Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 3).djvu/245

 used; though, like those provided for man, they became less elaborate and complete as the century progressed. Any remarkable instance of mid-XVIth century horse apparel we have mentioned, together with the suit for which it was made, in the chapter dealing with XVIth century suits. Generally speaking, it may be taken for granted that when we have finished our description of horse armour as it is seen in the opening years of the XVIth century, we have described its complete evolution. Any further description of it beyond this date, when it arrived at its most definite form, does not show any more effective defence. The marvellously complete equestrian harnesses made for the great Maximilian, for the Emperor Charles V, and even for Philip II, superb works of art as they are, only show surface enrichment added to those various plates of defence, the development of which we have described. The great armourers of the XVIth century associated their finest complete suits for man with horse armour made en suite, with the result that nearly all the famous historical suits which are extant have at least part of their equestrian apparel intact. The beautiful individual equestrian suits of the first quarter of the XVIth century, from the point of view of design, are superb examples of the armourer's craft; for they display an original scheme of decoration applied to what experience had shown were the plates best suited to the defence of the horse. Let us take, for instance, that set of horse armour made for the Emperor Maximilian I about the year 1508 by some unknown armourer of great skill, doubtless one of the armourers of Augsburg or Nuremberg (Fig. 1012). Upon the complete chanfron is embossed the Imperial Roman eagle and the arms of Austria and Burgundy. On the steel snaffle rein are the arms of Istria, Wendisch Mark, Steier Mark, Pfirdt, Austria, Kärnten, Tyrol, Portenau, Elsass, Burgau, and Kyburg. The poitrel takes the form of an angel with outstretched wings. The crinet is remarkably protective: six bands of steel, connected one with the other by chain mail of large links, completely enclose the neck. The plates are etched with the cross of St. Andrew. The flanchards are wanting. The croupière is of late XVth century form; but it is most splendidly enriched, with large applied plates on either side, in the shape of the Imperial eagle. The tail of the horse issues through the Schwanzriempanzer, which is in the form of a monster's head. The whole surface of this horse armour is gilded, brilliantly blued and etched, and even to-day is in pristine condition. Again, see the absolute completeness of such a horse apparel as that made in 1554 by Sigismund Wolf of Landshut for Philip II, A 243 to 262, in the Royal