could you give me a little more detail on the tongress cuirasse and the "american" example. have they been published? what photos exist?

also what's the word on T Capwell's paper?

i also have another question. looking at reprouctions that are called English and comaparing them with effigies the gauntlets' wrist don't seem to match up. the reproductions usulay have articulation at the wrist similar to german examples whilts the effigies don't seem to. they apear to have the same writs as italian pieces and are articulated only towards the fingers, more so than the italian. looking at the artwork of Turner the same is repeated. now granted both are representations and can have thier flaws.

granted i only have a limited number of examples to look at. but this is my current opinion. can you lend yours?

Db

[ 04-27-2005: Message edited by: LHF ]

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Db

The Tongress cuirasse has been published several times, Claude Gaier published it in his work on the arms industry in the ancient principalities of Belgium, I hope to publish the American collection example in an article, perhaps next year. I don't think the Dordrecht example has been published, at least I have never seen it published. The reason the Tongress example is so important is because of the context it was found in, and the association of the mark to an area of Low Countries manufacture.

They aren't pretty to look at, and the three cuirasses in question do not resemble what is seen on English effigies. The Dordrecht example has been tentitively tagged "Italian Export", for no very good reason I could see - it is almost an identical match to the Tongress example. The cuirasses can be seen in mid 15th century Low Countries art (An article appearing in a Musee des Arms in Liege Publication shows some of the artwork next to the Tongres cuirasse). One of the chief differences being these cuiasses I mention have no split plackart, as seen in English effigies.

I Believe Dr. Capwell is exploring publication options for his thesis, but I have no idea as to when the project will be undertaken.

I think that the modern interpretations showing the wrist articulation as akin to Germ,an examples are dead-wrong, and your idea of the effigies depicting Italian style fixed metecarpals and cuffs is correct. I am having a set of gauntlets made copying examples seen on the Cologne altarpiece, circa 1460, that I believe closely resemble the style of gauntlets in question.

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