“The Emperor’s bill, dated Toledo, January 15th, 1526, arranging for the payment of expenses from and to Augsburg to Colman and his companions is so interesting in its details that it ought to be known. It runs thus:
“ ‘Notre Secretaire M. Jehan Lalemand, depechez nos lettres patentes par les quelles soient mandé a notre Argentier Jehan d’ Adurza et des deniers de son entremise payer, bailler et delivrer comptant à ..., Colman maître armoyeur de notre cité d’ Augsbourg en Allemaignes et à Ludovico de Taxis serviteur du maître des postes estant au dit Augsbourg la somme de 1,125 ducats d’or de XXXVII. s. VI. d. pièce, à savoir; au dit Colman 735, les 500 en don gratuit pour une fois pour aucunement des peines et travaux qu’il a eu et supporté venant par notre expresse ordonnance au mois de decembre dernier en poste dés sa maison etant au dit Augsbourg, jusque par devers notre dite majesté en notre cité de Tolede; les 150 pour ses depenses tant de venir que de retourner en sa dite maison; les 30 ducats pour convertir et employer en ung acoustrement pour sa personne, de nos couleurs et livrées et les 55 autres ducats pour une mulle que lui avons fait ce jourd-huy acheter et presenter aussi en don de par nous; et au dit Ludovico de Taxis 380 semblables ducats, les 200 pour ses peines et frais par lui payés d’etre aussi par notre dite ordonnance venu accompagner par poste le dit Colman, dés le dit Augsbourg à quatre chevaux jusqu’ à Lyon sur Rhone en France et dés le dit Lyon jusqu’ en notre cité de Tolede à trois chevaux, a cause qu’ un serviteur d’ icelle Colman était demeuré malade par chemin; les 150 ducats aussi pour ses dépenses et autres frais que lui conviendra faire accompagnant le dit Colman et portant une montre de harnais pour notre personne dés le dit Tolede jusqu’ au dit Augsbourg et les autres 30 ducats aussi en don gratuit pour un acoutrement pour sa personne aussi de notre dite livrée; revenant ensemble toutes les dites parties à la dite somme de 1,125 ducats d’or,’ ” &c. (Simancas. Casa Real).
The figure A93 (plate 27) shows the armour as worn for combat on foot in champ-clos. The helmet has a complete set of reinforcing pieces. The roped edge of the breastplate is placed over the gorget. The pauldrons are large, and furnished with pike-guards. The lamboys are in bell-shaped halves, joined by sliding rivets. The lowest or outermost plate can be detached at will, and is decorated with bas-reliefs of bears and deer pursued by dogs on a gilded ground. Beneath is a “baticol,” or kind of breeches, of burnished steel, “articulated with great skill and precision, so as to defend the body without hindering its movements.” Cuisses, genouillères, and jambs complete the suit.
The tilting pieces attached to the harness are shown on the second figure (A101—plate 20). The helm, similar to that of A37, is decorated with gold bands, and is fifteen millimetres thick at the visor. It is screwed on to the over-breastplate. The arm defences are very handsome, being gilded, embossed, and engraved so as to resemble the civil dress of the period. The right coude bears the emblem of the Golden Fleece, and would appear from the Relacion de Valladolid to have been a prize won or competed for at tournaments. The armour on the left arm will only permit the arm to be bent towards the pommel of the saddle.
The cuisses are laminated, and the influence of the civil dress is seen once more in the genouillères which are composed of strips of metal placed vertically, so as to give the “slashed” appearance common to the trunk-hose and sleeves of the period. The jambs are engraved with floral devices. The sollerets are of mail.
The third figure (A103), described as including the pieces necessary for war or hunting, does not call for special notice.
A108 is a light harness for war, made by Colman Helmschmied. The emblem of the Golden Fleece predominates in the scheme of its decoration. Of this suit the Conde de Valencia says:
“Time has dimmed the effect of its sober and severe ornamentation of gold on a black ground, confined to a few narrow longitudinal stripes engraved and gilded. It has the ‘bars’ of the Golden Fleece on the helmet, the guards, and the shield; two winged griffins, supporting the Pillars of Hercules on the backplates of the pauldrons, and the image of Our Lady on the breastplate. According to the Emperor’s inventory, the backplate, which does not exist, bore the image of St. Barbara.
“It is the last armour the famous Colman made for Charles V. This is easily proved by the date (1531), engraved on the left tassets—a date which agrees with that given us some years ago by the learned German professor, Carl Justi, to whom it was communicated by Canon Braghirolli on his finding it in the Mantua archives. It is contained in a letter from Duke Federigo di Gonzaga to the Duke of Urbino on the 9th November, 1532, in which he says that the Emperor had shown him his armour, among which was a beautiful suit by Colman, the last one he made for him, for shortly after he had died. The statement was confirmed by the payment lists of the Municipality of Augsburg, from which the name of the armourer disappeared in the year 1532.”
The helmet is a celada de infante, and has a visor with wide gratings fastening over the beavor. The evolution of leg-armour is well shown by the tassets extending, in several plates, below the knee where they overlap the demi-jambs. There are no genouillères. The lower plates of the tassets were detachable, those pieces being thus convertible into tassets of ordinary length.