Backplate

Culture Northern German perhaps Württemberg

Dateabout 1580

Mediumpainted steel with modern leather

Dimensions39.4 × 36.8 × 24.1 cm (15 1/2 × 14 1/2 × 9 1/2 in.), 5 lb 4 oz (weight)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

MarkingsTerminal lame of fauld has a re-struck, single "antler" mark of Wurttemberg to left of fork on inner face; another antler on lowest (6th ) lame of both tassets; right inside of breast with black-painted letters "VK" (?) ; "V"-shaped nicks and serial dots throughout.

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.1144.4

DescriptionThe associated backplate is of one boxy plate, slightly dished for the shoulder-blades, with two riveted sideplates, and a riveted culet of one boxed lame, cusped at its midpoint. Decoration is "en suite" with that of the breast, but appears to be later, done to match. The side-plates may be old, but reworked. This is true of the poorly-fitting culet, which probably was once fitted to a slightly earlier backplate, and worked on sliding-rivets.

A line of domed rivets (one lacking) follows the lower edge, and retain fragments of leather under the roughly-cut, octagonal iron washers.

The backplate secures to the breast with a modern waist-strap and buckle on the culet terminals, and a set of modern straps from the upper edges of the shoulders. Empty holes here indicate that the original straps were each secured with a pair of rivets.

All edges at neck, armpits, and culet are roughly turned inward, without core (except for side-plates, over a flat wire strip), and without roping. There are no marks, save a single punched dot near the center of each side-plate's inner face.

While unconfirmed, the feeling is that the backplate is comprehensively North German in origin.
Provenance(Possibly) ex-S.J. Whawell Collection, lot 382 (p. 67) 5 May 1927 sale at Sotheby's Theodore Offerman. Purchased by John W. Higgins on 27 September 1927 from Theodore Offerman (of New York Galleries). Given to the Higgins Armory Museum on 15 December 1931. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, Janaury 2014.

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