Backplate, for field use. Formed of a single plate strongly shaped to the shoulder-blades. The broad, nearly straight neck-opening and the arm-opening have file-roped inward turns accompanied by recessed borders. The border at the neck descends to an open V-shape at its centre. The backplate is decorated medially with a single incised line that extends from just below the neck-opening to just above the waist which is decorated with a single, transverse, incised line. The lower edge of the backplate is flanged outwards to form a short skirt. The edge of the skirt, which is slightly arched at its centre, has a file-roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border. The border contains nine lining-rivets, of which the outer ones are externally-flush to permit the overlap of the breastplate, and the remainder are of brass-capped, round-headed form. Attached by a single, round-headed brass rivet at each shoulder is a modern double-end, tongued, iron buckle that serves to receive the shoulder-strap of the breastplate. The buckle has rectangular loops and a rectangular hasp with cropped corners. Later rivet holes pierced just to the outside of each of the present buckles, must at some time have served to attach similar buckles or straps. Later wiring-holes are pierced at each side of the neck-opening. Attached by a single round-headed brass rivet at each side of the waist is a modern leather strap forming a waist-belt. The right strap terminates in a double-ended, tongued, iron buckle with rounded rectangular loops and a rectangular hasp with cropped corners and slightly constricted sides. The hasp is secured to the strap by a single flat-headed rivet. Part of the composite armour HEN.M.14A-L-1933.
History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex.
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Depth: 15 cm
Height: 37.4 cm
Weight: 1.43 kg
Width: 36.4 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
16th Century, Late
Production date:
circa
AD 1580
North Italian
The backplate is bright with a light to medium patination overall.
The backplate shows cracks at the left side of the waist, the centre of the right arm-opening, and the centre of the lower edge of the skirt, as well as dents just below the centre of the right arm-opening and at the right end of the lower edge of the skirt. Its metal shows evidence of delamination at the point of the right shoulder-blade.
Belt
composed of
leather
( modern)
Buckles
composed of
iron (metal)
Rivet Caps
composed of
brass (alloy)
Borders
Decoration
Parts
Hammering
: Formed of a single plate strongly shaped to the shoulder-blades; hammered, shaped, riveted, decorated with recessed borders, raised ribs, incised lines and file-roping
Patinating
Forming
Accession number: HEN.M.14D-1933
Primary reference Number: 17902
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Backplate (body armour)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/17902 Accessed: 2024-11-22 04:09:19
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/17902
|title=Backplate (body armour)
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-22 04:09:19|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-17902
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...