral bands, goats' heads suspending satyrs by their necks, and in the medial band, Hercules wrestling with Antaeus above a rectangular cartouch enclosing the inscription HRCKLVS, and an animal's head suspending drapery and a swag from its mouth. The ornament at the neck-opening shows two mounted huntsmen, armed with a sword and a spear respectively, three hounds, a dog and two falcons pursuing a stag, a fox and two hares towards a net on a blackened and stippled ground. A lady rides side-saddle behind the rear of the two huntsmen. The top half of the space intervening between the medial band and the left lateral band is etched with the figure of a knight in knee-length armour kneeling before the crucifix with his open close helmet lying on the ground in front of him. title: breastplate (body armour) NOTES ----- type: history note value: From the Thewalt Collection, sold at Cologne, 1903, and the collection of Sir Guy Francis Laking, bought by Mr Stead on 24 March 1904 for £80. Lent to the Fitzwilliam Museum by Mrs E.W. Stead and Mr Gilbert Stead from 1936 to 1947. LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Applied Arts creditline: Bought with funds from the Leverton Harris Fund and a contribution from Mr Louis C.G. Clarke STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18604 PEOPLE ------------------- satyrs Hercules Antaeus huntsmen knight woman SUBJECTS ------------------- cornucopia sword ribands spear crucifix goat hounds falcon horse (animal) stag Fox hares foliage Hercules wrestling with Antaeus cornucopia sword ribands spear crucifix goat hounds falcon horse (animal) stag Fox hares foliage Hercules wrestling with Antaeus TECHNIQUES ---------- 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, with etched decoration on a stippled and blackened ground hammered TECHNIQUES ---------- formed CATEGORIES ------ category: armour DATING ------ creation date: 1550 - 1550 creation date earliest: 1550 creation date latest: 1550 culture: 16th Century, Mid# CREATORS -------- maker: Unknown DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Depth units: cm value: 17 dimension: Height units: cm value: 35.7 dimension: Weight units: kg value: 4.28 dimension: Width units: cm value: 38.4 CITATIONS -------- In the Auction Rooms Exhibition of Arms, Armour and Militaria lent by H.R.H. The Duke of Brunswick Waffen und Kostümkunde ---