Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 3).djvu/324

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with the name of Ambrosio Foppa, called Caradosso, A.C. -F. It also appeared that the armourer's work was more akin to that of the goldsmith, appliqués of silver and bronze gilt being plentifully used in the general decoration. At the sale the extreme simplicity of their outline and the ultra-classical form of their enrichment caused these stirrups to be universally admired; though, save for the fact that they had been in Warwick Castle for some time, their past history and original ownership were unknown.

Fig. 1053. Pair of stirrups

Apparently made for the suit, Fig. 1051. Salting Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum

At the private view of the Exhibition of the Toison d'Or held at Bruges on 28 June 1907, the present writer had the privilege of seeing for the first time a few of the fine suits of armour lent from the world-famed Royal Armoury of Madrid by His Majesty, the King of Spain. He examined each suit very carefully, and the magnificent harness of Roman fashion under discussion attracted his particular attention. Its splendid proportions, its correctness of classical form, and, moreover, its elaborate decoration of gold, silver, and gilt bronze, kept the author spellbound while he closely scrutinized every detail and every plate. Though he had never seen the suit itself before, the ornamentation seemed strangely familiar. A mental review of all suits or separate armaments he had seen failed, however, to recall to his