Arm harness mid 16th c. and later
As purchased composed of various associated pieces - lower pauldron plates, upper canon, cop, one small lame and a lower canon. The upper 3 plates appear to form part of item number A-398. The plates were originally secured by sliding rivets at the back and leathers at the center and front. The 4th plate appears to be associated with these three. The 4th plate has a central slot which engages the peg at the top of the turning collar of the upper canon. Upper canon including a turning collar. Of two pieces the upper with a roped bump engaging a flare at the top of the lower plate. Each of bracelet form, joined with an overlapped seam. The upper plate has a turning pin on the lateral side and a rivet securing the remains of a leather loop on the medial side. The turning pin engages a slot in the lower plate of the pauldron and the loop secures the strap and buckle on the bottom plate of the pauldron, like a belt loop. The cop joined directly to the upper canon. Cop of bracelet form. Later (almost certainly 20th c.). Joined to the vambrace by a single lame. The vambrace formed of two pieces joined by a pair of hinges laterally and a pin engaging a hole medially. The wrist and inner elbow with inward turned roped rolls. It is shaped to the arm - convex in the outer plate along the line of the point of the elbow transitioning to a concave form at the inside of the elbow. It was made for use with a floating elbow. The shape indicates taht it dates to the mid 16th c. This vambrace opens down the middle of the cut out to allow the elbow to bend. This geometry means that it could not be reasonably articulated with plates to a cop - the way this "arm" was assembled when purchased illustrates this - it wasn't operable.
If you have any questions, please send them to Wade Allen
This site last updated Wed Jul 29 12:55:14 EDT 2026