Breast and back plates 1560
breast-plate with medial ridge drawn-out to a central point and with a separate waist lame forming a flange at the base, the upper edge prominently turned and roped above an inverted double ogee-shaped border, movable armhole gussets with edges roped en suite, single riveted skirt and back-plate with two small side plates, waist lame and culet all en suite with the breast-plate. Almost certainly from the same series and well matched in style. Both the breast and back of relatively heavy construction for munition pieces. The back may be from a somewhat shorter cuirass. The rolls on the breastplate and gussets are nicely tapered and elegantly roped. Roping changes direction at the center where the center is accented with a central bump with roping. Bottom of the fauld and culet lames with inward turned roped rolls. Ends of the rolls on the backplate under the arms and on the culet terminate allowing for easy overlap under the breastplate. Originally rough from the hammer and blackened. Breast marked with 5 round punch marks near the neck and 4 chisel marks on the inside of the neck roll. Lightly cleaned. Most rivets replaced. Some do appear to be original. There are four rivets that secure the breast to the waist lame which have remnants of pewter rosette washers, patches and some laminations secured with original rivets. Re-leathered. Buckles replaced. There are some internal patches. Two apparently modern patches in the fauld lame. Two in the backplate appear to be working life. One at one end of the culet is modern. There are some marks near the center of the breastplate that resemble those left by arrows impacting armour.
Measurements: Breast varies in front between .17 and .21 in tapering down to .12 at the sides. Fauld lame varies somewhat randomly between .030 and .060, mostly .045-.055. Main plate of the back varies .05 in. to .10, mostly .06-.08 except at the sides. Culet lame .04-.06 thinning to .03 at the sides. Atypically there seems to be some attempt to thin the backplate on the sides. This continues into the small additional side plates that are .04-.05 thick. The thickest part of the main plate is in the lower left. Breast weighs 8 pounds 11.2 ounces (3.950 kg) back weighs 4 pounds 10.8 ounces (2.125 kg).If you have any questions, please send them to Wade Allen
This site last updated Sat Jun 24 10:44:18 EDT 2023