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oh the agony of the 14th century kit

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Sir Brian:
I actually had an extra set last year but gave them away to a friend who liked them. Allan's really are very reasonably priced! - Huzzah for MT!  :)

Sir William:
Huzzah for MT!

Sir Wolf:

--- Quote from: Sir Wolf on 2010-11-21, 20:21:56 ---


--- End quote ---

thinking on how the arm harness is correctly put together.
how the sabatons stay on the feet
what do the cuisses look like
are there shoulder cops or just the rondels
how "short" is that bassinet? is it like the GDFB one with the aventail directly riveted on or like the later ones?
what if any would the guantlets look like?

Allan Senefelder:

--- Quote ---thinking on how the arm harness is correctly put together.
how the sabatons stay on the feet
what do the cuisses look like
are there shoulder cops or just the rondels
how "short" is that bassinet? is it like the GDFB one with the aventail directly riveted on or like the later ones?
what if any would the guantlets look like?
--- End quote ---

This is what makes this period so interesting, there are tantitlizingly large amounts of material to work from artistically ( funnery effigies, artwok in churches and cathedrals either sculptural or otherwise and drawn/painted examples from texts ) but realtively few survivng examples of actual armour, so we have a decent feel for the overall appearence but a fair amount that is unknown about the details.

From the artisitic evidence of the period sabatons seem to lay atop the foot rather than later all enclosing ( sans the sole of the foot ) types that would develop. The maille beneath is almost always shwon as plainly visible at the sides but seldom is any strapping shown. One would think, in order to keep the assembly from sloucing around that while pointing at the toes and side to maille might have been done, at least a strap around the heel, would do the job, but of course this is purely conjecture as this isn't revealed in artwork to us.

Cuisses in this period ( 1340's ) seem to have been of quilted/padded type with or without studs. Without survivng examples of the type depicted on occasion in artwork with studs/rivets we can only theorize that they held plates of iron, steel or hard leather on the inside of the cuisse, but sculptural/funnery artwok at this time ( a fair number of them German ) depict similar " splinted " defenses on the arms, and occasionally the lower legs.

The Pistoia alter piece while about 20 years later plainly and frequently depicts simple shoulder cops being used with developing plate harness althouhg this could simply be a regional ( Italian ) trend. Given the smooth rounded shape of the shoulder depicted if a cop is present it is not of Pistoia form but a simple half round shoulder hugging cop, unlike the spade blade shaped shoulder pieces of several survivng contemporary coats of plates.

There are several German effigies contemporanious to the oen shown that depict Wisby type gauntlets at this period. Given that it is acknolwedged that the Wisby graves are most likely populated in large part by the losing side, the peasents, and that thier gear was about 15 years out of date at the time of the battle ( 1361 ) it seems most likely that Wisby type hand protection would have been worn. There was discovered at Wisby a pair of half bell shaped plates, that when together form the basic bell shaped and sized cuff of later hourglass types of gauntlet. They were found together and it was theorized at the time of the digs ( 1920's and 1930's ) that these were the cuff plates for some early transitional form of hourgalss gauntlet.

The bascinet is of an odd form ( by that I simply mean its particular shape is unusual ) but it this case I see no reason to doubt the funnery depiction. It appears to clearly end at about cheek level and rely on a maille vantail to cover the rest of the face and neck. We can be sure in no way whether a great helm may have worn over it but it is cerainly not out of the question for this period. As far as how the maille is attached the only slight clue may, and I emphisize may as it is just as likely an artistic oversight, that the points shown around the rim of the helmet, which may be rivets holding in liner and maille or may be verveles, have neither wire or cord depicted running from one the the next, nor the leather strips which sandwich the top edge of the ventail and fit over vervels depicted, so this may give an artistic clue to the maille on this particular depiction being attached under the helmet rather than over ( or an artistic brainfart as likely ).

Sir Wolf:
started working on this. i have the 4 besegues and the simple shoulder cops cut, dished and planished. just gotta sand them down with some 200,400 and maybe 600 (if i'm lucky) sandpaper when I get some. might pattern out the rerebracer vambracers and greaves today too if I feel like it. Going to wait on the sabatons until I can purchase a pair of Viking Leather's 14th century shoes.

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