This volume brings together papers written by curators, conservators and scientists who have worked very closely with European and Oriental arms and armour from some of the world’s finest collections. The pieces, which have been examined in detail, include not only those made for royalty, such as the helmet of the Black Prince, the armours of King Henry VIII and the jewel-encrusted dagger of Shah Jahan, but also the apparently more mundane and those created to deceive. Through careful study and hands-on experience, each of the authors provides an eye-opening insight into the history, science and interpretation of these important objects.
Includes some interesting insights into metallurgy of wootz steel, construction of blades and pommels of viking era swords and several looks at armour in detail and form.
This also includes work in metallurgy and the use of x-ray to discern construction and utility of early medieval pommels and several other in-depth looks at the products of period craftspeople.
The essays in this title were written in honour of our colleague and great friend David Edge. An exceptional scholar and true gentleman.
Published by Archetype Publications Ltd in association with the Arms and Armour Society
Arms & Armour History, Conservation and Analysis, Editors Alan Williams and Keith Dowen
Foreword
Preface and acknowledgements
Introduction
History of arms and armour
1 The 1520 foot combat armours of Henry VIII: design, technology and meaning
Keith A. Dowen
2 Cloth of steel: elements of a Landsknecht armour in the Wallace Collection
Tobias Capwell
3 Henry VIII’s Italian armour of 1544: a metallurgical note on alterations and improvements by the Royal Workshops at Greenwich
Simon Metcalf and Alan Williams
4 A lance rest from a Spanish royal garniture in the Wallace Collection
Alvaro Soler del Campo
5 The remains of a rare Tibetan shaffron
Donald J. La Rocca
Conservation and display
6 Mannequins for armours: a conservational and aesthetic challenge
Petra Fuchs
7 Six armours of the National Museum of Finland
Lasse Mattila
8 Pierced metalwork on Iranian vambraces and their cleaning
Francesca LeveyAnalysis
9 Viking-era swords investigated by medical X-radiography and CT scanning: a new pommel classification and the assessment of blade geometry
Robert A. Hill
10 The helmet of the Black Prince analysed by neutron diffraction
David Edge, Francesco Grazzi, Antonella Scherillo and Alan Williams
11 Shah Jahan and Mughal steel: recent studies on Indian blades by neutron diffraction
Arthur Bijl, David Edge, Francesco Grazzi, Antonella Scherillo and Alan WilliamsArms and Armour
12 Indo-Persian axes and the faking of wootz
David Edge, Richard Furrer, Francesco Grazzi, Antonella Scherillo and Alan Williams
13 Fakes and their detection by analysis
Brian Gilmour
14 Metal woodscrews during the flintlock years: West European metal woodscrews from 1650 to 1830: an archival and metallurgical study
Yannick ChastangArms
A quick flip through
The arms & Armour Society society sponsored a limited printing of these excellent studies and we will offer them as long as we are able. All profits go to supporting the research and outreach of The Oakeshott Institute.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is Vice President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985.