Italian Style Arm Armour – 1390-1450

Description of the Product

In the late 13th c. plates started to supplement mail in arm protection, and at first elbows and shoulders were protected. By the mid-14th c. also the upper and forearms were afforded plate defences, in the form of gutter shaped pieces. By the late 14th c. arm harnesses had developed articulation and protected the whole arm. Many continental arm harnesses were made ¾ length like this model and were worn with separate spaulders.

Beautiful Italian style armours from 1390 to the 1450’s tended to have this type of arm protection. The vambrace protects the forearm, the couter the elbow, and the rerebrace the upper arm. These parts are joined together so that the hand is fully mobile; an obvious must for the armour to be functional.

The wing of the couter protecting the otherwise vulnerable inner elbow went through many fashions, from the simple rounded form, to a heart shaped one, to the large fluted wings of the German gothic armours. The simple and streamlined wing of these arms is typical of the Italian style.

These armour arms are extremely mobile as they are double-jointed at the elbow. They are attached to a mail shirt or to an arming jack at the top using separate arming laces and secured with leather straps at elbow and forearm.

• Total length approx. 38 cm
• Circumference at the wrist 27 cm and at the upper arm 40 cm
• Weight approx. 3,9 kg per pair
• Made from 1.6 mm steel. Steel thickness may vary due to the handcrafted methods used in manufacturing.
• Includes armor for both hands
• Made by Marshall Historical