Back of a Brigandine Torso Armor
Cultureprobably
Italian
Dateearly 1500s
Mediumtinned iron plates riveted to canvas
Dimensions45 × 40 cm (17 11/16 × 15 3/4 in.), 6 lb (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
MarkingsAttached lead seal is that of Innsbruck (Austria) 'Zollamt' (customs office). (WJK)
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.816
DescriptionPlates & rivets of tinned iron, with canvas facing. Defense extends from the base of the neck to the waist. 13 columns of small lames overlap upwards & outward, except for the medial medial column which laterally overlaps the rows to either side. Top edges of medial column lames are scalloped. Single row of lames around each armpit.Label TextThe brigandine was first recorded in the 1300s, and was a flexible, vest-like torso defense of small plates riveted to a fabric or leather covering. It was widely used in the Americas from the outset of European exploration, and fragments have been recovered from sites datable to as late as the 1630s.ProvenancePurchased by Museum on November 5, 1934 from Ludwig V. Abel (Tyrol, Austria). Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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