Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 1).djvu/278

 were working in France where the armour of the knight, especially in the Northern provinces, more nearly resembled that of German make. At this period two great schools of armourers fought for supremacy in the production and perfecting of war harness, that of Augsburg and Nuremberg in Germany, and that of Milan in Italy; and a great number of armourers from both countries were working in France. Among the Milanese we find at the period when this armour was made, the following Italians working at Tours:, 1470-88, , 1475, , 1492, , 1460-1501, , called Merveilles, brought to France by Charles VIII in 1497, , 1470-1507, and, 1474-1507. At Lyons we find , 1458-83,, 1465-75, and , 1466-71. At Bordeaux we find , 1485-91,, surnamed Karoles, 1485-1502, and , 1485-90. Two interesting points which we have ascertained are that it is not difficult to discover from the French forms of these names the native country of most of these artists and that all the most celebrated armourers of Milan—the Missaglias, the Negrolis, the Merates, and the Mondrones—originally came from the same district. The district in question is situated between the Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como and the City of Milan, and is that in which the iron mines are found from which the material was derived wherewith to fashion the famous Milanese suits. For instance, Jacques de Canobio called himself "da Canobbio" from Canobbio, the name of a little town near Lugano. Jehan Gerenzan was a native of Gerenzano in the same neighbourhood, while Jacques Heyrald is found under the name of Jacobino Ayroldo in the diplomatic archives of Milan. In these documents it is stated that the King of France, wishing to have some fine suits fashioned for himself and for the Barons, Lords, and Knights of his Court, and not having master armourers capable of accomplishing his wishes, sent Jacobino Ayroldo, his armourer, to the Duke of Milan with letters sealed by his own hand, begging his Grace kindly to send him in company of Jacobino twelve workmen with instructions how to fashion the armour of his Majesty, etc. Loys de Lacques probably came from Lecco, on the Lake of Como; Balsarin de Tretz was called in Italian "da Trazzo," after a village in the neighbourhood of Lecco; Claudin Bellon was a native of Bellano on the Lake of Como; Ambroise de Caron was called Ambrogio di Caronno, from a small town between Milan and Lugano; and Estienne Daussonne took his name from Osogna, near Lake