Changes in the shapes of breastplates in the 16th century Main Page Previous Page Next Page

Breastplate with fauld circa 1530 inv. num. A-225

There are some variations in the general pattern of "rounded with a straight upper edge" that exist in parallel with the more typical shapes. The most common is a shape that has an inward sweep in the lower part of the center. This shows a particularly aggressive example. Different collections assign different dates to breastplates of this style, but they are probably generally from the 1530's.

This also illustrates a style change - the earlier breastplates had angular rolls, here we see rolls with a roped style of decoration.