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Fig. 591. Shield of wood covered with gesso

Florentine, XVth century Collection: Signor S. Bardini

Fig. 592. Shield of wood covered with gesso

Florentine, XVth century Collection: Signor S. Bardini

inclined to think is an imaginative reconstruction by the engraver, who merely added this covering to Hollar's print used by Sir W. Dugdale in his "History of St. Paul's" (1716) in which drawing the shield is shown entirely stripped of its outer covering (Fig. 589). It is, however, Bolton's illustration in his "Elements of Armouries" (1610) which appears to be the most trustworthy representation of the shield (Fig. 590). As far as we can judge, the construction of the shield differed a little from that of the later specimens of the same type with which we are acquainted. Bolton goes on to say: "It is very convex towards the bearer, whether by warping through age, or as made of purpose. It hath in dimensions more than three quarters of a yeard of length, and fulle a yeard in breadth; next to the body is a canvas glew'd to a boord, upon that thin board are broad thin axicles, slices, or plates of horne, nailed fast, and againe over them twenty and sixe thicke peeces of the like, all meeting, or centring about a round plate of the same, in the navell of the shield, and over all is a leather closed fast to them with glew, or other holding stuffe, upon which his Armouries were painted, but now they, with the leather it self, have very lately and very lewdly bin utterly spoiled." The shield is roughly rectangular with rounded corners, and on its top right-hand corner it has the bouche de la lance strongly pronounced.