Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 1).djvu/292

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suits we illustrate (Figs. 244 and 245) are lost, but the turning pins by which they were attached are in position. Like that of nearly all the suits in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna, the condition of this Kolman suit is superb, almost pristine in freshness, if now a trifle over-polished.

We could illustrate other examples, though not very many, of extant and almost complete late XVth century suits; but we will content ourselves by a final allusion to a superb German harness in the Schloss Museum of Sigmaringin. In that museum is to be seen a fine collection of arms formed by one of the Princes of Hohenzollern Sigmaringin; its most important exhibit, however, being portions of a Gothic suit of the very finest epoch of German XVth century armour, both the breastplate and backplate of which bear the mark of Lorenz Kolman (Fig. 247).

We give a page of illustrations of individual parts of fine late XVth century armour of various nationalities chosen from the composite Gothic suits at Windsor Castle and the Wallace Collection (Fig. 248), and also from the private collections of the Lady Zouche, Sir Edward Barry, and Mr. Henry G. Keasby (Fig. 249).

As representing the English fashion in complete armour of the third quarter of the XVth century we reproduce illustrations of the effigies of Sir John Crosby in Great St. Helen's Church, London, and of John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, in Wingfield Church, Suffolk. The former effigy is about 1475, the latter about 1490. Over the armour of the eminent grocer and wool merchant of London town is worn his Aldermanic gown (Fig. 250); while over that of the Duke of Suffolk appears his Garter robes (Fig. 251). On the Crosby effigy the breastplate with the larger super placate is a noteworthy feature. The pauldrons and arm-pieces are very complete; while the elbow cops are made exactly on the principle of those depicted on the Hungerford effigy, the aiglettes or arming points by which they are attached being most clearly defined. The tuille tassets are large and pointed, as are the sollerets. The cuisses have three horizontal ridges running across them, an unusual decoration rarely seen on any existing leg armour of the period. Both dagger and sword are missing.

As might be expected, the harness represented on the Duke of Suffolk's effigy, though severely and absolutely plain, falls not a whit below that high standard of protective quality to which armour generally had attained towards the close of the XVth century. We imagine that we shall hardly be depreciating the interest in this effigy if we suggest that the armour represented is distinctly English in make and insular in style, fully protective, as