Left Cuisse

Culture European

Artist, some restorations by M. Sylvain Marchat (French, active in Paris and New York)

Date1912, using some old metal and components

Mediumsteel and brass with leather

Dimensions43 × 17 × 8 cm (16 15/16 × 6 11/16 × 3 1/8 in.), 2 lb 6 oz (weight)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

MarkingsWhite-painted "39" inside thigh mainplate.

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.806.9

DescriptionLeft cuisse and right cuisse are etched; except for the poleyn, the right is a modern copy of the left, which is itself heavily restored.

These consist of a main thigh-plate, with three articulating plates above, connected to the winged poleyn by three medial lames, with another three lames below the poleyn. The ensemble is cobbled together from a variety of plates, and there has been limited effort to make the elements match in decoration. Only early plates are noted below.

Some of the upper lames look to be early metal, but heavily reworked for the present purpose.

Both main thigh-plates look to be rather early, to judge by the character of the metal, but both have been severely reworked, with the addition of a triangular turned edge at the top, and a cockleshell embossing at the bottom suggested by other elements of the harness.

The right poleyn and the two plates above it look to be old, and perhaps originally made together, to judge by their smooth articulation.

The uppermost of the three lames above the left poleyn looks to be old.

Restorations: upper three lames, stop-rib at top of cuisse; 2 lames above cop; knee-cop (interior of side wing signed "S. Marchat, Paris 1912"); one lame below. Patches of repair at bottom edge of terminal lame. Central lame of cop decorated with a roped, single sunken border. Bottom lame recently pierced with two keyhole-shaped slots to secure to greave. Upper cop lame and second from bottom belong together (they have the same etched border), and are associated with the others. The edges of these draw to a medial cusp, and are decorated with diagonal engraved lines. Main cuisse plate: with simple sunken border, embossed transverse rib and restorations as noted. Medial rib, central face embossed with a ten-faceted shell-like fan pattern. Buckles, straps restored.
ProvenanceFranz Thill Collection, Vienna (gorget and breastplate, to 1905) S. J. Whawell Frank Gair Macomber, Boston. Helmet: John Long Severance purchase for the Cleveland Museum of Art, exchanged with Bashford Dean (#16) for equestrian armor. Dean acquired the gorget and breastplate from Macomber, having already borrowed and displayed them with the helmet in Metropolitan Museum of Art's 1911 catalogue, #39, pl. XXV). Dean is responsible for the full composed suit, adding his helmet, pauldrons, and Marchat restorations in 1912. Clarence H. Mackay (#A.49-until (?) 1941) Kende Galleries at Gimbel Bros. (1941). Purchased by the Armory on 26 December 1941, from Gimbel Bros./Hammer Galleries (NYC) as suit A-49 of the Mackay estate. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.

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