Reinforcing Pieces for the Tourney

Kolman Helmschmid

ca. 1510–15 · Steel, copper alloy, gold · Arms and Armor

In the late fifteenth century, specialized exchange and reinforcing pieces were devised that allowed a single field armor to be adapted for use in various forms of the tournament. The ensemble of pieces was known as a garniture. The armorers Lorenz Helmschmid (about 1445–1516) and his son Kolman, working for Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), were among the principal inventors of the garniture. Exhibited here are some of the earliest pieces stamped with the mark of Kolman, the most innovative armorer of his generation. These reinforces represent an early form of garniture for the tourney, a combat fought by groups of horseman armed with blunted lances and swords. The decoration imitates the elaborately brocaded textile that was fashionable in court costume.

Artist

Kolman Helmschmid

Date

ca. 1510–15

Medium

Steel, copper alloy, gold

Culture

German, Augsburg

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Bequest of Bashford Dean, 1928