The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-27
Ancient ArmOr.

SAN6'NA AluSouIu, LOuuOn'-
This collection comprises not only offensive
and defensive European and oriental arms, bu
worries, miniatures, Flemish pictures, enamels
carvings In iron and other metals, bronzes, ano
several historic relics of great interest, as the
targets Of Charles the Fifth and Francis the
First, the baton of Alva, a suit of armor which
is reputed to have belonged to Ferdinand, King
OF the Romans and successor OF the first; also,
the so.called portrait of Anne of Cleves which
is ascribed to Holbein, and SAID to have been
that which induced King Henry to marry the
easy going princess These relics are now dis.
posed in chronological order in the lower part
OF the gallery which held the National Portra
| Exhibitions. Within certain limits the military
| items Illustrate in a series of mounted figures
| and in detached pieces the DEVELOPMENT of arm
! and armOr in medieval Europe. The extreme
rarity of early specimens, to say nothing of the
| total absence OF certain kinds, precluded more
| remote beginning for this series than the reign
OF Henry the Fourth, c. l445.
| We shall COn6ne our remarks in the first case
| 70 20 tle afmor and weapons, and primarily call
INC llsllOrs attention TO some very interesting
! Greek, or rather Etruscan, armor which is
! placed in table.case at the east end of the
gainiery, being helmets of bronze with and
! painted vases and the heads Of statues of Pallos
On one of these the student may notice conyen.
u0nal indications in metal of the leather thongs
%nSh SS were used TO attach portions of still older
heau-pleces 10 each other. These indications
form sort Of ornament to the metal In the
same case are greayes of bronze of similar
origin.
In standing case near the last is. together
with British or GaulIsh helmet, one of the
most remarkable antiquities OF the Romano
british period in these islands, the unique and
muCh-s tudied (see "ArchRolOgla.D - vol Yyiii \
ySglryd, or large shield covering of gilt bronze
which was found in the Witham Lincolnshire.
Its decorations are precisely, says Sir Samuel
MeyTck, such as we should expect from a
people initiating the modes Of q superior race
1t is supposed to pertain to Britain after the
departure OF the Romans: il was held, Chinese
fashion,, at arms leugth, and by means of
hnTo hnh l,a hNH i, Z
face is decorated VITA three bosses, of which
that in the middle is inlald with COMEDIANS
connected by hnely-wrought lines and mould
ings.
Close to this article are Italian painted shields
Of the fifteenth or sixteenth century. On the
wall behind are eXamplea of true chain.mgiI
haubeiks sleeves and jambs, also tWo-haud aud
single. hand swords Of large sizes, rough maces
a pOnderoUs tilting helm C. temp. dRard the
Fourth, a large brOad-bladed sword, such as
hung sheathess at the saddles of COmbatants,
Also salade, C. l4Jj, another Of Venetian
origin and sixteenth century date, which has
the form and nasal pece of the Etruscau helms
20 referred to. such articles are not unire-
auV7T,,. ~'"''res of the time. Here,
likewise, is the ''heaulne' or "a. -
bridge, 1885, from above his tomb In Hereford
Cathedral, one of the most unwieldly garments
that were ever made; also (No. 1887, globose
breastpate OF noteworthy character, with bold
futines, such as added materially to its
power of resistance to blows, aud were soon
here amply show. This h1eastpate is beauti-
fully etched aud chased with patterns that are
arranged In lines intermediate to the lutings.
In front of these articles filling the centre OF the
first of the series of bay into which, by means
of lines OF halberts and other staff weapons, the
gallery is divided, stands the figure OF knight,
C. l445, temp. Henry the Sixth, the earliest CON-
plete suit in the collection, ard among the
oldest in existence. For earlier illustrations of
armor than this we must refer to missal and
other paintings, and above all, to the efigies in
hundreds OF churches. These, taken with the
BayeuX Tapestry and other authorities, evince
the gradually increased use of pieces of plate
armor to oyerlaY the almost Invariably present
under shirt and other garments of mail. Precious
among these ancient records are the sepulchral
incised slab at Ashiugton, Devon, and the
brasses which, beginning with that OF
Sir John D'Aubernoun 1, III Stoke
DAubeInoun Church, Surrey, 1872, show
the grades Of advancement from tragmentary
to complete suits OF Steel plates, OF which there
are many fine specimens before us here. The
brassGs, better than the actual armor, show the
addition of steel knee caps or genoupteFeS, elbow
pieces, or cOntereS, spints on the upper arms or
dfnli-GrGSSdFtS splints on the legs or g1edUeS or
lambs aud, first OF all, skull-caps or bdstneS for
the heads of the soldiers OF OLD. Ihese additions
were progressively enlarged, until they met
upon the body and limbs OF the Wearer and
clothed him wholly. With these defenses the
weapons of attack were also changed; the short
lance which the D'Aubenoun knight, l, carries,
grew ultimately to the long aud terrible arm
| with which so many Of our picturesque notions
are more or less incorrectly associated, the Mar
| teIS de fer and sharp-pointed hammers which
| erst served to break up and penetrate the light
! and flexible mail developed TO ponderous maces,
and were used with effect upon encrusted men
! alarms. Those arrows of early date which
mail coats barely resisted became the potent
shafts of Crecy and Poictiers, and were driven
! by bows, such as the example in the tower re-
! presents, and of which SO many tales are tod.
! Az we invent guns to break up the
iron.ciads Of to-day and devise more
strongly armored ships to keep out the. shot
! and shell of those tremendous pieces,
! so our ancestors added weight and keenncss to
their trenchant weapons, and added weight to
and doubled the steel clothing OF their men.
| The D'AubeTnoun knig ht, ", son and ualnesake
| of The first Sir John o! that place. displays the
expansion of plate upon mail in this metallic
| clothing. The Trumpington knight OF cam
| BRIDGE. the Septvans kulght OF Chartham, henV,
| the De BuIes knight of Norfolk, aud others IN
| succession, point to the same changes. AS we
have lost the earliest plate armor, although not
go the antecedent and Contemporar mail, We
must look for its form to the monuments aud
pictures, and for its service to the weapons
which were employed against its Wearers. Bear
ing these facts in mind the student has a key
to much which is epigmatical here, and in thf
Museums of Vienna, Madrid, Brussels, Paris
Copenhagen, and the Tower. The intervals o
plate aTmor were almost invariably shielded
| by gussets and fTinges OF mail, as in the entire
suit before us.
BetW cen this and the next figure stands fine
specimen of German armOr, c, l520-30, which
reproduces the puts and slashes of the clotl
between the lines OF pufs. Next is q suit o
black armor gilt and crossed with red upon
the breast, rs for a knight of st. John of Ra
I VIENNA; on the wall behind it hangs suit o
Italian chased and nbbed armor, O. 1900, which
is, however unmilitary IN its appearance
according to our notions; worthy of attention.
from an artistic point of view. Then a strange
looking Bnrgundian morton, with visor whict