A Cuirassier Three-Quarter Armour
Circa 1620-30, Probably French Or German
Of bright iron, comprising close-helmet with heavy two-piece skull rising to a low comb and with a tubular plume-holder at the rear, visor and bevor pivoted at the same points, the former pierced with converging tapering bars, bordered by incised lines, and secured by a hook-catch on the right side of the bevor, the latter shaped to the chin and secured by a hook-catch on the left, and single neck-plates front and rear, gorget of one plate front and rear, pivoting on the left and secured on the right, heavy breast-plate with low medial ridge and flanged skirt carrying locking pins for the tassets, back-plate en suite and secured by two hinged hook-catches on either side of the breast-plate, articulated arm defences with large pauldrons each of four plates extending over the front and back, and with five downward-lapping lames over the tops of the arms linked by a turning joint to the upper cannons of the vambraces, bracelet couters with heart-shaped side-wing bisected by a central rib, tubular lower cannons hinged together and secured by a pin-catch, fingered gauntlets each with pointed cuff, wide knee-length tassets each of twenty-one upward-lapping lames, their lower halves detachable at the tenth lame and each secured by two turning pin-catches, and poleyns with pointed side-wings, the main edges line engraved and with turned borders, mostly recessed, dome-headed brass-capped lining rivets throughout: on a wooden stand