Mitten Gauntlet late 16th century
Of russet steel. Hand formed of 5 overlapping plates articulated to allow the wrist to bend down and up. Fingers covered by mitten plates formed of 5 separate plates, the final one with a narrow, inwardly turned, roped roll. Hand joined to the fingers by a roped knuckle plate. Cuff of slightly tapered tubular form made from an inner and outer plate. There is a small roll on the inside of the elbow. This was most likely intended to be used without a vambrace as a simple elbow gauntlet. The end of the cuff has a line of rivets to secure a leather strip, the terminal finger plate has a line of rivets to secure the glove and there are remains of a palm strap secured to the main hand plate. Half of the hinge for the thumb remains. The articulations on this gauntlet are very well executed. The rivets appear to be original. From the George F. Harding Collection, previously ex collection Henry Griffith Keasby. 14 5/8 in long. Thickness - cuff .030-.042 back of hand .040-.050 fingers .025-.040 primarily around .032. Close inspection of the finger lames shows the center of the lames are 1.1-1.3 in. wide, the thumb side at the bend are just under an inch and the other side app. .93 in. Rivet tabs are app. .2 in. Weight 1 pound 4.8 ounces (585 g)
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This site last updated Thu Apr 20 09:51:37 EDT 2023