Gorget for an Officer of the City Militia
Culture
Netherlandish
Datelate 1700s
Mediumgilt brass
Dimensions17 × 17.4 cm (6 11/16 × 6 7/8 in.), 7 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.5
DescriptionEmbossed brass-gilt. Deep pointed plate of leaf shape, with bluntly rounded, pierced terminals. Top edge gently flanged at neck, other edges followed by inwardly turned border & recessed band. Surface completely embossed with essentially symmetrical ground of martial trophies at sides, rococo scrolls at medial base & framing the central primary motif of a classically armed female, sacrificial altar, recumbent lion & cityscape in the background, within vine-like frame, all on transverse, shield-like escutcheon. Some cracks in the metal.Label TextThe gorget was a neckguard worn under the torso armor, serving the additional purpose of making the armor sit more comfortably on the shoulders. It was worn on top of a padded coat, which in the 1500s was often made of leather. After 1600, the torso armor was often abandoned, but some officers chose to keep wearing the gorget over the leather coat, which was now the main torso defense. The once-plain gorget become a decorative adornment. Over time it grew smaller, but a vestigial version continued to be worn as a badge of rank even at the time of the American Revolution.ProvenanceCollection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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Desiderius Helmschmid
about 1552
