Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 3).djvu/304

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mark of any description, we have no hesitation in stating that this suit is of German make and must date within the first quarter of the XVIth century. It is of sound workmanship, but the decoration is wanting in design, the etching being poor in quality and produced by what we may call a heavy hand. Moreover, the duplicated bands of embossing are monotonous, the result being that the first impression received on looking at it is of an inappropriate form of enrichment without the redeeming feature of individual delicacy of execution. When it was in the collection of Sir Samuel Meyrick it was illustrated in Skelton's "Engraved Illustrations," vol. i, Plate XIX. The helmet now placed with the suit is illustrated in Fig. 1186 (Vol. iv). In the Tower of London are the gorget, both arms complete, a pair of tassets, a plate of the taces, and two wrist-plates of such another harness, embossed with bands of slashed ornaments. The circumference of the arm-piece is smaller and the elbow-cops larger—features more in accordance with the ordinary armour of the time (Fig. 1043).

Fig. 1042. Portions of a suit of armour

German, first quarter of the XVIth century. Ex Meyrick Collection. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 380)

In the armoury of Lady Zouche at Parham is an arm-piece from a suit of small proportions. It has embossed, puffed, and