Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 5).djvu/37

with gorget and gauntlets . . . one." The same entry appears in the 1676 inventory, and the same in the 1688 inventory and valuation, where the value £250, great for those days, is placed upon it, doubtless on account of the intrinsic value of the bosses of gold; while in the inventories and valuations of 1691 and of 1693 this estimate is again repeated. We say we feel confident that it is to this little suit that the inventories refer; first of all, because it is called a "small armour"; secondly, because the decoration is described as "richly guilt, with bosses of gold"; thirdly, because as can be seen it is still "corded with silver"; and finally, because it exactly corresponds with the number of plates described, viz., "backe, breast, Taces, Murrion, close head-peece, Pouldrons and vambraces, with gorget and gauntlets."

Fig. 1430. Three-quarter suit of armour

North Italian workmanship, about 1620. Ex collection: the late Sir Samuel R. Meyrick. Now in the Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 1122)

The parts of this little half suit now comprise the breastplate with slight tapul flanging out below in order to form the top plate of the taces; the backplate; the gorget, of three plates; the pauldrons; the rere- and vambraces; extremely small elbow-cops, with the additional laminated plates guarding the inner bend of the arms; fingered gauntlets, with bell-shaped cuffs (the fingers are now missing); tassets, each of a single plate; and close helmet, the skull-piece of which has a low comb, its visor (pierced with the ocularium) extending well over the forehead of the skull-piece, and so reinforcing it. The bevor is thick, and pierced with a circular arrangement of holes for breathing purposes on the dexter side only; it is kept fastened when lowered by a turning screw on the right side. The chin-piece opens down the sides, and is attached to the