GERMAN, ITALIAN, AND OTHER INFLUENCES UPON EUROPEAN ARMOUR
It may come somewhat in the nature of a shock to the self-complacency
of the average Englishman to learn that in the great stores of armour
in the public and private collections of Great Britain and Ireland
only an infinitesimal portion is of English origin, and also that
England was never celebrated in any age for the output of reliable
suits. The excellent quality of English steel is, at the present time,
accepted throughout the world, while the care and finish bestowed upon
articles fabricated from it is proverbial, and in marked contrast
to that of many other nations. This fact is so well known that the
average inhabitant of our isles unconsciously places armour in the same
category, and believes as a matter of course that it was pre-eminent
in the Middle Ages. But the superiority of British iron is a matter
of the last two or three centuries, and only sprang into existence
when armour was becoming obsolete, whereas upon the Continent the
manufacture in some places dates back almost to remote antiquity. This
is especially the case with regard to Germany, whence has emanated
the great majority of the armour seen in our museums. If we take the
Wallace Collection, for instance, we find that sixteen cap-à-pie suits
are contained in it, of which thirteen are German, two Italian, and one
English. Of this number the eight earliest, dating from 1460 to 1560,
are of German manufacture. Of the three three-quarter suits dating
from 1520 to 1540 the whole are German, while of the nine half-suits
only one is Italian, the remainder coming from Germany. A similar
comparison taken in other museums would probably give a like result.
If, however, a collection has no suits of armour previous to the year
1605, a probability exists that English armour might occupy the second
if not the first place, inasmuch as the half and three-quarter suits in
use during the Civil Wars were largely made in England. It must not be
supposed, however, that the English armourers of the Middle Ages were
incapable of manufacturing defensive or offensive equipments, for it
is almost certain that the greater part used from the time of the War
of the Barons to the Wars of the Roses was fabricated at home, always
excepting that worn by royalty and the most prominent nobles. English
armour was, however, heavy and cumbrous, the inferior quality of the
metal necessitating great thickness in order to secure efficiency;
consequently those who could afford it procured the foreign article,
where the superior temper gave a minimum of weight with the same or
even better protection. It may be compared to the modern Harveyised
steel plate for battleships, of six or eight inches in thickness, which
affords greater security than the eighteen inches of iron formerly
in use. A large amount of foreign armour has found its way into our
country owing to the law of tournaments, whereby the equipment of the
vanquished became the lawful spoil of the victor; while the prolonged
wars waged upon the Continent by English armies--invariably with some
degree of success--must have furnished both the knight and the common
soldier with means of defence superior to that of home manufacture.
[Illustration: FIG. 441.--Spanish soldiers, eleventh century. (Add. MS.
11,695.)]
It is curious to note how in the early part of the Middle Ages the same
general outline of military equipment prevailed over the civilised
portion of the continent of Europe, and this is exemplified in Fig.
441, taken from Add. MS. 11,695, a Spanish parchment of the eleventh
century. If the warriors delineated in it are compared with those
represented upon the Bayeux Tapestry, the only essential differences to
be discovered are the excessive lengths of the hauberk and gambeson,
and also the circular shield. The trilobed pommels of the swords and
the cross guards of the lances suggest a Scandinavian origin, but the
hauberk, nasal helmet, and leg defences are almost exact counterparts
of the Norman equipment. Again, in Fig. 442, which represents a
continental warrior of the year 1100, the general appearance is
similar to our own knights of the Chain Mail Period, if we except the
peculiar helmet and the deep indentations in the skirt of the surcoat.
The coif-de-mailles, hauberk, chausses, shield, and sword are almost
precisely the same. In the year 1330 the continental equipment was the
same in its broad character as in England, which may be seen from Fig.
443, taken from Add. MS. 12,228 in the British Museum, where the only
differences are the trefoil coudière and the laminated brassarts, which
were not general in our country, although isolated instances occur of
both. During the Camail and Jupon Period the plate armour was precisely
similar all over the Continent, the only variations being in the shape
of the jupon, which was sleeveless in England, but was often provided
with baggy sleeves ornamented with rows of buttons in other countries,
chiefly Spain and Italy, while tight sleeves were worn in Germany.
The frequent intercourse between the Continent and ourselves in the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries led to the free introduction of
foreign supplies, and English armour lost what little insular character
it formerly possessed.
[Illustration: FIG. 442.--Continental warrior. (From a foreign MS.,
_c._ 1100.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 443.--French knight, _c._ 1330.]
[Illustration: PLATE XXXIII*
Armour of Charles V., made by Colman
_A. F. Calvert_]
It may be stated as a general fact that no authentic suits anterior
to the year 1400 are in existence, although many separate pieces are
preserved which were made before that year, chiefly helmets, mail,
gauntlets, and a few pieces of plate. The same may be said of the
armour prevailing from 1400 to 1440, though larger and more numerous
portions of it exist, but of the Gothic armour which came into being
after that date a number of complete suits are extant. Germany was
almost the sole maker of this description of defence, and not only
are the majority of suits of this period of German make, but Germany
itself has for long been the happy hunting-ground of collectors, and
was at one time deemed almost inexhaustible. There are many German
armourers whose names have been handed down upon the roll of fame, but
the most honoured bore the name of Colman. This family had settled in
Augsburg in the latter part of the fourteenth century, and gradually
established a reputation; the most famous and best known being Lorenz
Colman, who began work in 1467. He was patronised by Maximilian, King
of the Romans, a few years later, and appointed Court Armourer in
1490. In conjunction with the emperor there can be no doubt that the
Maximilian style was evolved in the first decade of the sixteenth
century. Lorenz died in 1516, and an example of his workmanship dating
from 1515 may be seen in a cap-à-pie suit in the Wallace Collection.
His successor, Koloman Colman, surnamed Helmschmied, produced many
wonderful examples of skilled workmanship, such as are exemplified in
his suits constructed for the Emperor Charles V. (Plate XXXIII.*), and
preserved in the Royal Armoury at Madrid.[2] In Plate XXX.*, the large
tilting-piece, comprising grande garde, volante piece, and pauldron
in one defence, is remarkable, while the pair of gauntlets belonging
to the same monarch and illustrated in Plate XXXII.*, are admittedly
the most superb examples in existence. The magnificent flutes, together
with the delicate enrichments of the gadlings, have probably never been
equalled. The style of ornamentation agrees exactly with that of Colman
Helmschmied.
[Illustration: FIG. 444.--Complete plate: head and neck, _c._ 1400.
(Roy. MS., 20, c. 7.)]
The equestrian suit shown in Plate XXX.*, p. 340, is of Augsburg
or Nuremberg make, and is also of the time of Charles V. It is of
considerable interest in exhibiting the various kinds of extra defences
such as the grande garde, garde-de-bras, and manifere, the last
differing from the Wallace specimen in having separate fingers. The
subject of horse armour, or bardings, has not been treated in this
work owing to the exigencies of space; it is a matter of considerable
interest, and the horse shown in this plate exhibits it in very
nearly its highest development. The error is very prevalent that
horse defences were of comparatively late introduction (_i.e._ of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries); the accompanying Fig. 444 from Roy.
MS. 20, c. 7, _temp._ Henry IV. or earlier, shows defence of a very
high order, inasmuch as the chanfron covers the whole of the head,
and the crinet, of lames of plate, encircles the neck completely. In
England horse-armour originated in the twelfth century. Plate XXXIV.*,
exemplifies the wealth of elaborate decoration bestowed upon horse
furniture in the sixteenth century; the chanfron in the centre has
been worked into the semblance of a dragon with which the mainfaire is
in harmony. The chanfron on the left is of Moorish workmanship.
[Illustration: PLATE XXXIV*
1. Moorish Chanfron.
2. Chanfron and Mainfaire, Sixteenth Century.
3. Chanfron, with Imperial Arms.
_A. F. Calvert_]
During the fourteenth century the Italian armourers had been making
steady progress towards fame, and in no city more so than Milan, where,
towards the end of the century, armourers came to the front whose names
are famous. A Milanese salade, _c._ 1480, is represented in Plate
VII.*, p. 60, and was produced by one of the Negroli family, who made
their home in the city. The salade is cast in one piece, except the
visor, and the ornamentation is a pleasing combination of the Italian
and Oriental styles. The delicacy, vigour, and force of its execution
may readily be perceived upon inspection of the illustration. Another
example of the work of the Negrolis is given in Plate X.*, p. 80,
which represents a three-quarter suit made for Charles V. The Milanese
were among the first to feel and acknowledge the influence of the
Renaissance in their work, and the decorations upon the pauldrons,
coudières, &c., of this suit exemplifies it.
Among the armourers who were entrusted with work for King Philip II. of
Spain, the successor of Charles V., were the Wolf family of Landshut,
and an example of their skill is shown in Plate XXXI.*, p. 346, upon
the suit known as the Burgundy Cross armour. It was made in 1551 by
Sigmund Wolf, and is richly decorated with bands of the natural colour
of the steel, on which are etched alternately the Cross of Burgundy
(the St. Andrew’s Cross), and the emblems of the Golden Fleece, all
gilded. The high pike-guard upon the _right_ shoulder is a structural
feature of this suit. An example of German armour dating from 1549,
when Philip was heir-apparent (Plate XXI.*, p. 236), is an excellent
example of the Decorative Period of the sixteenth century; it shows a
mitten gauntlet upon the left hand, and unequal tassets. An earlier
suit, made by Desiderius Colman in 1545, is adapted for jousting on
foot, and has lamboys or bases (Plate XII.*, p. 128). The espalier
pauldrons and roundels, the peascod breastplate, and the lames of
plate over the knee in the cuisses, are features of the suit. Wolf
of Landshut in 1554 made a suit for Philip II. (Plate XV.*, p. 146),
for the Über die Pallia, or Welsches Gestech Course, which exhibits
the manteau d’armes affixed and a small reinforcing piece attached to
the right espalier, forming a pike-guard. To this suit a forbidden or
locking gauntlet for the right hand is attached. The tassets are of
unequal length. A helmet supplied at the same time as the above suit
is a veritable triumph of the armourers craft (Plate XVI.*, p. 166).
The details may readily be seen in the illustration, and the volante
piece, fixed to the helmet by a strap round the gorget, and so moving
with it, is of special interest. Sigismund Wolf in 1550 made a suit for
Philip which is represented in Plate XIII.*, p. 132. “Many of the extra
pieces for this suit are now at Brussels. The ornamentation is chaste,
consisting of narrow bands, etched with graceful scrolls and volutes on
white burnished steel.”
[Illustration: PLATE XXXV*
Milanese Armour of King Philip IV.
_A. F. Calvert_]
The year 1554, which saw the production of some of the above suits,
probably witnessed the delivery of another to King Sebastian of
Portugal, which is preserved in the Royal Armoury at Madrid, and is
perhaps the most magnificent in the whole collection. The details
of the backplate, pauldrons, and arm defences are shown in Plate
XX.*, p. 232. It is the work of Anton Pfeffenhauser of Augsburg,
and undoubtedly his masterpiece; as an example of repoussé work it
places him upon an equality with the best German masters of his time.
“Mythological figures are embossed upon the bands traversing the
backplate; designs symbolical of Power, Victory, Peace, and Navigation
are represented on the pauldrons, back and front, while the coudières
display the four figures of the cardinal virtues.” It is essentially a
pageant suit, as is also the one presented to Philip III., when prince,
at the age of seven. It is a half-suit of Italian workmanship, formed
in gilded iron and decorated with figures, masks, &c., all embossed
and damascened (Plate XVIII.*, p. 196). Another, presented to the same
monarch in his childhood, is represented in Plate XIX.*, p. 212, and
is believed to be the work of Lucio Picinino of Milan. The decoration
is less profuse but quite as beautiful as in the preceding example. A
piece of Spanish armour made at Pamplona in Navarre in 1620 is shown
in Plate XXII.*, p. 240. Mr. Calvert states: “It is of steel-plated
iron and of extraordinary thickness.… A curious feature is the seven
indentations made by the bullets of an arquebus, and each set with
silver pearls. These marks do not say much for the quality of the
metal, which is 10 millimetres thick. The backplate, which is only
3 millimetres thick, has been perforated by a bullet. The arms are
defended by espaliers reaching to the elbow, where they meet the cuffs
of the gauntlets.”
Plate XXI.*, p. 236, is a suit of Milanese make, early seventeenth
century, intended for war purposes, and absolutely devoid of
ornamentation. An example of Flemish armour of 1624 is represented in
Plate XXIII.*, p. 268; it was sent by the Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia
to Philip IV. The ugliness of the breastplate and the huge rivet-heads
upon the pauldrons are strongly suggestive of the “boiler plate” armour
prevailing in England at the same period. Plate XXXV.* is a suit
presented by the Cardinal Infante Ferdinand to Philip IV., and exhibits
the lames of plate inserted in the gousset of the coudière, similar to
the Henry VIII. foot armour in the Tower. It is of Milanese make, and
decorated with vertical bands of medallions, &c.
[Illustration: FIG. 445.--Globose breastplate (Burgundian). (Tower of
London.)]
A second example of armour of Spanish make is given in Plate XXXVI.*;
it was fabricated at Pamplona for the Duke of Savoy in 1620, and is
decidedly an improvement upon the suit shown in Plate XIX.*, p. 212,
which came from the same locality. It is worthy of remark that Spain,
with all its vast resources of the finest iron ores in the world, did
not become a centre for arms and armour. She was undoubtedly able
to supply her own requirements, and in the wars against the Moors
these were of no mean order, but no distinct Spanish “School” was
evolved similar to the German or Italian. The excellent quality of
her swords attained world-wide reputation, and the blades of Toledo,
Bilbao, and Seville are justly famous. No town in France achieved
special success in armour or arms, although many were active in the
production. Burgundy was chiefly noted for its eccentricities, the
breastplate illustrated in Fig. 445 furnishing an example, though many
inventions, such as the burgonet, emanated from that warlike district,
while its hand-gun men of the fifteenth century were the best in
the world. Holland and Belgium have always enjoyed a reputation for
arms, and Netherlandish weapons and defences were in great demand.
The overwhelming superiority of Italian products must not be ascribed
solely to one town, Milan, for many others were famous, such as Pisa,
Verona, Lucca, Mantua, and Brescia, while Florence became a serious
rival to Milan in the latter part of the sixteenth century. In Germany,
Augsburg and Nuremberg probably were the most renowned for armour, but
Cologne bore pre-eminence for weapons.
[Illustration: PLATE XXXVI*
Armour of Duke of Savoy, 1620. Made at Pamplona.
_A. F. Calvert_]