New-York tribune., 1912-04-14
ANCIENT ARMOR MAKING
Clothing of Iron and Steel the
Growth Of Centuries.
REQUIRED GREAT SKILL
After Hundreds of Years the
Zenith Was Reached in
Feudal Days.

From the standpoint Of history the use
of armor in one shape or another dated
from the moment that metals became suf-
eciently plentiful to permit of its manu-
.facture II seems pretty certain that II
made its first appearance in the form Of
the shield, and continued to develop in the
course Of ages until, owing TO the employ
mont OF frcarms and artillery, II generally
became obsolete.
The Israelites the Egyptians and the
yersians. most Of the leading nations of
ancient times. in fact seem to have used
srmor Of some sort The Greeks wore
helmets and greaves to the knee. as we'll
a. cuirasses. and they bore besides the
round shaped shield. all Of which at that
period were generally speaking, made Of
bronze To this equipment, besides greatly
improving It, the Romans added shoulder
reces and other minor details. and finally
the age of chain mail was arrived at,
which was in turn succeeded by the more
finished article in the nature of plate
ermor.
Somewhere about the fourteenth and ff
teenth centuries the armOrer's art may be
said to have attained its zenith. The last
periods of this development were influenced
by two important phases Of history which
were farreaching in their effects The one
was the spread of feudalism and the other
the European movement known as the
Crusades.
The essence Of the feudal system was
the principle that military service should
be rendered in return for land tenure. and
one can see how the compulsory mainten-
ance by the landholder of arms and
armor in proportion to the breadth Of his
acres lent a tremendous impetus to this
particular industry During two hundred
years there was a general drift Of the
warlike elements in Europe overland
toward Asia Minor. and as a result of
this interminglng Of East and West in the
methods and materials OF war the Euro
pean armorers acquired a knack and style
in the ornamentation Of their work that
clearly point TO Oriental workmanship.
WORK OF HIGH STANDARD.
The arnorer's output in olden times was
not of a rough and ready description, but
generally bears the signs of highly
wrought workmanship. The various pieces
OF a suit fit into their positions 10 a nicely;
there are no rough edges, and as rule
very little that is merely careless deco
rative work. Fashion and reputation have
left their hallmark on the armor Of each
period and. like most other industries, 1t
had its distinguished masters Tee name
OF Jacob Topf is, for example, still famous
in England, and such names as those Of
Lorenzo Colman, of Augsburg, a German
armorer Of the sixteenth century; Lucio
Pincinino, a Milanese, and the VOLTS Of
Landshut. a fanny of armOrers that are
supposed to have worked for Philip ii Of
Spain, are celebrated in their own coun-
tries.
The care and skill that were bestowed
upon the decoration Of armor is as inter
esting as the rest of the subject. Some
suits are beautifully "channeled" or futcd,
others are handsomely engraved with her
sldic and legendary designs while most
remarkable Of ALL perhaps are the inlaid
work and the "damascening." \ kind OF
metal work carried on i'm certain parts of
India, and known as "kuftgari,' is very
similar in many respects to the inlaid de-
sign on armor II consists of the growing
Of tiny burrows according to pattern, in
the surface Of the metal, into which fine
drawn gold or silver wire is afterward
hammered. The effect Of this process when
properly finished off and polished is exceed
ingly artistic AS for the "damascening,
the swords of Damascus have been as
famous as the blades Of Bilbao. The watered
effect Of this peculiar treatment Of the
metals is we'll known.
CELEBRATED LONDON SET.
celebrated set Of armor made com
plete for man and horse, and more valua-