Fig. 29.—Suit of parcel-gilt Armour. Made for Prince Charles, afterwards Charles I. Tower of London.
The casque passes almost insensibly into the more serviceable burgonet, a classic-looking helmet with ear-pieces and neck-covering, dear to Salvator Rosa and his contemporaries. This developed into the spider helmet with bars to protect the face, and the open and barred helmets of Charles I. and the Commonwealth. [Fig. 27] represents an extremely rich example of the latter, made with cuirass and gorget in repoussé silver for Charles II. when prince. The defensive quality of the armet, not being so purely consecrated to parade, was rarely impaired by embossing, and even when made for monarchs, the decoration was mainly confined to etching and gilding. A rare form with double visor, five rope-like combs, and bands of engraving, is illustrated ([Fig. 28]) from the collection of Mr. Cozens Smith of Benyeo. The armet continued to be used by mounted officers until the middle of the seventeenth century, a picture of Rocroy, 1643, showing Condé in a hat, but his staff in visored helmets. One of the latest cap-à-pie suits, probably never worn, is that in the Tower, richly worked and gilded all over, presented to Charles I. by the City of London.
Fig. 30.—Richly Embossed and Damascened Target. Italian, sixteenth century. Mr. David Currie’s Collection.
The high-combed morions and cabassets of the pikemen and musketeers are generally richly etched in vertical bands, or covered with interlacing arabesques, which we gather, from numerous passages in Brantôme’s works, were usually gilt. Thus 4000 harquebuziers stepped out of the ranks as enfans perdus, at the call of Mons. d’Andelet “tous morions gravez et dorez en teste.”
The buckler or target appears an archaic defence, but survived with us, sometimes in high favour like the sword, at others nearly obsolete, until the reign of James I., and in Scotland till recent times. It was banished while the Spanish rapier and left-handed dagger were in use.
Plate VII.—Lower part of enriched Chanfron. Suit presented to Charles I. by the City of London. Tower of London.