European Tasset?

[sabertasche]

Hi guys, I picked this up over the weekend at the local flea market. The dealer indicated that it came in a container from the UK which held the contents of a an old pub that had been torn down. The tasset was screwed to the wall on display.

Please note the "keyhole" attachment points where I assume the tasset would attach to the cuirass? The underside has a 89 stenciled in black paint, this is the only marking I can find. I know almost nothing about armour but for some reason I don't think this is English, maybe French? It may also be just a Victorian reproduction

The leather is quite fragile, I lost two buckles when the seller jammed the whole thing into a plastic bag! I was lucky to find them the dirt. I'm guessing this is for the right thigh.

I'm hoping those more learned in armour can help me determine the approximate age and origin.

Regards,

Greg

[A Senefelder]

This is the tasset for a set of 17th century 3/4 cuirassiers armour. The keysolts on the top were meant to engage with turning pins set in the flange at the bottom of the breast plate. The raised ridge alon the lower edge of each lame is unusual, acting as a series of little lis d'arrets ( which had been out of fashoin for a good 200 years at least ) is not something i've seen before. The buckles and thier manner of securing to leathers is somthing i've encountered in period and the buckles themselves don't look out of place. The number on the back is I believe a museum cataloging number. While it is of course a tough call to make from photos its possible this piece could be original. Your patina seems good, old and stabilized. The " round " washers may not be true round washers but individually cut washers that have been trimmed and filed round which i've owned and viewed higher end armour that has this rather than the more common square cut washers. You may have stumbled onto something good here.

[A Senefelder]

I'm guessing this is for the right thigh.

It for the left leg. The curvature of the top lame ( higher twords the outside, lower towrds the inside like the curvature of the bent thigh at the joint with the pelvis ) and the buckle which would have engaged with a strap on the other tassett over the groin are the give aways.

[sabertasche]

Thanks very the information Mr. Senefelder. Based on your information I've been able to look up complete sets of armour on the Internet and gain some greater insights into the 30 Years War.

Is much known about how organized the manufacture of armour was at the time? I'm wondering how industrialized it was. Did they make 50 sets at a time, all parts somewhat interchangeable or was each set unique? Was the manufacture controlled by the crown or could just anyone with the metal-working skills announce that they were making armour if they could gain a contract?

Greg

[A Senefelder]

Is much known about how organized the manufacture of armour was at the time? I'm wondering how industrialized it was. Did they make 50 sets at a time, all parts somewhat interchangeable or was each set unique? Was the manufacture controlled by the crown or could just anyone with the metal-working skills announce that they were making armour if they could gain a contract?

The armoury at Graz in Austria has fairly good records of which shops/armourers made much of the material there, theres fairly good records from the Greenwich armoury as well. As municipalities were more often contracting for arms and armour for thier armouries theres some surviving municiple contract paper work ect. Munitions armour was being made in large quantities to keep the large proto-national armies that fought the seemingly never ending Wars of Religion and the other conflicts that raged across Europe during this period. Fine armour production was on the wane and made in progresively smaller quantites as the upper classes stepped away from miltiary service and a proffessional officer class ( and a heavy reliance on paid mercenary soldiers in many of the armies involved ) increasingly took over leading military units. Armouring guilds who to some extent had been in charge of quality control of thier members product ( to keep prices up as much as anything else ) in the past, with the growing proto-national character of European armies now having state and city armouries ( rather than a private caslte armoury in the manner of the middle ages ) the various states and cities being munniciple entities were in charge of and concerned with quaility control of the contracted arms and armour they took in. Much 16th and 17th century armour that has what appears to be a series of makers stamps are in fact various control and inspection stamps from municiple armouries where arms and armour to be dispensed in time of crisis ( Graz for example ) were taken in and stored.