Production: Unknown
Tassets, for use by a cuirassier. The tassets are each formed of thirteen upward-overlapping lames that narrow towards their lower ends where they are fitted with poleyns of five lames that overlap outwards from the third, which is shaped to the point of the knee and expands to a small, pointed wing at its outer end. The lames of the tassets are connected to one another by modern sliding-rivets at their outer ends and by modern internal leathers at their inner ends and centres. The lames of the poleyns are connected to one another by modern round-headed rivets at their inner and outer ends. The first lame is pierced at the centre of its upper edge with a later-enlarged, horizontal keyhole-slot that serves to suspend it from the mushroom-shaped stud of the waist-flange of the breastplate. The two tassets are connected to one another medially by modern straps riveted at the inner ends of their first lames. The strap of the left tasset terminates in a double-ended, tongued iron buckle. the lowest lame of each poleyn which projects downwards to a central point, is at each side with later keyhole-slots, presumably for the attachment of greaves. Riveted within each end of the third lame of the poleyn is a modern leather strap, the outer of which terminates in a single-ended, tongued iron buckle. The main edges of the tassets and poleyns have plain inward turns bordered by pairs of incised lines. The secondary edges of the tassets and poleyns are bordered by pairs of incised lines within single incised lines. The first lame of each tasset is decorated with a file-roped transverse rib. Slight differences in the details of the two tassets suggest that they are not an exact pair but probably derive from the same series of armours. Part of the composite three-quarter armour HEN.M.17A-G-1933.
History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex.
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
17th Century#
Circa
1620
CE
-
1630
CE
The armour is bright with a variable light to medium patination overall. It has suffered some dents, buckles and cracks.
Internal Leathers
composed of
leather
( modern)
Straps
composed of
leather
( modern)
Buckles
composed of
iron (metal)
Right Tasset
Depth 10.3 cm
Height 73.0 cm
Weight 1.9 kg
Width 28.2 cm
Left Tasset
Depth 11.1 cm
Height 68.0 cm
Weight 2.4 kg
Width 29.0 cm
Decoration
Parts
Hammering
: The tassets are each formed of thirteen upward-overlapping lames that narrow towards their lower ends where they are fitted with poleyns of five lames that overlap outwards from the third, which is shaped to the point of the knees and expands o a small, pointed wing at its outer end; hammered, shaped, riveted, with incised and file-roped decoration
Patinating
Forming
Accession number: HEN.M.17E-1933
Primary reference Number: 17995
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) "Tassets" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/17995 Accessed: 2024-11-25 10:02:07
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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/17995
|title=Tassets
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 10:02:07|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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