Breastplate mid 17th c.
Breast with short peascod and central crease. Neck drawn up to a short integral collar. Neck and arm holes rolled. Single proof mark on the left side. Studs on each side of the chest to secure shoulder straps on the backplate. Rough from the hammer surface with small amounts of old black finish coated in modern varnish or wax (browning) with some recent oxidation. Significant signs of delamination at the sides. The surface is particularly rough, showing aggressive tool marks at the neck and waist. Marked "WK" near the neck on the right side and double marked with incomplete circular marks lower on the right center. The WK mark is described and illustrated on page 54 of "The London Armourers of the 17th Century" by Thom Richardson. It lists and illustrates the mark on harquebusier's pots (RA II.235 and IV.1603) both dated to 1650 but no maker is identified. The large circular mark appears to be a form of the mark described on page 92. It is found on a large number of pieces and Thom indicates that it appears to be a mark applied to the material on pieces intended to be shot proof. The incomplete marking is typical of this stamp - it is so large that it seems it was usually incomplete. I include an image that shows the piece half cleaned - the viewer's left side has had the varnish removed with cotton cloth and acetone and a light scrubbing with 000 steel wool. This leaves the original surface including the stable black oxide, but removes the modern discoloration and coating.
If you have any questions, please send them to Wade Allen
This site last updated Wed Jul 09 21:38:05 EDT 2025