Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 1).djvu/288

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The breastplate of Phillip le Beau (about 1490), now in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna, comes from the hand of Adrian Treytz; one of the Treytz mark can also be seen on the large bascinet helmet upon the famous early Missaglia suit (page 179, Fig. 213), in the Museum of Berne, and a variation on the gauntlets placed with the suit No. 340 in the Wallace Collection, London (see chapter xv, vol. ii).

We could not with any pretence to completeness bring to a close our illustrated record of famous XVth century suits which still exist without incorporating an example, and one of the highest historical importance, of the work of the great family of Kolman of Augsburg; for, as we have previously remarked, it was in a large measure due to the rivalry prevailing between the armourers of Nuremberg (see page 204) and of Augsburg headed by the Kolman family, and of those of Milan headed by the Missaglias, that the work of the armour-artist attained its highest perfection. The maker of the Maximilian suit which we are about to describe is Lorenz Kolman, whose grandfather, Martin Kolman, came to Augsburg in 1377, to be succeeded by Georg who died in 1479. Lorenz is mentioned in 1477 as having completed, to the satisfaction of his patron, a full suit of armour for man and horse designed for Maximilian, afterwards emperor. In 1490 he received the honorary title of Courtplater, or Court armour maker, to the same Prince. The suit which we illustrate is another he made for Maximilian, and which is reputed to have been finished in the year 1493 (Fig. 246, a, b). This harness was once in the possession of the Archduke Ferdinand of the Tyrol, and is mentioned in the inventory made of his possessions in 1596, to which we have already referred. Lorenz Kolman died in 1515, to be succeeded by his almost more famous son Koloman Kolman, whom we shall have occasion to mention later.

In this Maximilian suit of 1493 a strong general likeness can be seen to the Nuremberg suits we have just described. The "Gothic" influence of form and decoration is still retained; but innovations in plate formation can be noticed that would seem to indicate the advent of the Renaissance. The head-piece, though still the salade, fits closely and with concealed catches to the bevor; which in its turn is completed with laminated gorget plates both back and front, on the principle of the neck defence of an ordinary closed XVIth century helmet. Then, too, an entirely new form of shoulder and upper arm defence can be observed, that is to say, concentric lames of steel conjoined by almaine rivets protecting the entire shoulder and diminishing in circumference until the last hoop fits the turner of the rerebrace. To