I can't find it right now, but there's a pretty famous picture showing an Italian Duke sitting down with his helmet on the ground, and you can see the reflection of his leg harness clearly depicted in the mirror polish on the helmet.

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I see "Satin" as more of a modern finish, as it looks ok and is a relatively easy finish for the modern armorer to do with a wire wheel - something I've never seen documented in period sources.

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Hugh - Were you thinking Duke of Urbino, where he's reading while wearing his Milanese? (the Best armor type)

Steve - Polish that armor, you slacker!

[ 07-08-2002: Message edited by: Jeff Johnson ]

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I'll have to pipe in with a "we don't know". Really, this is the honest answer. It is important to note the surface of most extant armour residing in Museums and private collections was "improved" over the course of centuries.

Dependant upon ones social station, the 'polish' of armour would vary. I mightily suspect that if one did not have servants, one did not have a 'mirror' polish on ones harness.

Frankly, the 'mirror polish' is overdone on a grand scale in reenactment - look at the Tewkesbury photos, while it isn't universal, it is common enough to be an eyesore, especially on harness that I suspect would have been left black from the forge from it's quality of finish.

Finishes not even contemplated above, but we have evidence for -

From the High to the Low

Blueing - from manuscript illuminations (and a few late 15th & early 16th century pieces), this may have been a commonplace for armours of quality. Of course the manuscript illuminations may just represent an artists technique at portraying metal, but in some illuminations of high quality from Flanders, pieces that are obviously polished can be seen beside blue pieces, gilt pieces, etc. Toby Capswell on a harness of his had a heat blueing that replicated almost exactly the effect seen in miniatures. There is a light sallet from Rhodes that retains bluing, there is a very late 15th century Spanishish armet that retains it's bluing.

Gilding. This is both a commonplace in household accounts of the wealthy and powerful, and in well done large paintings and miniatures. It is thin on the ground in extant 15th century pieces, and I believe this tro have been a function of the destruction of robbers, and revolutionaries in Europe from the 17th - early 19th century, rather than a reflection of reality. Extant pieces consist of the parade helmet of Charles VI, found in a well at the Louvre, a mail shirt of 15th century manufacture retaining traces of gilding across its surface examined by Erik Schmidt and auctioned by Peter Finer last season, and the sparrowbeak sallet of Phillip the Fair in Madrid (c.1500), a light parade helmet in Milan of late 15th century, one dated to 1460 in the MET with a gilt copper lion - I'm sure there are more that I am unaware of.

Mirror Polish mentioned above. I seriously doubt it being worn other than by the well to do or household troops - and I mean chaps like archers of guards - not the normal retinue.

russeting The Burgundian chapel de fer I had replicated still retains it's coat, and traces of decorative tinning on the decorative piercework boarder. Just to show the finish could show on a piece of quality. Seen in some Memmeling paintings, although rare in miniatures. I am unaware of a 15th century reference to the practice, but here is an extant example, and some can be seen on "The St. Ursula Reliquary" amongst others. A very rich finish could be done with russeting and gilding, a finish retained by some later 16th century and 17th century pieces.

Tinning This shows up in references from the 14th century on (a 14th century inventory of the munitions contained by Dover castle in example, in reference to several bascinets), most brigandine plates bear traces of tinning, several 15th century examples of mail recently examined by Erik Schmidt in the Wallace collection retain much of there tinning, and at the high end of the scale one of Philip the Fairs entire jousting harnesses of very late 15th century date is tinned and covered with decorative cloth. When the finish is masterfully done, the end result is a surface that resembles silver, that is an extreme rust inhibitor.

Black - from the forge, or "varnish black". This is extremely common in documentation for lower quality armours. Unfortunately many pieces once bearing this finish were "improved" by polishing by antique dealers (often to pass off low quality bits in cobbled together "gothic" harness). The Varnish black is a reference I have seen in a late 15th century Italian source, a recipie to cover armour with a 'varnish' or paint of lamp-black and linseed oil. From our experimentation it leaves a tough, semi-gloss protective coat, and there is a mid-15th century barbute in the Wallace collection with this finish.

This is the most underdone finish in reenactment. Everyone wishes to look like a "knight in shining armor", yet occassionaly entire armies (the Black Legion of Matthew Corvinus as an excellent 15th century example - a 15th century infantry army with mostly heavily armoured infantrymen providing a core of "professionals" with which to build a feudal army armound) were kitted out in black armour.

Satin - I think most polished armour fell into this catagory, as evidence exists for armour recieving a mirror polish recieving treatment over and above the norm.

Painted This appears in documentation, and is commonplace to late 15th century Early 16th century sallets of a certain form of "German" manufacture, as seen in Drurers "The Knight, Death, and the Devil", and his earlier engraving of the same figure by itself. From this evidence, it would seem that "black" armours may well have been used as a surface for painted decoration. Also a number of bellows visored and close sallets of early 16th century manufacture have a painted surface over a 'black' ground - some higly painted.

In Wolfe Argent, we require a finish on harness compatable with the "station" of the wearer, lest we fall into the trap of badly representing the appearance of soldiers.
I am the head honcho, and I have precisely ONE piece of harness with a mirror polish, and that is the only piece in the company with that finish to date.

Don't fall into the trap of looking like a "shiney fool".

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There is one last "finish" I forgot to mention.

Textile covering

This is the covering of a solid piece of armour with a rich textile - not to be confused with armours where textile is intrinsic to the functioning of the plates (i.e. bringandines).

This is a very regional 'style' - I am currently putting together the research regarding it. It seems to be confined to areas where the production and sale of rich textiles were a cornerstone of the economy (Flanders, Northern France, and Parts of Italy). I am of the current opinion that this display of wealth may have something in common with the theory that the Burgundian court may have worn black "in solidarity" with the mercantile interests of the fabric producing centers of the Low Countries.

A numner of iconographic sources from the 15th century show what appear to be brigandines worn with an otherwise complete harness. Some may indeed be brigandines, but many more show what cannot possibly be brigandine work (nails in a pattern decorative rather than functional) alongside of what are clearly brigandines from what we knbow of brigandine construction. To this evidence, we have several late 15th and early 16th century breastplates, some in museums, and at least one with a partial cover in a private collection, that bear the holes necessary for affixing a fabric cover. Also a reference to the de Medici inventory (late 15th century), where cloth covered armours are specified, in addition a number of barbutes once or still covered. Phillip the Fairs late 15th century tilting harness, etc.

This is very specificaly not an English style. There are several laws passed forbidding sale and manufacture of covered armours in England in the 14th and 15th centuries, the reason given being that shoddy work or old work is commonly disguised in this fashion and sold as being better than it is. I believe one law specificaly references 'foriegn' armours in this fashion.

Not an uncommon idea to the English, there are also laws forbidding the manufacture or sale of swords with guards other than of iron or steel.

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quote:

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The Varnish black is a reference I have seen in a late 15th century Italian source, a recipie to cover armour with a 'varnish' or paint of lamp-black and linseed oil.

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Not to deviate too far from the topic, but the above recipe was also used in the 1800s (with the sometime addition of champagne) to put a mirror polish on a gentleman of quality's boots.

Ace

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It sounds very like the artist used silver leaf to depict metal in that particular instance, and the leaf blackened with age. When it is telling is when differing sufaces are depicted - blued, black, polished, and gilt together.

I found several useful books dealing with art history and the craft of the Medieval artist detailing pigments used, and the effects to paintings due to age, varnishing, and the like. It helps a lot when interpreting the artwork.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jeff Johnson:
And, when they dis-assembled the armor from the church at Sainta Maria Del Gratzie (SP), they found that where one piece of the armor overlapped another (and presumably had been over-lapped since assembly in the 15th C.), the armor was highly polished.
[ 07-08-2002: Message edited by: Jeff Johnson ]

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Here is a scan of this picture. large 236k http://www.isd.net/cdavis/images/period_polish.jpg

Chuck Davis

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-Chuck Davis

Don't know whether I fall into the category of "Shiney Fool" or not. I'm in the subgenus of "Scotchbrite Stooge".

Also - I was interpreting "Satin" as "Brushed" when I mentioned wire wheel being used as a modern method to finish a piece. Dunno if that's what Steve meant.

[ 07-10-2002: Message edited by: Jeff Johnson ]

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Thanks for the information on the lamp black and linseed oil painted ware. I´ll try that one on my sallet.

One more question which might seem dumb: On helmets and solid breastplates this sounds reasonable to me- but how about articulated pieces like two-piece breastplates,shoulders and the like? Is a colour coating that resistant towards chafing? Or doesn´t it matter for the overlaps rub off internal rust by themselves when moving?

Thanks in advance,
regards,

Ivo

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Actually, I consider your harness to be finished in a 'normal' grade of polish, and a reasonable approximation of a well cared for hosting harness.

When I mean 'shiney fool', I'm talking about the fellows in mediocre to awkward reproductions with mirror (you can shave in them) polishes. When you next see my new hat, you will see what I consider to be a mirror polish - as in the Duke of Urbano's garter portrait harness. I've been ribbed that my new hat should be the company shaving mirror. In all fairness, it was intended to be plumb browned and gilt, not a shaving mirror.

Regarding the armour black finish, Craig, after painting his skullcap with it, baked it at a reasonable low temperature, and the bloody finish seems on there for good. As to whether they would consider baking a finish on historically, I am unsure.

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that's great! i did a similar thing with a helmet a while back. i have a harness i got off ebay that's essentially a blue/black finish. the helmet i bought to go with it arrived a shiny shiny silver satin. so at my next barbecue, i threw the helmet on the fire until it started to turn red. and now they match perfectly. i tend to prefer the blued armour look, but that's just a personal preference.

Still - perhaps "Shiny Farbs" Vice "Shiney Fools".

Will you be fighting in your new hat at the September event? (ding... ARGHHH!!!)

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As we´re talking about armour finish- has any of you any idea, how they treated the inside of plate armour or if they treated it at all?
I´ve heard a lot of hearsay, from tinning to rough from the hammer with burnt-in oil, but so far couldn´t find any reliable source.
Any suggestions?

Regards

Ivo

P.S: Sources. If any informations are in books that are worth buying- please post at least author and title, there´s still room empty in my cupboard that desperately awaits to be filled. ;o)

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