ARMOUR reached its highest point of development at a time when it had become at least highly probable that the use of fire-arms would drive it altogether from the field. Yet the armour-smith’s craft, so far from languishing, seemed to renew its youth, and flourished exceedingly in the early sixteenth century. That was an age of mighty Kings—of Maximilian and Charles V. of Germany, of Henry VIII. of England, of Francis I. of France, and of Ferdinand of Aragon—Sovereigns who loved “the pomp and panoply of glorious war,” and who were keenly alive to the potentialities of the knightly harness as a medium for display and ostentation. This, too, was the age of the Renaissance, when the setting of a gem or the moulding of a goblet was a matter that would occupy a grave potentate to the exclusion of affairs of state. The armourer’s art came in for a large share of the interest taken in all the applied arts. But as in the latter half of the fifteenth century, armour had already arrived at a purity of line and adaptability to its purpose which could not be improved upon, the energies of the Renaissance artists were perforce expended upon ornamentation and enrichment. This tendency was naturally the more freely indulged as the inefficiency of armour as a defence for life and limb became more generally recognized.

The “Maximilian” style of armour, which superseded the “Gothic” or late fifteenth century style, seems to have originated at Milan, probably in the workshop of the Negrolis of Missaglia. It was modelled on—or suggested by—the civil costume of the time, and derives its name from the approval it received from the Emperor Maximilian (1493-1519). That monarch was distinguished above all the princes of his age for his fondness for warlike exercises, and for his skill and courage in the lists. The armour named after him is fluted, and is usually characterised by heavy-shoulder defences, and skirts of plate or lamboys.

The earliest pieces introduced into Spain by the Emperor’s son, Philip I., do not belong to this style; nor does the handsome suit (A16—plate 15), believed to be of Spanish make, and worn by the Prince, possibly at the tilt organised in his honour in the Zocodover in 1502. Of the heavy tilting heaulme forming part of the harness, the Conde de Valencia says:

“This handsome helm, to judge by the dimensions of the shutter, might be thought either Spanish or Italian; but in forming a definite opinion it must be remembered that it is marked with a fleur-de-lys, very similar to that of a Chapeau de Montauban, which we have seen in the Hefner collection at Munich.”

The cuirass, decorated with gold brocade, is composed of two stout plates of steel, tin-plated to prevent oxidation, the lower defending the body to the waist, and the upper or over-breastplate only protecting the breast down to a horizontal line of gilded nails. They are fastened together by a screw in the centre of a rosette of gilded and engraved metal. The cuirass is completed by a third plate, which covers the shoulder-blades, connecting with the backplate, and protects the shoulders from the pressure of the helm. It is all lined with brocade over strong canvas, and fits close with cords and tags like a corset.

“This remarkable breastplate for tilting is evidently Spanish. In addition to the Moorish character of the engraving and openwork adorning the central rosette, inside the plates is a mark which shows its Valencian origin. It is the tetragon with the Aragon bars, given as a shield of arms by James I. to the city he had conquered.”

The lance-rest is of the hollow kind, peculiar to Spain and Italy. Note on the right hip the pocket, cork-lined, on which the butt-end of the lance was rested before being couched. Above the left breast is a large ring, to which, by means of a bolt, the target was fastened and held in position. The leather ball, filled with tow, hanging to this ring, was to deaden the effect of a blow on the shield. We are ignorant of the use of the four rings hanging from the central ridge of the breastplate. The tassets are of three laminÆ. The left hip is protected by a strong reinforcing piece in two plates. The left arm being defended by the target has no espalier or pauldron, but only coude, vambraces, and gauntlets. The right arm, in addition to these pieces, has a sort of espalier-pauldron, called Épaule-de-mouton, with a fluted pikeguard. The lance is of pine-wood, and has the point blunted. The next suit (A17) differs only in a few unimportant particulars from the one just described.

The body-armour (C11) may have been brought to Spain by Philip. It is the work of a Milanese armourer, Bernardino Cantoni (who lived in 1492), and consists of a brigantine with tassets and sleeves, “Greek breeches” or chausses for the thigh, and brayette. These pieces are composed of scale armour, overlaid with canvas and crimson silk. The borders and joints are garnished with fine steel mail. On the rivets is stamped the Imperial eagle, which goes to prove that the armour belonged to Maximilian. No less than 3,827 pieces of plate and more than 7,000 rivets have been used to make this wonderful harness. The armourer’s mark, the heraldic devices of Austria and Burgundy, and the plates cut in the form of dolphins on the backplate, are worthy of attentive inspection (see plates 79 and 79A).

Attached to the salade shown with this body-armour, are beautiful wings of steel, inlaid with gold and other decorations, which could be assumed or removed according as the helmet was required for war or tilting (plate 141).

The most remarkable exhibits in the Armoury are the eighteen superb suits that belonged to the Emperor Charles V. They are the work of the greatest armourers of that or any age, and illustrate the transition from the “Gothic” to the more elaborate style of Maximilian.

The suit A19 (plate 20) was made for Charles when he was a youth by Koloman Colman, surnamed Helmschmied, the famous armour-smith of Augsburg. It is known as the K. D. suit from the enormous monogram stamped on the pike-guard of the left-shoulder. The letters stand for Karolus Dux, Charles being at that time (about 1514) only Duke of Burgundy and Prince of the Spains. The whole suit conforms to the elegant simplicity of the earlier fashion, but the size of the left pauldron or shoulder-guard and the shape of the sollerets show the influence of the new.

The armour is of burnished steel, “soberly gilded and engraved.” The borders are adorned by diamond-shaped reliefs. The armet is of the pattern described under A1, but the side-pieces close in front of the chin; the visor has five rows of holes and slits for ventilation. There is no gorget, the interval between the helmet and the upper edge of the breastplate being defended by chain-mail. The breastplate has a ridge or tapul down the middle; it is roped at the edges, and decorated with the Collar of the Golden Fleece. Strong lance-rest, with the Imperial eagle and armourer’s mark. Attached to the taces are tassets of three plates. The space between them is incompletely defended by a narrow skirt of mail. At the armpits are gussets of mail. The right arm has an espalier, palette, rere-braces, coude, vambrace, and gauntlet; the left, the four last pieces, but instead of espalier and palette, a large pauldron with pike-guard, on which is engraved the monogram K. D. The coudes are very beautiful. The remaining pieces are: backplate, open cuisses, genouillÈres, jambs, and laminated sollerets, approximating to the bear’s-paw pattern that afterwards became fashionable.

This harness belongs to the best period of armour. The decoration is chaste and tasteful, and there is nothing superfluous or exaggerated in the whole suit. The armet could be strengthened by the usual reinforcing pieces. The other tilting-pieces, which might have been worn with this suit, are shown separately on the equestrian figure A26 (plate 21). Here we notice the armet with cheek-pieces opening at the sides, according to the system which now became general; laminated gorget; the enormous pauldron, elbow-guard, and gauntlet of the right arm; and the handsome garde-de-rein attached to the backplate. The cuisses have a fringe of mail at the knee, and the houghs are defended by decorated shields or rondels. The junction of the jambs and sollerets is similarly strengthened by mail.

The horse’s barding appears to have been the work of Daniel Hopfer of Augsburg, who co-operated in many instances with Colman. All the component parts are gilded, and etched by means of aqua-fortis, the decoration consisting of imbrications or overlapping of festoons, in open-work or relief.

Each imbrication encloses two cherubim in the attitude of striking with sparkling flint bars, and in each festoon is a rose and three pomegranates surrounding it. The first are emblems of the Golden Fleece; the rose alludes to one of the seigneuries of the Emperor; and the pomegranates are a favourite device adopted by the children and grandchildren of Ferdinand and Isabel, in memory of the triumph over the Moors at Granada.

The iron borne by the horseman weighs thirty-six kilos., and the horse’s bard and saddle as much more: if the weight of an average man be added the result is about 150 kilos, carried by the horse.

The most notable features of the suit A27 (plates 22, 98, 143), which is mainly composed of extra or reinforcing pieces, are the helmet, called celada de infante, with serrated comb, decorative bands, deep pointed visor forming a strong reinforcing piece, beavor “bellows-pattern” with alternate ridges and rows of perforations, and laminated gorget plates; and the target screwed to the left shoulder. This defence was only used at tilts and tournaments. It is concave and trellised, and is beautifully engraved by Daniel Hopfer.

On it may be seen several birds of the same kind (herons?) in the act of attacking an eagle in the centre, which has one of them a prisoner in its talons—possibly an allusion to the alliances promoted by Francis I. of France against Charles V., after the former refused to comply with the Treaty of Madrid.

The suit A37-42 (plate 23) is a tilting harness of burnished steel, probably that in which the Prince appeared in the lists at Valladolid in 1518. The most important piece is the tilting-helm, which weighs more than nineteen kilogrammes. Divided vertically at the sides in two halves, which are joined by means of six sliding springs, it was put on by screwing the back part to the backplate and the front part to the over-breastplate, the tilter remaining thus between walls of steel, with the weight shared between the shoulders and the waist.

The lance is of the kind called Bordonasa, hollow and fluted. The larger variety was used to mark the limits of the lists at tournaments. In an account of Charles’s doings (1523) we read, “Le jour que sa dite MajestÉ jousta À la targette, qui’il courut par diverses fois armÉ À la bourdonasse.”

The heavy bard that covers the horse, like the suit, comes from the Imperial Armoury. It is of German make; but has no mark to show its origin. Its make and size remind us of those of the Triunfo de Maximiliano I., and the beautiful etchings are in the style of the celebrated engravers Burgmair, father and son; the latter, as is known, worked with the armourers of the Imperial House of Austria.

It includes: large chanfron with arched outline, lateral plates, ear-coverings like sheeps’ horns, and on the crown a small shield with the two-headed eagle; collar of steel scales; poitrel with sliding embossed hinges, in the shape of lions’ heads; flechiÈres and croupiÈre, all covered with pearls, pendants, and reliefs. On the croupiÈre, which finishes at the crupper in a sheep’s head, Biblical subjects are engraved: David with the sling, and Samson fighting the Philistines. The whole is one of the most beautiful bardings known.

The horse armour at A38 is also remarkable, and probably belonged to the Emperor Maximilian. Note the double-headed eagle on the chanfron, the motto, “Plus Oultre” on the forehead, and the St. Andrew’s crosses and bars of the Golden Fleece on the collar.

At A43 the upper limbs are defended by “a pair of narrow armlets to be used with sleeves of mail” (Valladolid Inventory). “They are specially worthy of mention as they are very rare, there being none like them in any other Museum, while in the collection at Madrid there are four sets belonging to as many suits of armour of the Emperor. On tapestries and some sepulchral effigies of the fifteenth century they are worn over the sleeves of the coat of mail, to defend the outside part of the arm from the shoulder to the hand, being divided in articulated laminÆ. Those of Charles V. have their own garniture of mail and straps to go round the arm.”

Between 1519 and 1539, five complete suits, almost identical in design, were made for Charles by the Colmans of Augsburg. They are all decorated with ornamental vertical bands, and differ mainly in the distances between these and in dimensions. Two are distinguished, however, by lamboys or bases, the ugly kilting of armour added to the harness about this time to gratify the craze for novelty and ornamentation. It may also have been suggested by the prevailing fashion in civil dress.

The most ancient of these suits is that known as the oak-leaf harness (tonelete de hojas de roble) [A49-64]. It could not have been made earlier than 1519, the year in which Charles ascended the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, as the Imperial Eagle is engraved on the coudes. It was made by Colman Helmschmied.

The armour is shown on three separate figures. The first (A49—plate 24) is a harness for jousting on foot, with the two-handed sword, mace, or half-pike. The helmet, of the kind Spanish writers call the celada de engole, has a serrated comb and pointed visor ridged horizontally; the cheek-pieces open at the sides; and the nape covering or colodrillo is forged separately from the helmet, and fastened with rivets. This headpiece has six reinforcing pieces, which are placed at the side of the figure. Among these is a curious beavor, composed of two plates, nailed on leather, which clasp on the helmet and close at the chin. The rest of the suit consists of: laminated gorget; globose breastplate, roped at the edges, and decorated with ornamental lengths; taces, to the lower edge of which is attached the lamboy, composed of two bell-shaped halves, each of eight semi-circular plates, across which the lengths are continued, and the lowest or outermost of which is decorated all round with embossed oak-leaves intertwined round a trunk. The espaliers are small and beautifully decorated with the device of the Golden Fleece in relief. The coudes show the Imperial Eagle embossed on a gold ground. The leg-armour does not properly belong to this suit.

(A56). The second figure (plates 25, 99) has a helmet for jousting on foot, which opens at the sides, and has a large visor in one semi-spherical piece perforated; slight crest, and stripes of gold which unite at the back to form two fantastic figures, and, lastly, eight holes on each side, guarded with metal, for hearing. Undoubtedly it was altered at a very remote period by cutting horizontally at the neck, at the back of which the Golden Fleece is engraved; and doubtless it was cut in order to add the neck-plates, which, screwed on to the cuirass, serve instead of a gorget.

Note the heavy tilting elbow-guards and gauntlets; the brayette, rarely shown in English pieces of armour; and the close-fitting tassets, resembling breeches, in which we may recognise the beginnings of the lobster-tail armour, worn so much during the seventeenth century. The back of the espaliers is beautifully designed to resemble the wings of an eagle.

(A57.) The third figure has tilting pieces of the same armour. The helm in two pieces, united at the side by means of seven sliding rivets, is magnificent, with pointed visor, very stout at the edges; it has a shutter on the right side; two groups of perforations for breathing, and eight others, guarded with metal, for hearing; in front the decoration only consists of lightly engraved feathers, on the crest, of a centaur fighting a serpent, in relief, on a gold ground (plate 100).

The superb shield (plate 143A), screwed to the over-breastplate, bears the signature of Daniel Hopfer, and the date 1536. Its surface is divided into twenty-eight compartments of different sizes, in each of which are engraved groups of nymphs, satyrs, amorini, winged horses, griffins, and other fanciful creations on a gold ground. The groups are all different. Some of the female figures appear to have been intentionally made grotesque. The whole design reminds one of Albrecht Durer’s school and the German Renaissance.

The beautiful burgonet or helmet (A59—plate 101), shaped like a dolphin’s head, was made in the workshops of Colman, and almost certainly designed by Daniel Hopfer. The scales are damascened on a black ground, and the visor is formed by the snout above the open jaw.

We come now to the harness made for Charles V. at Augsburg about 1521, and distributed like the last suit among three figures. It presents no very interesting points of difference from the armour just described (plate 26). The barding of the horse (A65) is exquisitely engraved with fanciful figures, in which we recognise the hand of Daniel Hopfer. The armet of the third figure (A75—plate 102) is of the shape already shown at A19. The reinforcing piece over the crown is cut to resemble an eagle, and bears such devices as the Golden Fleece and Pillars of Hercules, and the motto “Plus Oultre.” It has also the most complete set of reinforcing pieces in the Armoury. These are shown on plate 97.

The harness numbered A93-107 is the third of the suits decorated with vertical bands and the second with lamboys made for Charles by Colman Helmschmied. The Conde de Valencia fixes its date at 1526, and has elicited from various archives the following interesting historical details concerning it:

“So long as the young Prince Charles resided in Flanders under the tutelage of his grandfather, the Emperor Maximilian I., it would be easy for the armourer Colman Helmschmied to take and certify personally his measurements, without neglecting the large clientÈle that came to his workshops; but when his patron was obliged to go to Spain, he wished, and expressed this wish through his agents, that the armourer should remove to Toledo. Colman demurred, alleging that he was fully occupied, and from this it has been inferred that he never crossed the Pyrenees. We, more fortunately, are able to assert that the celebrated artificer, at last obeying the express command of his Sovereign, went to Toledo in December, 1525, and returned to Germany the following month.

“A bill ordering the payment of the expenses of his journey, found in Simancas, states, among other curious details, that he left Augsburg in December, accompanied by Ludovico Taxis, an official of the Imperial Post, and two servants, and passed through Lyon in France. He was summoned to Court chiefly to rectify measurements, before executing fresh orders, as may be gathered from the extremely curious charge in an ancient account of the Emperor’s Armoury, the date of which coincides with the artificer’s stay in Toledo. The French text begins thus: ‘Pour trois livres de cire et de plomb pour faire les patrons que maitre Colman, armoyeur, a fait,’ &c.

“The Emperor’s bill, dated Toledo, January 15th, 1526, arranging for the payment of expenses from and to Augsburg to Colman and his companions is so interesting in its details that it ought to be known. It runs thus:

“‘Notre Secretaire M. Jehan Lalemand, depechez nos lettres patentes par les quelles soient mandÉ a notre Argentier Jehan d’ Adurza et des deniers de son entremise payer, bailler et delivrer comptant À ..., Colman maÎtre armoyeur de notre citÉ d’ Augsbourg en Allemaignes et À Ludovico de Taxis serviteur du maÎtre des postes estant au dit Augsbourg la somme de 1,125 ducats d’or de XXXVII. s. VI. d. piÈce, À savoir; au dit Colman 735, les 500 en don gratuit pour une fois pour aucunement des peines et travaux qu’il a eu et supportÉ venant par notre expresse ordonnance au mois de decembre dernier en poste dÉs sa maison etant au dit Augsbourg, jusque par devers notre dite majestÉ en notre citÉ de Tolede; les 150 pour ses depenses tant de venir que de retourner en sa dite maison; les 30 ducats pour convertir et employer en ung acoustrement pour sa personne, de nos couleurs et livrÉes et les 55 autres ducats pour une mulle que lui avons fait ce jourd-huy acheter et presenter aussi en don de par nous; et au dit Ludovico de Taxis 380 semblables ducats, les 200 pour ses peines et frais par lui payÉs d’etre aussi par notre dite ordonnance venu accompagner par poste le dit Colman, dÉs le dit Augsbourg À quatre chevaux jusqu’ À Lyon sur Rhone en France et dÉs le dit Lyon jusqu’ en notre citÉ de Tolede À trois chevaux, a cause qu’ un serviteur d’ icelle Colman Était demeurÉ malade par chemin; les 150 ducats aussi pour ses dÉpenses et autres frais que lui conviendra faire accompagnant le dit Colman et portant une montre de harnais pour notre personne dÉs le dit Tolede jusqu’ au dit Augsbourg et les autres 30 ducats aussi en don gratuit pour un acoutrement pour sa personne aussi de notre dite livrÉe; revenant ensemble toutes les dites parties À la dite somme de 1,125 ducats d’or,’” &c. (Simancas. Casa Real).

The figure A93 (plate 27) shows the armour as worn for combat on foot in champ-clos. The helmet has a complete set of reinforcing pieces. The roped edge of the breastplate is placed over the gorget. The pauldrons are large, and furnished with pike-guards. The lamboys are in bell-shaped halves, joined by sliding rivets. The lowest or outermost plate can be detached at will, and is decorated with bas-reliefs of bears and deer pursued by dogs on a gilded ground. Beneath is a “baticol,” or kind of breeches, of burnished steel, “articulated with great skill and precision, so as to defend the body without hindering its movements.” Cuisses, genouillÈres, and jambs complete the suit.

The tilting pieces attached to the harness are shown on the second figure (A101—plate 20). The helm, similar to that of A37, is decorated with gold bands, and is fifteen millimetres thick at the visor. It is screwed on to the over-breastplate. The arm defences are very handsome, being gilded, embossed, and engraved so as to resemble the civil dress of the period. The right coude bears the emblem of the Golden Fleece, and would appear from the Relacion de Valladolid to have been a prize won or competed for at tournaments. The armour on the left arm will only permit the arm to be bent towards the pommel of the saddle.

The cuisses are laminated, and the influence of the civil dress is seen once more in the genouillÈres which are composed of strips of metal placed vertically, so as to give the “slashed” appearance common to the trunk-hose and sleeves of the period. The jambs are engraved with floral devices. The sollerets are of mail.

The third figure (A103), described as including the pieces necessary for war or hunting, does not call for special notice.

A108 is a light harness for war, made by Colman Helmschmied. The emblem of the Golden Fleece predominates in the scheme of its decoration. Of this suit the Conde de Valencia says:

“Time has dimmed the effect of its sober and severe ornamentation of gold on a black ground, confined to a few narrow longitudinal stripes engraved and gilded. It has the ‘bars’ of the Golden Fleece on the helmet, the guards, and the shield; two winged griffins, supporting the Pillars of Hercules on the backplates of the pauldrons, and the image of Our Lady on the breastplate. According to the Emperor’s inventory, the backplate, which does not exist, bore the image of St. Barbara.

“It is the last armour the famous Colman made for Charles V. This is easily proved by the date (1531), engraved on the left tassets—a date which agrees with that given us some years ago by the learned German professor, Carl Justi, to whom it was communicated by Canon Braghirolli on his finding it in the Mantua archives. It is contained in a letter from Duke Federigo di Gonzaga to the Duke of Urbino on the 9th November, 1532, in which he says that the Emperor had shown him his armour, among which was a beautiful suit by Colman, the last one he made for him, for shortly after he had died. The statement was confirmed by the payment lists of the Municipality of Augsburg, from which the name of the armourer disappeared in the year 1532.”

The helmet is a celada de infante, and has a visor with wide gratings fastening over the beavor. The evolution of leg-armour is well shown by the tassets extending, in several plates, below the knee where they overlap the demi-jambs. There are no genouillÈres. The lower plates of the tassets were detachable, those pieces being thus convertible into tassets of ordinary length.

The shield (A109), embossed with the devices of Burgundy and the Golden Fleece, was found in the province of Burgos, where it was bought for seven pesetas. It was purchased for the nation by Alfonso XII. at a cost of 1,250 pesetas.

The suit A112, plate 28, though of the same pattern as those just described, is the work of the Italian artificer, Caremolo Mondrone, of Milan. It is one of two suits presented to the Emperor by the Duke of Mantua, in gratitude for favours received and anticipated. The gift elicited the following letter of thanks from Charles (Bertolotti, Arti minori):

“Carolus Augustus D. F. C. Romanorum Imperator. III. Princeps consange. Carissima:

“Las armas q. nos truxo Caremolo nos ha parescido muy bien y estamos muy contento dellas porque son muy bien acabadas ya nostra voluntad, y lo quedamos del animo con que se embiaro porque lo tenemos bien conoscido y habemos lo que en el hay para nostras cosas. El nostro para las vestrases de la misma manera como es razon. Caremolo dira particularmente lo demas q. toca a las armas. Dat. ex Palencia a quatro de Septembre an. de MDXXXIIIJ.—Carolus.”

The harness was made in 1534 specially for the African expedition which the Emperor was planning at that time, and was worn by him on his triumphal entry into Tunis. The decoration has disappeared, all but a band of embossed leaves round the border of the tassets. The closeness of the fit and the flowing lines recall the best days of the armourer’s art.

The helmet has a pointed visor and beavor in one piece, with perforations on each side. The breastplate is moderately globose, the espaliers composed of narrow laminÆ bolted on to the breast and backplates. Rondels defend the armpits. The coudes are large. The genouillÈres are composed of narrow articulated plates.

In gratitude for his investiture with the principality of Monteferrato, the Duke of Mantua, in 1536, sent the Emperor a second suit of armour (A114—plate 29) by the same artificer, and of the same design:

On receipt of these gifts the Emperor replied in the following terms:

“Carolus Divina favente Clemencia. Roman. Imp. August. Illustria Princeps consanguine carissime.

“Las armas son muy buenas, y nos han parescido en extremo bien y contentado mucho, y assy nos ha satisfecho el armero al qual havremos plazer que por nuestro respecto tengais por encomendado. De Alba Á 23 de Julio de 1536.—Carolus.”

The suit appears to have been originally blued and richly damascened in gold. Most of the decoration and the bluish hue have now disappeared. Gold palms in relief still remain on certain of the pieces. The extreme delicacy of the azziminia, imitating cufic inscriptions, testifies to the extraordinary skill of Caremolo Mondrone. It will be noted that many of the most important pieces are missing from the suit.

The harness A115-A127 is known as the Cornucopia Suit, from the emblem which predominates in the scheme of decoration. The Conde de Valencia is of opinion that it is the work of Desiderius Colman, and was made about 1534. The steel was originally blackened, and the ridges, which correspond to the bands in the other suits, were engraved and gilded. Excessive cleaning has greatly marred the beauty of this armour.

The first and fourth figures display the blazoned surcoat, similar to those shown on the seals of Charles V. as Count of Flanders. Attached to the fourth figure is a curious burgonet or helmet. The visor is embossed and gilded in the likeness of a grotesque face, according to the debased taste of the age. The beavor does not belong to the headpiece. The helmet A120, which bears Colman’s mark, is similarly embossed with a gargoyle-like design (plates 30, 103A).

The fifth suit, with vertical bands, made at Augsburg (A128-138), is known as the Harness of Close Bands to distinguish it from the four others. It is probably the work of Desiderius Colman. The second figure (A129—plate 31) is a graceful suit, composed of: armet, with visor and beavor in one piece (eight reinforcing pieces); gorget; breastplate and backplate, the former engraved with the image of the Blessed Virgin, the latter with that of St. Barbara, the two plates united by straps over the shoulders; espaliers of eight plates; rondel over left armpit; rere-braces, vambraces, coudes, and gauntlets; close-fitting tassets of many plates; cuisses, jambs, and chaussettes of mail for the ankles. The whole suit, everywhere striped or banded, is singularly beautiful and dignified.

We come now to the work of the great rivals of the Colmans—the Negrolis of Milan. The suit A139 (plate 31) was made for the Emperor in 1539, and is at once distinguished from the German suits by the bands crossing the body horizontally instead of vertically. It was originally blackened, so as to show up the gold and silver of the decoration.

The morion is beautifully decorated. Over the skull-piece, and parallel with a beautiful laurelled comb, run two wide bands of gold damascening that meet over the brow in a fantastic face in relief, surrounded by acanthus leaves and volutes; the visor is also damascened. The borders of the helmet are similarly enriched. In gold relief are the letters, PHILIPPVS IACOBI ET FRATR NEGROLI FACIEBANT MDXXXIX. The cheek-pieces are decorated with small lions’ heads.

The breast and backplates were adorned with images of the Virgin and St. Barbara—the latter now missing. The pauldrons, coudes, and genouillÈres are very tastefully embossed, and inlaid with lions’ heads, scrolls, and beautiful foliations, the decoration showing up well on the plain ground.

The helmet has a reinforcing piece or coif (A140) shaped like a serpent with scales of gold, and with damascened rosettes—a fine piece of work.

Another fine specimen of Italian make, the artificer of which is unknown, is the Foot Armour, A147. This was erroneously attributed at one time to the Marques de Villafranca. It exhibits exquisite designs in gold azziminia. “Its original style,” remarks the Conde de Valencia, “partakes at once of the classic Pompeian and the Oriental, and does not follow the plateresco, prevalent at that time; and the whole suit is distinguished from the makes of Milan and Augsburg by uniting the richness of parade armour with the smoothness and toughness required for war.” Note the elegant plume-holder in the shape of an Imperial Eagle, with the arms of Castile inlaid; and the light backplate, in the form of a St. Andrew’s Cross, to be worn over a coat of mail.

The armour worn by Charles V. in the unfortunate expedition to Algiers is shown under the numbers A149-A156. Many pieces are missing. The pieces composing the first suit do not call for special description. Jambs, with coverings of mail for the feet, are worn according to the fashion common in Spain. As in the preceding suits of the same epoch, the genouillÈres can hardly be considered as separate pieces, the laminated cuisses being continued down to the jambs (plate 33).

The barding of the horse (which does not belong to the suit) is magnificent. It was made (according to Herr Leitner) after the designs of the famous engraver, Hans Burgmair, and came into the possession of Charles on the death of his grandfather, Maximilian. It is of steel, lined with silk, and beautifully scalloped at the edges. The poitrel and croupiÈre are adorned by allegorical groups, illustrating notable feats of strength; the figures are in low relief and partly gilded. On the right side, we see Hercules strangling the serpents, wrestling with AntÆus, slaying the Hydra, and subduing the Minotaur; on the left, Samson carrying off the gates of Gaza, breaking the lion’s jaws, being shorn of his locks by Delilah, and pulling down the Temple of Dagon. Hercules as a child again appears amid embossed foliations on the chanfron. The croupiÈre is completed above the tail by a dolphin’s head. The saddle is even richer than the bard, and is adorned with fantastic figures engraved on steel.

Attached to the second figure of the harness (A151), is a notable helmet in the form of an eagle. The head and beak form the visor, the legs in low relief cross the cheek-pieces, and the talons appear to grasp the beavor, upholding between them the Imperial shield, finely engraved. This beavor was the subject of keen competition between King Alfonso XII. and the late Sir Richard Wallace, who, at last, gave it up to His Catholic Majesty (plate 106).

The figure also shows a fine coat of steel mail, traditionally ascribed to Charles V. Over this was worn a corselet, protecting the back and breast, and descending from the shoulders to the waist, diminishing in breadth till it ends in a point. Attached to it are shoulder-guards of three plates. This is the only piece of the kind in the Armoury—perhaps in the world. It was no doubt worn, like the peculiar arm-piece described on p. 81, over a stout leather jerkin (plate 105).

The light helmet, A154, has a cleverly designed and beautifully executed crest and visor, which, looked at in front, resembles an eagle’s head; behind, some monstrous animal’s mask; and sideways, a dolphin.

The light war harness, A157 is incomplete, many of the pieces being in the Imperial Armoury at Vienna. It was made for the Emperor in 1543, by Desiderius Colman, at the time of the campaign against the Duke of Cleves and Francis I. of France. The suit is decorated with the vertical bands of which Charles was fond, probably because they made him look taller.

The maker of the suit A159-163 (plate 34) is unknown, but he was certainly an Italian, and not improbably the illustrious Negroli. The decoration consists, as usual, of broad vertical bands, inlaid, alternately of gold and silver; these are cut diagonally by sections of gold leaves, which festoon all the pieces.

The suit A164 (plate 35) has been immortalised by Titian, in whose picture (No. 457) in the Prado Gallery, Charles is shown wearing it. The armourer’s mark proves that it was made in 1544—three years before the Battle of MÜhlberg, where it was worn by the Emperor. This, thinks the Conde de Valencia, must have been the last suit worn by him in the field. “The four complete cuirasses, and the extra backplates comprised in it ... show that the Emperor was then a victim of frequent attacks of gout, and replaced uncomfortable cuirasses by such as were easier.”

The first figure (A164) has been armed in accordance with Titian’s portrait. It is composed of breast and backplates, with taces; tassets; laminated gorget; espaliers reaching to elbows over sleeves of steel mail; and strong gauntlets with fingers united two and two.

“These pieces, combined with the triple-crest morion, the javelin, and pistolet K51, fastened to the front bow of the saddle, form the armour called herreruelos, which appeared for the first time in that war, as related by NuÑez de Alba in his Dialogos del soldado, who, being a soldier himself, was in the 1547 campaign against the Schmalkalden Protestant League.”

The figure A165 (plate 40) is fitted with pieces of the same suit, after the portrait attributed to Pantoja de la Cruz in the Escorial Library. It consists of: armet with visor in two pieces, and a grating over the beavor; laminated gorget; cuirass with taces; lance-rest; the usual arm armour; tassets; cuisses, and demi-jambs.

The decoration of the whole MÜhlberg harness is simple and tasteful. It is composed of broad lengths of the metal in its native colour, inlaid with gold, scalloped or festooned on each side in low relief, and beautifully etched with figures, foliations, &c., down the middle. This ornamentation appears on all the pieces, the armet included.

The princes and commanders of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had a fondness for appearing in Roman garb, which, they fancied, lent dignity to their carriage. Charles V. was the possessor of a suit of Roman armour (A188), the work of Bartolommeo Campi, of Pesaro, and, in the opinion of the Conde de Valencia, the offering of Guidobaldo II., Duke of Urbino. That prince’s monogram, the Conde points out, is to be seen on the backplate gilded in relief. The date of the armour is 1546. We extract the following notes from the Catalogue:

“A. Angelucci, in his work Documenti inediti per la storia delle armi da fuoco italiane, Turin, 1869, p. 330, publishes a brief extract from the biography of Campi, written by Promis, which we can amplify, thanks to the documents which, by the kindness of the Dukes of Alba, we have been able to consult in their important historical Archives.

“Bartholomew Campi was born at Pesaro in the beginning of the sixteenth century, being in his youth a goldsmith and engraver of metals, and making arms and armour of great value, which merited the eulogies of the celebrated writer Pedro Aretino, in letters addressed from Venice to Bartholomew Egnazio (1545). At that time he made the armour of Charles V. In 1547 he directed the fÊtes in Pesaro in honour of the wedding of Guidobaldo II. and Vittoria Farnese; and two years after, he finished the admirable work of art in gold and silver, which the Municipality of Pesaro presented to the new-born son of that Prince.

“From 1554 to 1560 probably, he was military engineer in the service of the Republic of Siena, Venice, and the French Monarch. He assisted at the siege of Calais. In the latter year, he solicited, unsuccessfully, in spite of the support of Cardinal Granvela, admittance to the Spanish Army, and then he returned to France, taking the side of the Catholics against the Huguenots.

“At last, in 1568, Campi served in Flanders, under the orders of the Duke of Alba. This illustrious leader gave him a commission, which is in the Archives of his house, as chief engineer of the fortification and investment of fortresses, at the monthly salary of 500 escudos (ordinary) and 50 (extraordinary), and to his son Escipion, besides his salary, 25 escudos a month as an allowance.

“The Duke of Alba had Campi in such esteem, that in a letter to the King, dated June 3rd, 1569, he says: ‘I tell Your Majesty that you have a good man in Captain B. Campi, because he is in truth a soldier and has art, although not so well-founded as Pachote ... and he is the best man I have met with since I have known men—I do not say only engineers, but men of any sort—very steady and happy in his work.’

“The death of Campi occurred, says Bernardino de Mendoza in his Commentaries, as the result of an arquebus-shot through the head, at the siege of Haarlem, on March 7th, 1573, the grief of the Duke and all his army being very great.”

This superb panoply (plates 40, 125A) is composed of seven pieces of blackened steel, decorated with gold and silver damascening, and with ornaments of gilt bronze. The burgonet is of elegant outline, and bears a close enough resemblance to a Boeotian casque. It has cheek-pieces in the Roman style. The comb, visor, and nape are adorned by a wide damascened band, showing up well on the blackened steel. The helmet is also girdled by a graceful wreath of oak-leaves in gilt, which terminates at the nape in two volutes, from which springs the plume-holder.

The cuirass is a triumph of art, and is moulded in the resemblance of the human torso, the outlining of the muscles proving that the artificer was well acquainted with anatomy. At the neck is a square piece, composed of bands of gold inlaid work. Beneath this is the Medusa’s head, from which spring two volutes, ending in small silver flowers. This constitutes the only decoration of the breastplate. Campi’s pride in his work, and the celerity with which he executed it, are testified by the inscription, BARTHOLOMEVS CAMPI AVRIFEX TOTIVS OPERIS ARTIFEX QVOD ANNO INTEGRO INDIGEBAT PRINCIPIS SUI NVTVI OBTEMPERANS GEMINATO MENSE PERFECIT.

The tace is composed of a series of gilded bronze medallions, showing classic heads, masks, unicorns, and similar devices. From beneath these fall the tassets—long strap-like pieces of several laminÆ each. Beneath these again is a brayette of steel mail.

“But nothing so enriches this graceful armour as the espaliers, composed of two large black masks in high relief, whose eyeballs, owing to the gold circle in which they are enclosed, have a singular expression. On the shoulders are beautiful damascened festoons fan-shaped, and underneath, springing from the mouths of each of the masks, another series of hanging laminas, smaller than those of the skirt or tassets, and also over fine mail.”

Lastly, the artist held to the compulsory classic nudeness, and limited the protection of the legs to short steel buskins, openworked, similar to the cothurnus which, according to Virgil, came up over the leg and was fastened with cords in front: these buskins have beautiful masks of satyrs in gilded bronze, and end in mail shoes with the toes outlined.

The figure has in its hand a small mutilated partisan of the Emperor’s time, with the emblems of Burgundy and the Pillars of Hercules engraved on the blade.

With the suit A114, above described, the work of Giacopo Filippo Negroli, the Duke of Mantua presented Charles with a casque and target by the same artificers. This was between the years 1533 and 1536. The casque, or helmet-morion (D1—plate 148A), is moulded in the likeness of a head covered with golden curls, and encircled over the brow with a laurel wreath. The large side-pieces, shaped to the oval of the face, are perforated for hearing. The beavor is in the form of a curly beard, the lips showing above it. The production reflects credit on the skill of the artificer, but is in bad taste. The target (D2—plate 148A), made to match the above, has a lion’s head and mane for boss, in high relief; the border is wide and very beautiful, and composed of medallions supported by griffins, and linked by scrolls and foliations.

The magnificent burgonet and target (D3 and 4), also believed to have been the property of the Emperor, are said to have been moulded from the designs of Giulio Romano. They bear no mark; and “Considering,” says Conde de Valencia, “the depth and clearness with which each figure and object is relieved; the masterly chiselling, so fine that it puts expression into the combatants’ faces; and the exquisite taste of the damascening, we are compelled to admit that the executor of the work must have been more a master of his own art than the designer, Giulio Romano, was of his” (plate 148B).

The helmet is forged in one piece, and follows the lines of the Boeotian casque. The design on the comb represents combats between Centaurs and Tritons for the possession of nymphs; on the sides, a combat between Romans and Carthaginians. A similar subject is shown on the shield, in the background being seen the city of Carthage as described by Livy. Allusion, of course, is intended to the expedition to Tunis. The border is admirably designed with wreaths, figures, scrolls, &c., and the busts of Roman worthies.

The helmet D5 and shield D6 are of unknown origin. They were probably the work of an Italian artificer of the sixteenth century. On one side of the casque Bacchus and Ariadne are represented in a car drawn by centaurs; on the other, Silenus on his ass, supported by Bacchus, and preceded by Maenads. The shield D6 is in seventeen pieces screwed together, and is beautifully chiselled and decorated. The boss is formed by a mask with draperies, gracefully gathered up and crowned by an elegant volute, the rich damascening of which contrasts well with the blackened face. The ground is divided into four ovals, on which are displayed scenes representing the Rapes of the Sabines, of Deianiera, and of Helen, and the Contest between the Centaurs and Lapithae. The border, among other decorations, has the busts of CÆsar, Aeolus, Hercules, and Theseus (plate 149).

Another Burgonet (D30), made for Charles by the Negrolis, forged in one piece and exquisitely damascened, has the comb moulded in the form of a recumbent warrior wearing a turban, his head pointing backwards towards the visor. The female figures, Fame and Victory, reclining on the brim of the helmet, grasp the warrior by the moustache. He seems to represent the Turkish Empire. On a shield above the visor is the inscription, SIC TVA INVICTE CÆSAR (plate 129).

The magnificent shield (plate 150A), designed by Giulio Romano, and presented to the Emperor by the Duke of Mantua (D63), is thus described in the Catalogue:

“Within a wide border, with decorations of fruits and genii, finished with the Golden Fleece, is the figure of the Spanish CÆsar in the centre of the composition, armed in the heroic style, standing in a two-oared boat, maintaining in vigorous attitude the banner of the Double Eagle, preceded by Fame, at the prow, carrying the shield with the motto Plus ultra, and followed by Victory, in the air, ready to put a crown of laurel on the Emperor’s head, while indicating the course of the little boat, always onwards (Plus ultra), across unknown seas.

“Hercules obeys the wishes and seconds the impulses of the Emperor, uprooting, in order to advance them to new limits, the columns which he once planted on the mountains Calpe and Abyla; while Neptune, leaning on his trident, beholds with astonishment the expansion of his dominions.

“The woman fastened by her hair to the trunk of a palm, on which is a turban, seemingly represents Africa subjugated by the then recent conquest of Tunis; and that of the man lying at the feet of Neptune, is possibly only an allegory of the Betis, called to be the intermediary river between Spain and her new possessions.

“The skill of the composition and the richness of the whole contrast singularly with the simplicity of the work. Forged in one piece of steel, somewhat convex, the gilded figures stand out more because of the deep impressions so splendidly engraved by the chisel than on account of their dimensions and difference of colour.”

Though less elaborate in design than the preceding, the next shield (D64) is considered the gem of the whole collection (plate 150A). It was probably made for Charles by the Negrolis about the time of his entry into Milan (1541). On a separate plate in the centre is daringly and vigorously embossed the head of Medusa, serpents coiling above and below. The head and serpents are confined within a broad laurel wreath. Outside this again are three concentric bands, the first narrow and richly inlaid with silver and gold; the second, broad and hammered roughly, and divided into sections by shields bearing the inscription, IS TERROR QVOD VIRTVS ANIMA E FOR—TVNA PARET; the third, damascened like the first, showing sirens supporting four circular medallions with the Double Eagle, Pillars of Hercules, and Golden Fleece. Round the circumference of the shield runs a second laurel wreath.

Space does not permit us to describe in detail the many beautiful shields attributed to the Emperor. That numbered D66 (plate 151) is an example of the Moorish style of decoration so successfully imitated by the Italian artificers; D68 (plate 153) is of Augsburg make, and represents Strength as a nude woman steering the ship of Humanity across the sea of life, her shield being Faith and her haven of refuge Divine Grace.

Specially worthy of note are (E88 and E89) a pair of Gothic gauntlets (plate 95), German, late fifteenth century from Charles’s Armoury. Each is composed of twenty-seven pieces of white steel-plated iron, incised with aqua-fortis, festooned and openwork, and with the cuff ending in a point. They are forged and joined together with great skill to defend the hand without hindering the natural movements, and at the same time armed against the enemy with sharp points on the knuckles like the coup de point amÉricain. They are more delicate and handsome than those of the same kind in the Vienna Museum; and if, on account of the period to which they belong, they do not agree with the armour of Charles V., though they are sketched in the Relacion de Valladolid, it is beyond doubt that they were part of some magnificent armour, possibly of his father; perhaps of his grandfather Maximilian. This is partly confirmed by the style of ornamentation, which agrees absolutely with that of the work of Colman Helmschmied.

Several swords, once the property of the Emperor, are included in the collection, but they do not possess the same merit or interest as the defensive armour. The battle-swords G33, G34, both the work of the Negrolis, have broad hexagonal blades, the middle surfaces and ricasso being inlaid with gold. The hilt of the first is of iron, similarly inlaid, with the quillons and pommel terminating in graceful volutes; a beautifully chased shell protects the hand. The guard of the second is strengthened by two branches; the pommel is facetted; and the steel hilt decorated with vertical lines in damascene work, alternating with acanthus leaves (plate 170).

To Charles’s era belong three swords, which, on account of their history, are of peculiar interest. G29 (plate 164) was the battle-sword of Spain’s greatest general, Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, the Great Captain (1453-1515). The blade is flat, with bevelled edges, and a groove along the upper third of its length in which the first words of the Angelic Salutation in gilded Gothic character may be deciphered. The guard is of gilded iron, the quillons flat and drooping, and with two branches to the ricasso. The pommel is of gilt copper, circular, and with two faces—the obverse representing a battle scene, with the inscription, GONSALVI AGIDARI VICTORIA DE GALLIS AD CANNAS (referring to the Great Captain’s victory over the French in 1503), the reverse bearing the owner’s arms, with an inscription in Latin which, translated, reads, “Gonzalo de Aguilar, vanquisher of the Turks and French, restored peace to Italy, and closed the Temple of Janus.” It is supposed that this sword was presented to the Great Captain by the municipality of some Italian city. The hand-and-a-half sword, G30, of Spanish make, also belonged to him.

Pizarro’s sword is marked G35 (plate 170). The blade is rigid and diamond shaped, with strong ricasso, on which is stamped the name of the Valencian swordsmith, Mateo Duarte. The hilt is of blued steel, richly decorated with leaves and ornaments in inlaid gold; with straight arms, pas d’ane with branches to the ricasso, a hand-guard to the pommel, and disc-like pommel. This sword in 1809 came into the possession of a Scotch soldier of fortune, Sir John Downie, who used it against the French, and died a Spanish Marshal and Governor of the Alcazar in 1826. In August 1813, Sir John was wounded and taken prisoner; yet he contrived to throw back to his followers this famous weapon, that its honour might remain unsullied.