Armor
Through the arms of the knight we can actually touch something of the knights who strove during the Middle Ages, men whose lives were shaped and who shaped the ideas of chivalry.
I believe that armor is, at base, an important, romantic medieval craft. Like all crafts, it takes technical skill and artistic merit to create a quality piece. Other re-enactment societies provide a rich market for fledgling armoires to earn their wings; without these markets, most craftsmen would never progress beyond the occasional hobbyist level. But there is a demand, both by collectors and experienced re-enactors, for arms, armor and accouterment that transcends sporting equipment and approaches something we might call "authentic".
To create a piece of armor that strikes the balance between form and function and stay within medieval design elements is difficult. The vast majority of armor now made by 'reproduction' armoires is, unfortunately, sporting equipment. Some armoires do grow, however. In order to grow, they must learn the elements of style that define the periods in which they wish to work, perfecting their hammer and their eye simultaneously.
The hammer is by far and away the easier thing to learn. But with perseverance and the willingness to look critically at personal projects, the armoire can refine his eye. The best way to do this is to make exact reproductions, graduating to the next level, the creation of a new piece within a period style. To qualify, all elements of the piece must adhere to this style.
Beyond the craft is the art of armoring. Most armor now made is equipment; some is crafted well, and a small percentage transcends the craft reality to become art. Art must, to my mind, communicate clearly to an audience. The greater the art, the more universal the message. For the armoire, to strive for art is to connect the mechanical defense with the spirit of chivalry. To reach this spirit, I believe the armoire must fight; they must use the armor and participate and understand the mechanisms that motivate combatants on the field. They must strive to understand the ideals if they are to add that 'spark' that separates art from fine craft.
Thornbird Arms was the company started in 1984 to expand abilities with the hammer and to try to extend the opportunity to others. Most of them were crude by my current knowledge, but we strove in a heartfelt way to improve the quality of equipment available to re-enactors so that they could, in turn, bring a more authentic feel to the tournament field.
A common and primary weapon used by warriors of the Anglo-Saxon time period was the spear. Spearheads came in many styles, but were usually leaf or kite shaped and had a socket for attachment to th...
“In samurai armor, small iron plates were tied together, lacquered, and then bound into armor plates with silk or leather cord. Samurai did not wear armor on their right arm so they could draw their bow… In response, knights began to wear complete suits of plate armor, constructed from metal. Not only was the entire body covered but knights also wore helmets, gloves, and shoes of steel.” This shows a huge difference in the samurai and knights by showing us that samurai left their right arm exposed so that they could draw a bow and hit long range targets while knight had to battle in close sword battles. The samurai armor was bound together with leather cords while the knight's armor was made of plates of iron. “The rigorous training of samurai began in childhood… At about age 14 the trainees officially became samurai… A prospective knight training began at age 4 or 5… By age 14, pages were eligible to become a squire. He would usually become a knight around age 21.” This is a pretty big difference because this means the knight had to train longer and serve another family member before becoming a knight. Samurai became a samurai at age 14 when a knight would usually become a squire.
1906. Richard and Joseph Hunt completed their masterpiece (Museum Planet). The building of the 69th Regiment Armory came to a culmination. “Earlier armories had been designed in medieval styles, making use of fortress imagery.” However, the 69th Regiment Armory was the first armory that rejected the medieval fortress prototype (Murray). The 69th Regiment Armory design was classically influenced: the influence of the late Tudor and Beaux Art styles. The building also includes minute characteristics that...
The design of clothes for soldiers and fighters in both the gladiator and Troy was done with great similarities. Both the Gladiator and Troy had fighters dressed in short length attires, perhaps to make it easier for them to move freely across different terrains. Both were armed with metallic shield to help fend off from bruising attacks, much of which was being fought using sword.
In this essay I will discuss the techniques of medieval enamel artist and the how and why a piece was made. In researching the subject of enamelling I became interested in both the Cloisonné and Champlevé techniques. Generally they were the major techniques used by the medieval goldsmith. But as I didn’t want this essay to read like a how to manual I wanted to elaborate on what type of pieces and the reasons why they were made.
When compared with one another, these descriptions of armor reveal some basic distinctions that make the shield of Achiles of utmost importance.
Armor was the main use of protection in the middle ages. One of the most important parts about combat if you didn't have armor then you was vulnerable in combat. Armor has evolved throughout the middle ages from an animal pelt to iron, steel and bronze. “Through the centuries, such materials as animal skins, bronze, and steel have been used to make armor. Until the invention of firearms, increasingly effective armor was designed to match advances in weapons”. (“Medieval Warf...
The armor that the Vikings wore depended strongly on what they could provide for themselves as protection. Social status was a major factor in the quality of a warrior’s armor. One of the most important pieces of armor the Vikings used was their shield. The most common type of shield used in Viking warfare was a round shield. There were other shields during this time, but the circular shield made it extremely easy for the Vikings to move around. A...
Even though the castle has disappeared it has not been completely forgotten. Today many decorators and homeowners borrow and try to recreate the barbaric look. A lot of people find in quite romantic. People are reminded of royalty and all the important people during this period like King Arthur and Robin Hood. In conclusion, the Medieval Castle’s interior decoration began to have importance and much of its’ innovations are still used today.
When you get dressed in the morning, do you dress carelessly, or do you take your precious time to find the perfect outfit? Neither is the case for the people of the medieval era. They have to wear specific things every day in order to separate the different social classes. Here you can learn about items a person from this time would have to wear day after day.
The clothes worn with a knight’s suit of armor gave both comfort and protection to the knight. The parts of a medieval knight's suit of armor were a complex series of garments, chain mail and iron plate. The pieces of a knight’s suit of armor covered the most exposed parts of a knight's body. Knights would wear under clothes consisted of a linen under-shirt and linen under-pants, woolen stockings covered the legs. A knight's underclothes were important. It prevented the armor from chafing the knight’s skin. A padded garment known by various names such as aketon, consisted of a quilted coat which was either sewn or stuffed with linen or even grass. This served as padding for additional armor worn over the top.
7. "Roman Armour, Pilums, Roman Swords, Tunics, Roman Daggers, Roman Helmets, Roman Shields from Dark Knight Armoury." RSS Product. http://www.darkknightarmoury.com/s-1-roman.aspx (accessed March 9, 2014).
...n in her book “WEAPONS”, “Gold plating, or gilding, was sometimes used to embellish borders or bands of decorations and, in some cases, entire armors.” By the 15th century, knights were protecting themselves with full suits of plate armor” (Byam 41). His armor usually represented his class or authority. Each knight’s coat of arms had a different personality ranging from different helmets to different metals to different emblems.
Armor in The Iliad is something more than just a set of protective clothing for a soldier. Hero’s armor is often portrayed as having an aura or glowing quality to it. In book six, Hector removes his helmet in order to keep it from frightening his son: “…Resplendent Hector reached for his child, who shrank from him screaming into his nurse’s bosom, terrified of his father’s Bronze-encased face and the horsehair plume” (Homer, 125-126). When Patroclus wears Achilles’ armor to frighten the Trojan...
The concept of adornment in Islam is all that beautify its human forms of dress, colors, and types of good and demobilization of hair, which is desirable, but in moderation limits. There are those kinds of dress what is forbidden, like the one in which severe finery, and that men wearing silk or Athaloua ornaments made of gold.