this small set of armour: "small armour, made for his now Majestie Charles the Second, when he was Prince, consisting of Breast, backe, gorgett, and headpeece, all richly guilt . . . one." In the 1676 and 1683 inventories are the same entries. In the 1688 inventory and valuation is the entry: "small armour made for his late Ma^{tie} K Charles y^e II^d w^n he was Prince consisting of Back Breast, gorget and Headpeece all Richly gilt. . . ." The valuation of it then was £25. This same entry and valuation figure in the inventories of 1691 and of 1693. In the author's opinion this suit is of English workmanship, though executed under French influence.
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Fig. 1457a. Suit of pikeman's armour
Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell
With mention of this last little set of armour our list of harnesses worthy of the name comes to an end. Until the third quarter of the XVIIIth century portraits of monarchs, and of military and of naval celebrities, continued to be painted, in which they were represented, in either full or three-quarter armour; but this armour had probably no actual existence, unless it happened to be some suit of earlier make borrowed as an artistic property by the artist. It must not be forgotten, however, that—apart from some very fine weapons of which we will speak later—the XVIIth century produced much decorated armour of very considerable artistic merit, armour to which we have alluded in those chapters dealing with pageant shields, open casques, morions, and cabasset helmets. Moreover, the XVIIth century has always been a happy hunting-*ground for the collector; for the productions of the armourers of that era
