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German fingered Gauntlet (possibly Brunswick)

I was studying in Oxford during my second year in college. I took the train down to the Park Lane Arms Fair. I remember seeing a pauldron (should have bought it), a pile of cabassets (they were cheap) and a fun cabasset topped burgonet (I still wish I had that) and this arm and gauntlet. I had no money. After some thought and conversations I convinced this dealer to take what I had and let me send him the rest of the price after the fair. When I had paid off the full price of 125 pounds (for both) he sent them to me. Aaron and I used these pieces and the pauldron to do the design work for the harness we built for Mike Squires and the half armor we built for the Higgins. We learned a lot about the geometry of a 16th c. arm and 16th c. gauntlet from studying these and making those pieces.

Arm harness circa 1540-60

Formed of an upper and lower vambrace articulated by means of one lame below and one lame above to the bracelet cop. The upper vambrace includes a turning collar which was originally directly attached by a sliding rivet at the back and two leathers to the pauldron. Rolled and roped borders at the wrist and on the edge of the wing. Simple outward rolls at the inner edge of the upper and lower vambraces (at the elbow). Elbow of very pointed form with full bracelet wing. Horizontal raised and roped ridge on the outside from the point of the elbow to the center of the wing. Iron rivets with brass caps articulating the plates and attaching the hinge for the lower vambrace.

Turning collar 4 3/4' in diameter. Lower vambrace 9 3/8' long at the longest point.

Upper cannon .030-.050' thick, lower cannon more even .030-.040' thick. [inv. num. A-27]

German fingered Gauntlet (possibly Brunswick) circa 1540-60

Long, pointed cuff formed with a gentle even flare over the entire length of the cuff. Central point. Border rolled and roped with an additional double row of raised decoration. Lining rivets around the edge of the cuff. Back of the hand covered by 5 articulated plates, the final plate larger than the rest. Knuckle plate decorated with a roped ridge with additional decorative grooves at the end and center. Thumb plate attached by a hinge. Fluted plate joining the knuckle plate to the fingers. One finger remaining. A gauntlet of similar form with similar edge decoration is in the Keinbusch collection in Philadelphia. [inv. num. A-28]