Shaffron (horse's head armor)

Artist Thomas Grimshaw (English, 1806 – 1859)

Datemid-1800s

Mediumiron and brass

Dimensions68.6 × 35 × 36 cm (27 × 13 3/4 × 14 3/16 in.)
Weight: 96 oz (6 lb.)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.966

DescriptionIron, etched & polished. Full defense shaped to head, consisting of 3 large plates secured together with domed brass rivets, & bulbous nose piece (damaged). At large holes for eyes & ears are riveted plates (left ear missing). Hinged pollplate. Edges rolled & crudely roped. Center of mainplate pierced for escutcheon-plate & spike (both lacking), & along medial line above & below, plate embossed in spine-like medial rib. Etched overall in weak, watery manner, with chevronic foliate-filled bands terminating in curved brackets at medial line at which each has an 8-pointed star. Ground is coarsely stippled & blackened.
Label TextHorse armor has always been highly prized by collectors, and during the 1800s, numerous forgeries were made to meet the demand. This piece belonged to Baron Zouche, whose collection included numerous fakes made by Thomas Grimshaw for the dealer Samuel Pratt. The piece is of very thin, springy, poorly formed metal, the eyes are misaligned, and the crudely rendered decoration is copied from armor elements in the Royal Armouries Museum, England.ProvenancePerhaps Baron Zouche (Parham, Sussex) Bashford Dean (his no. 9; to 1929) Higgins (from Dean estate); given to Museum on 1 July 1954. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.

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