A COMPOSITE EUROPEAN CUIRASSIER'S ARMOUR, EARLY 17TH CENTURY comprising close helmet formed of a

A COMPOSITE EUROPEAN CUIRASSIER'S ARMOUR, EARLY 17TH CENTURY comprising close helmet formed of a rounded one-piece skull from an early 16th century armet, rising to a low roped medial comb pierced, and fitted at the nape fitted with a brass plume-holder (replaced) and two rear gorget-plates, peak and bevor attached by common pivots (replaced), the peak fitted within its brow with a barred face-defence cut with a pair of large rectangular vision-slits and later etched with bands of foliate interlace and guilloche, the bevor fitted with a falling buff of three lames, each pierced with numerous circular ventilation-holes, and three front gorget-plates, collar formed of a single deep plate front and rear, heavy breastplate of vestigial 'peascod' fashion formed of a main plate with an internal reinforce, the former flanged outwards at it lower edge to receive a pair of long tassets each formed of ten upward overlapping lames divisible between the seventh and eighth and terminating in winged poleyns of five lames, heavy backplate with outward-flanged lower edge, the breastplate and backplate each bearing the proof-mark of a bullet, large symmetrical pauldrons each formed of nine lames overlapping outwards from the fifth and connected by a turner to a vambrace formed of a tubular upper and lower cannon articulated to one another by a winged bracelet couter of three lames, the main edges of the armour decorated with inward turns in part roped and accompanied by recessed borders, its surfaces variously decorated with bands of incised lines and roped ribs (the armour showing pitting and wear overall with some cracking, bruising, patching and disarticulation, particularly in the pauldrons and vambraces) Inv. no. A090.