works of Picinino, and the bold masks of lions would not be outside such provenance; but the gold azzimina damascening which enriches the non-embossed portions of the suit in parallel bands, fails to suggest that armourer's method of gold application. We must therefore for the present content ourselves with the expression of the opinion that the Armure aux Lions is of North Italian provenance, that it was made for some highly-placed personage entitled to wear the order of St. Michael, and that it cannot be assigned to any known maker. The open casque of the suit has the fore part of the skull-piece boldly embossed with the mask of a lion, the form of the ears, mane, etc., being suggested in an extension of the embossing down the back. Both pauldrons are also embossed with the masks of lions from whose mouths appear the plates of which the last are riveted to the turners of the rerebraces. The coudes and the cuffs of the gauntlets are also embossed with lions' masks. It is, doubtless, the elongated breastplate with its laminated plates at the base, together with the sweep of the taces and tassets, and the open, classically-fashioned helmet that lend to the harness its general Romanesque appearance as regards main outline. Like all fine decorated armour of North Italian origin which has not suffered from unskilful cleaning, this suit possesses that fine tone, at once sombre and rich, which distinguishes the repoussé work of the Milanese craftsman.
An analogue to this half-suit may be seen in the Tower of London, in a small-proportioned cap-à-pie harness of fine workmanship, but of a later date (Fig. 1061). Mr. Charles ffoulkes considers, with some plausibility, that it may be identified with a gift sent by the Ambassador of Savoy to Anne of Denmark, Queen of James I; for in State Papers, Domestic, Jac. I, lxxiv, 22, there is an entry from which we learn that the Ambassador of Savoy sent to the Queen a casket of crystal supported on 8 lions of silver, and to the Prince a suit of Milanese armour after the model of those made for Charles V and Francis I. He also sent a lynx, lioness, and a tiger.
The suit was doubtless intended for Prince Henry; but as that Prince died in 1612 at eighteen years of age it was passed on to Prince Charles, afterwards Charles I.
We cannot, however, definitely accept this Tower suit as the one referred to; but certainly all the gifts sent by the ambassador to the Queen bear a leonine character! As the Tower suit certainly resembles the Armure aux Lions in the Musée d'Artillerie, which was at one time credited to the ownership of Francis I (see Fig. 1060), and the Campi suit at Madrid (see Fig. 1051) which was made for the Emperor Charles V, and
