Composite Half-Armor for a Pikeman

Culture English

Artisthelmet probably by Richard Wright (English, d. 1654)

Dateabout 1625–1645

Mediumsteel with modern leather

Dimensions14 lb 8 oz (weight)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

MarkingsHelmet stamped with London Armourers' Company mark?

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.1167

DescriptionArmor of 3 associated pieces: helmet; breastplate with tassets; backplate. The collar is not preserved.
Label TextPikemen carried long spears and fought on foot in porcupine formations to defend musketeers from attacking cavalry. Musketeers wore no armor, to make it easier to shoot their muskets. Pikemen wore head and torso armor, since their job was close combat. By the end of the 1600s, muskets were being equipped with bayonets. The bayonet was essentially a large knife that attached to the end of the musket, turning it into a short spear. Every musketeer was now his own pikeman, and armor largely vanished from the battlefield. Even this rather plain armor includes decorative and fashionable features. The narrow breastplate and broad thigh-guards echo the shape of contemporary clothing. The helmet and torso armor are adorned with engraved lines, and the thigh-guards are hammered to imitate the rows of narrow plates used on earlier versions of this kind of armor.ProvenanceEarl of Eglinton (Ayrshire, Scotland) Cyril Andrade (London) probably his no. 16 Theodore Offerman of York Galleries, NYC Purchased by John W. Higgins from Theodore Offerman on 27 September 1927. Given to the Armory on 15 December 1931. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.

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