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 croupiere 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 croupiere 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 Muhlberg, 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 Nunez 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 Muhlberg 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 fetes 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 Bœotian 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 Bœotian 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 americain_. 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.
IV
THE DECADENCE OF ARMOUR
Charles V.’s son and successor, Philip II., was more a statesman than a soldier. In his youth, however, remarks the learned compiler of the Catalogue, he was accounted a clever tilter, and jousts were frequently organised on the occasions of his visits to Italy, Germany, and Flanders. The Conde de Valencia indignantly rebuts the allegation that this Monarch was opposed to martial exercises and even physically deformed. “The truth of the latter statement may be judged by examining his armour, the lines of which are a model of proportion and regularity.”
To Philip are ascribed six harnesses, arranged like those of his father, each on two or more figures.
The first suit (A189-A216) is styled the _arnes de lacerias_, from the tracery of its decorative lengths. It was made at Augsburg in 1545, by Desiderius Colman, a year before that artificer turned out the Muhlberg suit for Charles V. We extract the following particulars from the Catalogue of 1898:
“It is the young prince’s first armour on becoming a man (18), as stated in the Inventory of the Royal Armoury of 1594. From childhood the Colmans had made his armour, as they had done for his august father, and when it ceased to fit him he distributed it among the youths of the Court. This armour, then, was ordered of Desiderius Colman; but the decoration was doubtless by a Spanish artist in the service of the Prince, named Diego de Arroyo; clear proof of this we find in a note in the Chamberlain’s book, dated Feb. 3rd, 1544 (a date which also appears on the left cuisse of the equestrian figure A190), reading thus: ‘Firstly, Diego de Arroyo designed all the pieces of a suit of armour to be engraved, to send to Germany, so that by it a suit of armour might be made for His Highness--three ducats are given him.’”
Arroyo’s design is composed of wide vertical bands, with Oriental lacework in the centre, engraved on a white ground, and on both edges, gilded foliations mingled with extremely beautiful decorations of the Renaissance period.
Colman in person took his work to Valladolid, at that time the residence of the Court. This appears from the following Imperial schedule, given at Worms, July 29th, 1545. “The King: Don Francisco de los Cobos, &c., and our Chief Accountant of Castile: Colman, our armourer, we have sent to your Court to take certain armour which he is conveying to the Prince our son, and we have granted as salary for each day he may occupy, two florins of fifteen _bacos_ each, and we have paid him here six weeks and because on returning he will need more money, we charge you to provide for paying him there a like amount in this respect.--I the King.”
The first figure (A189, plate 43) shows a suit of foot-armour for jousting. It has an armet with high ridged comb, visor with two slits for the occularium, and beavor freely perforated. The tastefully-decorated breastplate has laminated gussets, and taces to which are attached the conspicuous lamboys. The border of this kilt of steel is embossed, gilded, and etched with the devices of the Golden Fleece, griffins, and scrolls. Espaliers protect the shoulders, rondels the armpits, and small coudes the elbows. The gauntlet of the right hand is notable (plate 106A): it extends in several articulations to the inside of the wrist, where it is closed with a hinge to prevent its slipping off the hand. The leg-armour is peculiar to this description of harness, and has high laminated cuisses accommodated to the curves of the knee; genouilleres are, therefore, dispensed with. (Compare the suit A149, made in 1541.)
The second figure (A190) bears a fine mid-sixteenth century tilting helm in three pieces. The beavor, perforated at the sides, is screwed on to the upper part of the breast-plate, and is secured to the other parts of the head-piece by side screws, on which the visor revolves; the back of the helm, including skull-piece, comb, and tail-piece is fastened to the backplate, and at the sides of the head to the beavor and visor. On the arm is one of the pieces mentioned at A101, and “slashed” in imitation of the civil dress of the time. With these pieces is shown a target, beautifully etched with fantastic figures in the German style. The superb barding of the horse does not belong to the suit or the period, and will be described later.
To figure A191 are attached a notable morion, with roped comb, and arm guards, waved or imbricated with gold and steel alternately, and delicately etched. The tassets, cuisses, and gauntlets display the same decoration as the rest of the armour. The shield A193 was designed by Diego de Arroyo, like the other pieces.
The armour A217-A230, made in Germany about 1549 for Philip when he was heir-apparent, is that in which he is represented by Titian (Prado Gallery, No. 454) and Rubens (No. 1607). It was in this suit also, that Velazquez represented the Conde de Benavente, who lived nearly a hundred years after it was forged (No. 1090). The component pieces are striped and bordered by wide bands of engraved and gilded arabesques, designed in all probability by Diego de Arroyo. In the second figure (A218, plate 49) the tassets are of unequal length. The fingers of the right gauntlet are united, those of the left joined in couples. The cuisses are laminated, and reach to about the middle of the thigh. This armour appears to have consisted of more pieces than any other in the collection.
Philip’s third suit (A231-A238) was made for him at Landshut in Bavaria, in 1550, by Sigmund Wolf. Many of the pieces are now at Brussels. The ornamentation is chaste, consisting of narrow bands, etched with graceful scrolls and volutes on white burnished steel.
The parade armour (A239-A242) was made for Philip at Augsburg by Desiderius Colman and Georg Sigman, in 1552. An order exists, issued by Philip, directing his treasurer to pay 2,000 gold escudos, on account of 3,000 escudos, which it seems was the price of this splendid harness.
The history of this suit is not without interest. We borrow the following details from Conde de Valencia:
“When Colman undertook this important work, all embossed and damascened, he showed that he could produce very different work to that which generally left his workshops; that is, tilting and war-armour, which only required superficial ornamentation, like the engraving and low relief on the parts least exposed to lance-thrusts. His recognised superiority in this branch of his industry, and especially forging, is attested by his almost exclusively supplying the Emperor and his son, and by the many suits he made for the chief captains and officers of the Imperial Army. Under such circumstances he was justified in wishing to excel also in the making of armour for parade or _de luxe_, his rivals the Negrolis of Milan, who a little while before had made various magnificent pieces for Charles V.: among them, armour A139.
“However, it does not seem that Colman possessed the necessary skill to undertake a work of this kind alone. So at least it would appear from his co-operating with a person, whose artistic capacity he recognised to such a degree, that he permitted him to place his signature beside his own on the principal piece of the armour.
“This associate was a German silversmith, named Georg Sigman, who, though resident in Augsburg, had not succeeded in getting the municipality to register him as a master in the trade to which he belonged. Colman saw doubtless in the skill of this artist a powerful medium that would permit him to rival the Negrolis in the ornamentation of armour _de luxe_, and accepted his assistance in return for his using his influence at the Imperial Court on Sigman’s behalf.”
The scheme of the decoration is as creditable as the execution. On a ground of blackened steel all the pieces are adorned with broad vertical bands, embossed with grotesques, and bordered by narrow outer bands, which are in their turn bordered by pretty trefoil work projecting over the plain ground.
The crest of the burgonet is decorated with laurels and exquisite traceries; the rest of its surface is covered with small figures, birds, scrolls, and foliations charmingly relieved and intertwined. On either side of the crest are medallions representing heroic combats, all delicately chiselled, and with gilded profiles.
At the junction of the visor and helmet may be seen the marks and initials of Colman and Sigman, with the date 1550. Sigman, not content with stamping his initials beside those of his principal, has repeated them with the date 1549 beneath the plume-holder, to commemorate the two years he was employed upon the decoration of the work.
The cuirass is composed of overlapping plates placed horizontally. This species of defence was called the lorica, from being originally made of leather which was modelled, while wet, to the muscles of the human body, and was imitated in the bronze cuirass in late Roman times. The four upper plates which formed the gorget are missing. They were joined to one on which is engraved and gilded the collar of the Golden Fleece. Beneath it hangs the Fleece itself, supported by two nymphs, and beginning the exquisite series of groups which run down the central band. The remaining bands are equally well conceived and executed. The cuisses are similarly composed of plates set horizontally and decorated vertically. About half-way down the thigh the lower edge of the plate is decorated, so that at this point the upper plates could be disconnected from the lower, and used as simple tassets. The genouilleres are decorated with masks and satyrs. The arm-guards are similar to the rest of the suit. The coudes are admirably embossed and gilded, the design showing a woman wearing the Collar of the Golden Fleece and an Imperial tiara; on each side of her are warriors armed in classic style; the Imperial Eagle is shown on the inside of the piece, and a mask at the elbow. Note the laminated gorget (A239 _bis_, plate 47B), beautifully decorated in the same way as the rest of the armour, and suitable for wearing over a coat of mail or leather doublet.
The shield A241 (plate 146), belonging to this harness, has a peculiar interest as commemorating the rivalry that existed between the great German and Italian armourers of the sixteenth century. It is in one piece, blackened and richly decorated, embossed and inlaid with gold. From the boss spread radiations enclosed by a laurel wreath, and outside this by a narrow band with the following inscription in German: DESIDERIO COLMAN CAYS MAY HARNASCHMACHER AVSGEMACHT IN AVGVSTA DEN 15 APRILIS IM 1552 JAR (Desiderius Colman, Armourer of His Cæsarean Majesty, finished this on April 15th, 1552). At equal distances round the shield are disposed circular medallions encircled by wreaths of laurel and myrtle, and designed with the following subjects: Strength in a triumphal car drawn by men, Victory in another car drawn by lions, Minerva drawn by horses, and Peace borne on the shoulders of Kings. Between the medallions are seen other Kings enthroned and surrounded by other figures, masks, cartouches, and foliations in great profusion. In the rim between two laurel wreaths, hunting scenes and bull-fights are depicted. In one group Colman has symbolised his supposed triumph over his Milanese competitor by a bull overthrowing a man whose shield bears the word “Negrol.” As a matter of fact the shield is a far less creditable performance than the rest of the armour, nor does the best of Colman’s work deserve to be preferred to the Medusa shield executed by Negroli. In justice to the German it should be added, however, that the shield shows every sign of having been left unfinished. The war-saddle (A242, plate 47B) is the finer work. The subject of the design of the centre-band is Venus riding the waves in a shell drawn by dolphins, and attended by cupids. The sword G47 (see _infra_) also belonged to this harness.
The armour of Philip II., called the Burgundy-Cross-Armour, was made in 1551 by Sigmund Wolf. The order exists authorising the payment to the armourer on account of the Prince of “two hundred gold escudos in token and part payment of some gilded armour” made for him.
The suit is very richly decorated with bands of the natural colour of the steel on which are etched alternately the Cross of Burgundy or of St. Andrew, and the emblems of the Golden Fleece--all gilded. On the breastplate of the first figure (A263, plate 50) is engraved the image of the Madonna. The cuisses are high and laminated as in former examples. The horse’s bard is very handsome, and seems to be a reproduction in metal of the richly-embroidered caparison usually worn by the Imperial chargers.
The suit A243-262 was made for Philip by Wolf, of Landshut, somewhere about 1554, the date being fixed by the chanfron of the horse being charged with the arms of England, which Philip could only have assumed on his marriage with Mary Tudor. The panoply includes a greater number of pieces for tilting than any other owned by this Prince, and demonstrates his partiality for manly exercises. The decoration consists of wide vertical bands on a ground of burnished steel, gilded and etched with black waves or undulations, and bordered on either side by narrow bands exhibiting a similar design. The armour appears to have comprised about eighty-five pieces, of which seventy-four are in the Madrid collection.
The first figure (A243, plate 48) is conspicuous by the enormous reinforcing piece, or overguard, on the left elbow, and for the symmetry and elegance of the leg-armour.
The gay barding for the horse does not belong to the armour: it comes from the armour of Prince Charles, son of Philip II.: in his inventories all the pieces are enumerated, although the general lines and character of the ornamentation agree with the bards of the Emperor’s time. It was made in Nuremberg by the German armourer, Conrad Lochner the younger, whose mark, together with that of the city, is stamped on the breastpiece and crupper. It includes saddle; reinguard; croupiere; flechiere; poitrel, with large linch-pins; collar; mainfaire, and chanfron, the latter with two large twisted ram’s horns, and above the hind part of the head the shield with the Royal arms. All these pieces are decorated with graceful bands etched with alternating imbrications of iron and gold, which border and cross them in various directions. In the spaces where the steel preserves its natural colour, there are a large number of volutes and palms in relief. The bridle is late sixteenth century, of long strips well filed, like the perforated _copas_, which are decorated with gold.
The third figure (A245, plate 49) shows various reinforcing pieces for the tilt, to be worn on the preceding suit, A244, with the exception of the helm and tassets--“the total weight being thirty-nine kilogrammes, which could only be supported during the short time occupied by three or four courses and in breaking as many lances.”
The various pieces are adjusted and shaped with marvellous precision. The helm is a triumph of the armourer’s craft, with an occularium four millimetres wide, ventail on the right hand side, and strong beavor coming well down on to the left shoulder, where is screwed a manteau d’armes or target, with raised trellis-work and floral devices etched on the panels. The tassets are of unequal length. The leg-armour again illustrates Wolf’s skill and eye for symmetry. The fifth figure (A247) has preserved the colours of the decorative bands very well.
The same scheme of decoration is exhibited by the armour (A274-A276) made in 1558 for the unfortunate Prince Charles, son of Philip II. It was made for him by Sigmund Wolf when the Prince was thirteen or fourteen years of age. The difference in size between the right and left pauldrons goes to prove that the Prince was slightly deformed, as has, indeed, been often asserted. The first figure (A274, plate 52) has a morion with high comb, visor, and beavor secured by a hook on the left and a button on the right side. The tassets are continued to the knee after the lobster-tail style then becoming fashionable.
Of the arms and detached pieces of armour ascribed to Philip II., and included in the Armoury, the most remarkable is the sword (G47) belonging to the parade-armour A239.
The blade is of diamond section, with a short groove below the tang. The first third of its length is adorned with engravings and small squares of gold, enclosed in which we find these inscriptions, on one side--PRO FIDE ET PATRIA. PRO CHRISTO ET PATRIA. INTER ARMA SILENT LEGES SOLI DEO GLORIA; on the other--PVGNA PRO PATRIA. PRO ARIS ET FOCIS; NEC TEMERE, NEC TIMIDE, FIDE SED CVI VIDE. On the ricasso is the mark of the maker, Clement Horn, of Solingen. The hilt is the most remarkable in the collection. It is blued and carved in gold relief in the Italian renaissance style. The centre of the guard is decorated with numerous figures in high relief on a gilded ground; one quillon curves downwards, the other upwards, and both end in the heads and busts of men entwined about with spirals. From a cartouche engraved with the Judgment of Paris on the guard, springs an exquisite counter-guard composed of two beautiful Caryatides united by volutes. The grip is of quadrangular section, and formed with four pieces of rock-crystal engraved in gold. The pommel, which is the most admirable part of the composition, is formed by two volutes, which hold and press between them the head of an old Satyr, whose expression reveals his vexation; in the curves of the volutes are two little genii. They grasp and tread on festoons of fruit, which are gathered up at the back of the pommel by the god Vertumnus, beneath whom, on an oval cartouche, Hercules is seen in combat with the Nemean lion.
The sword G48, believed to have been the work of the Toledo maker Martinez Menchaca, and the property of Philip II., is flat, with three pierced channels in its upper third. The hilt is German, and highly ornate. The quillons and guards resemble the coils of a serpent, and are elaborately chased and incrusted with silver. They are further adorned with masks, torsos, and nude figures within medallions, the whole being designed and executed with much taste. The hilt of the sword, G49, attributed to the Conde de Coruna (Viceroy of Nueva Espana in 1580), is another beautiful piece of work, the decoration being less elaborate, but on the whole more tasteful than that of the sword G48. It is of Spanish (Toledo) make, but the maker’s name remains unknown.
Perhaps the most magnificent suit in the whole Armoury is the Parade Armour (A290, plates 53, 53D) made for King Sebastian of Portugal (1554-1578) by Anton Pfeffenhauser of Augsburg.
“Examined from the artistic point of view,” says the Conde de Valencia, “this is Pfeffenhauser’s masterpiece, and places him on a level with, if not above, the best German armourers of his time. True, he falls into the mistake of over-ornamentation, and his figures are incorrectly designed; but the composition and embossing are bolder than Colman’s, and, above all, his chiselling is of inimitable precision and clearness. With regard to the style of the decoration, on comparing the capricious combinations of figures, scrolls, and other features of the ornamentation with the designs published by Hefner Altenech, we are led to believe that it was the work of either Hans Mielich, of Munich, or some other German artist of the same age and equal ability.”
The sixteen pieces of the armour are blackened, and gilded only at the nails, clasps, and plume-holder. The burgonet is cast in one piece and richly embossed. On the comb are seen Tritons, sea-horses, dolphins, and Nereids; the major portion of the surface is occupied by battle scenes, the warriors wearing classic garb, and fighting on the backs of elephants--an allusion, like the coat-of-arms carried by one of the warriors, to the Portuguese conquests in India; at the base of the skull are represented Diana, Hercules, Neptune, and Amphitrite; and on the cheek-pieces, each of three laminæ, are the images of Strength and Justice.
The decoration of the other pieces consists in the customary wide vertical bands, traversing the body from the gorget to the ankle. On the widest and midmost band is the figure of Jupiter; beneath him is Diana; and, lastly, the infant Hercules strangling the serpents. The other bands, both on breast and backplates, likewise display mythological subjects. The pauldrons are even more richly ornamented than the other pieces: at the back and front they are embossed with designs representing respectively Power, Victory, Peace, and Navigation.
The coudes display the four figures of the Cardinal Virtues. Beautiful emblematic groups and figures adorn the genouilleres and demi-jambs. The tassets are detachable half-way up the thigh. The gauntlets correspond in decoration and elegance with the rest of this magnificent suit.
The armour of Philip III. belongs to the period of the decadence of the armourer’s craft. The final victory of the firearm in the long struggle between attack and defence was now very generally recognised, and complete suits of armour were worn mainly for display. Tilting, too, was going rapidly out of fashion. By the middle of the seventeenth century the burgonet, cuirass, and tassets were well-nigh the only pieces of armour worn in the field.
The suit B1 to B3 (plates 82 _et seq._) presented to Philip III. when Prince, at the age of _seven_, by his brother-in-law, Carlo Emmanuele, Duke of Savoy, is obviously one of the harnesses intended for ornament, and not defence. It is a beautiful example of Italian art, including twelve pieces, worked in gilded iron, and decorated with innumerable figures, masks, &c., in the low relief contained in cartouches, scrolls, and bands--all embossed and damascened. There is no leg-armour attached to the suit, and the gauntlets have disappeared.
The helmet, or _celada de engole_, has a large mask on the visor, and at the sides Victory and Fame; on the outside part of the collar, Strength and Prudence, and on the other, the Ducal Crown; on the breastplate the figure of Fortuna, accompanied by two winged genii, with a phylactery on which is the word SPANIA; and in different places, Justice, Temperance, and various small symbolic figures, which may also be seen on the backplate, the pauldrons, and the armlets. It bears no armourer’s mark.
B2. Infantry morion, forged in one piece, with similar decoration to the preceding; a mask, in front on the forehead figures representing Abundance and Prosperity, grotesques, and trophies.
B3. Shield, for combat on foot. A medallion covers the centre, on which are represented Jupiter, Neptune, and Mars destroying the Moors; around are four Ephesian Dianas on _estipites_ (pedestals in the form of inverted pyramids), and between them an equal number of panels with warlike and mythological subjects: the decoration of the groundwork is completed by other subjects similar to those of the preceding pieces. Diameter 0.39.
The half-suit B4-5 (plate 84), also presented to the successor of Philip II. in his childhood, is believed to be the work of Lucio Picinino. The decoration is very beautiful and less profuse than in the preceding example. On the wide middle band of the breastplate may be seen a mask upheld by two nude figures, the goddess Pallas, satyrs, &c. Festoons with masks extend from band to band. The pauldrons bear grotesque masks, and the coudes symbolical figures.
The harness, A291-294 (plate 54), seems to have been made in Milan by Lucio Picinino, and was presented by the Duke of Savoy to Philip III. “Although it belongs to the decadent period of the Italian Renaissance,” remarks the Conde de Valencia, “it is assuredly one of the handsomest pieces of work turned out by the Milanese armourers of the late sixteenth century.” The panoply is unfortunately very incomplete, owing to the strange course having been adopted of dressing with parts of it the corpse of the Infante Carlos, who died in 1632.
The whole suit is profusely decorated with reliefs and gold and silver damascene work. The burgonet displays three masks--on the visor (which is in two pieces), and at the base of the skull. The upper edge of the breastplate is roped. In the centre of the chest is an embossed mask; beneath it a panel with the figure of Victory, seemingly held in position by chains, and by two male figures. Below it and on either side are grotesque masks. The pauldrons (one of which has a bufe or passe-garde), the tassets, cuisses, genouilleres, and demi-jambs are similarly decorated with cartouches and medallions with martial and allegorical subjects.
“The rich covering for the horse is also incomplete. It is composed of pieces of the two distinct bards mentioned in the Inventory, one ‘inlaid with gold and silver, fluted, and in relief, all adorned with blue stones (lapis lazuli) and yellow stones and illuminated crystals’; and the other, ‘with the same pieces as the one above, lacking nothing, and this is of gilded iron in relief.’
“Saddles, chanfrons, and mainfaires of both bards are preserved, these sets being that of the dragon chanfron on the horse A190, and that with the inlaid work on the present figure; but the cruppers and poitrels of both have been broken up, and their component parts have been mostly dispersed abroad. What was preserved in the Armoury, now without stones or crystals, together with other remains found in the ancient edifice after the fire, constitute the crupper and poitrel of this horse.”
To the first decade of the seventeenth century belongs the suit (A338-A346) attributed to the third Duke of Escalona. It has a tilting helmet with visor in two pieces, and a shutter in the ventail; the leg-armour is still complete. The elaborate ornamentation, consisting of wide vertical bands etched, alternating with trophies, medallions, and lacework, has lost much of its richness, owing to the disappearance of the blackening and gilding.
The horse’s barding is older than the armour; it is of the early sixteenth century, and the style of the ornamentation appears to be Spanish Renaissance. The several pieces of which it is composed are decorated with trophies, flowers, grotesques, and other devices in good taste, etched, and part of them engraved by hand. On the poitrel may be seen St. James on horseback, fighting against the Moors, accompanied by two warriors of antiquity. The chanfron has the escutcheon of the Alvarez de Toledo family, the surname of the celebrated Duke of Alba, from whom possibly it might have come.
The days had passed when Spanish Kings sent to Augsburg for their harness, and in 1620 we hear of a Royal armour factory at Pamplona in Navarre. The first specimen of its work is the parade armour made for the Duke of Savoy by order of Philip III. (A350-353, plate 62). Being a presentation suit, it was lavishly decorated with vertical bands and panels, with a bordering of trefoils of silver in relief. The initial letter, and the ducal crown and palms of Savoy figure in the ornamentation; and on the centre band of the cuirass may be seen the arms of the County of Nice--a crowned eagle gazing at the sun.
Philip III.’s half-suit of armour, numbered A354-355, was also forged at Pamplona. It is of steel-plated iron, and of extraordinary thickness. It is blued and decorated at the borders with bands on which are chiselled flowing scrolls, animals, grotesques, &c. A graceful edging of silver trefoils in relief finishes off the bands. The helmet, or cabasset, has a drooping brim, and is forged in two pieces. The breastplate is adorned by the Collar of the Golden Fleece, and another collar or riband (engraved), from which hangs the medal of the Immaculate Conception. A curious feature is the seven indentations made by the bullets of an arquebus, and each set with silver pearls. These marks do not say much for the quality of the metal, which is ten millimetres thick. The backplate, which is only three millimetres thick, has been perforated by the bullet. The arms are defended by espaliers reaching to the elbow, where they meet the cuffs of the gauntlets. |
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