Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 2).djvu/113

 "sur le bord du clou qui tient la visière de l'armet." For early pictorial or sculptural evidence, other than that afforded by the celebrated Uccello battle-piece in the National Gallery, we rely largely on the evidence of Vittore Pisano's medal, executed about 1445, of Sigismondo Pandolfo di Malatesta, Lord of Rimini, which shows an armet with the rondel, so characteristic of this helmet (Fig. 425). Two years later Pisano again depicts the same type of head-piece upon a man at arms on the reverse of a medal which represents Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan (Fig. 426); while on the reverse of a medal of Domenico Malatesta, called Novello, he represents a knight kneeling before a crucifix and wearing as head-piece an armet with a clearly defined rondel at its back (Fig. 427).

Executed about 1447 by Vittore Pisano

A few years elapse, and in 1450 we read of Jacques d'Avanchies wearing in his famous fights with Jacques de Lalain "un armet en tête," but that he "ne voyait pas bien en son armet." He also fought "en salade et gorgerin de forte maille," while de Lalain wore "le bassinet."

The armet was a distinct advance on any helmet that had previously been in use, the most protective of which had been either a head defence with a visor and separate chin-piece, or a helm that was put over and covered the whole head. The armet, while forming a better protection than the