Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 4).djvu/214

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adopted as her insignia by Diana of Poitiers. Another round shield (post, Fig. 1318), resembling the one at Windsor, is to be found in the Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 398); in the same collection is another round shield (post, Fig. 1319) by the same hand though differently decorated, and there is yet another in a private English collection (post, Fig. 1320). Again, the collection made by Prince Charles of Prussia includes a rondache supposed to have belonged to Henri II, which shows the same workmanship as is found on the suit of armour in the Louvre (Vol. iii, Figs. 1092 and 1095). Finally, the Royal Collection at Stockholm contains a complete suit of armour, with its circular shield, saddle and cantle plates (Vol. iii, Figs. 1093 and 1094), which, although apparently of less fine workmanship, shows striking points of resemblance to that of Henri II at the Louvre. It is supposed to have belonged to Charles IX of Sweden. Except for the crowned lion of Norway on the shoulder-pieces, the entire decoration of the suit recalls that of the suit of armour at the Louvre, the design on the leg-pieces being almost identical. The rondache is in the same style as the others of which we have just spoken, and on the cantle of the saddle are found the same highly muscular captives who are represented on the shields at Turin and at Vienna.

To this list must be added the wonderful shield in the Louvre, in pure gold, with its accompanying morion (post, page 209, Fig. 1285), both chased, sculptured, engraved, and enamelled, which belonged to Charles IX, and bears the initial of his name. To complete the series of fourteen existing pieces by this armourer known to the author, we must mention the saddle steels and chanfron in the Lyons Museum that appear to have belonged to the Louvre Henri II suit (see Vol. iii, Fig. 1096), and the buffe to which we are about to refer in Mr. William Newall's Collection (Fig. 1265). It is noticeable that of the fourteen pieces above mentioned, nine are connected, either on account of their emblems or by tradition, with the royal house of France. We are unable to say whether or not the artist-armourer who produced all these pieces was a Frenchman, although his style makes us think he was; but we may fairly claim for France the honour of having produced the whole series of incomparable pieces which have till now been attributed to Italy. It is probable that all these pieces, designed by the same artist, and showing characteristic resemblances in the style of workmanship, if not actually the personal work of this master, were made under his superintendence, and were ordered by the King of France to be made either for his personal use or for royal gifts. It will not be out of place to