Pair of knee length tassets 1560-70
Black and white. Formed of eight lames with detachable poleyns of 4 lames. The tassets are divisible between the fourth and fifth lames. The bright band at the center is bordered by narrow recesses, the borders on the side are recessed with a narrow raised edge simulating a roll on the outside and a small roped inward turned roll on the inside. There are white bands down the middle and on each side. There are three buckles on each for suspension from the fauld. The segments are secured by keyhole slots and pins on the outside and pins with hooks on the inside. Decorated with original brass rosette washers and a few replaced pewter rosettes. There are remains of a leather strap at the edge of the outside. This would have been used to limit the motion of the sliding rivets or possibly to secure a lining. The image of the separate pieces of the right tasset with the poleyn from the outside shows the knee at full bend. Both tassets include marks which are likely to identify the matching tassets among others - 7 punched marks on the lowest lame of each section that separates and on the wing of the cop. A very similar pair from the same source: item number A-356.
Provenance: Brunswick Ducal Armoury - Wolfenbuttel, Schloss Marienburg.
The form, style of decoration, decorative washers and way the parts are secured are the same as the elbows on item number 18 in the exhibition of Brunswick armour at the Tower of London April 10-Oct. 31 1952. These have been painted to mimic more typical black and white armor decoration while the ones in the exhibit are all white except for the narrow lines.
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