The cuirass and tassets
The cuirass for this armour was made in a number of sections - a single back-plate and a breast-plate formed in three pieces. A single lame formed the rear skirt and in front a curved and dished lame swept outwards from the waisting below the peascod shaped lower section. Fig. 1 shows the single back-plate being polished -
- and in Fig. 2 the back-plate is seen together with the rear skirt.
The next image ( Fig. 3 ) shows the sections that form the breast-plate prior to assembly.
In the next image ( Fig. 4 ) the cuirass is assembled and on the mannequin ready for fitting the tassets.
As the century progressed the tassets became wider at the hips and were constructed of a large number of lames giving a greater degree of flexibility. Indeed in some armours the long laminated tassets extended down to the poleyns, taking the place of the cuisse. The tassets in this armour are each made up of seven overlapping lames and Fig. 5 shows the piece prior to assembly.
When making a piece that is formed from a relatively large number of similar looking lames it is always helpful to number them on the back to ensure they are assembled in the right order. Fig. 6 shows the inside of one of the lames -
- and in Fig. 7 the strapwork is in place ready for attaching the pieces to the front skirt of the cuirass.
The last image on this page ( Fig. 8 ) shows the tassets attached by their buckles to the front of the cuirass.
The rest of this armour will be a complete new build and on the next page I will be making the cuisse and poleyn.