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 CHAPTER XXVII

THE SCHOOL OF LUCIO PICININO

Of that ever-popular school of decorated armour produced under the influence of Lucio Picinino of Milan, one work alone, a shield, bears the actual impress of his signature; but his method of workmanship and his decorative motifs enable us to recognize his work in other quarters and to trace in it almost three distinctive styles. The earliest is the finest and, as may be supposed, the grandest, and to this period belong most of his individual shields and parade helmets that have historical importance, together with a single suit; while to the later styles we are able to assign quite a number of suits and parts of suits. Dealing broadly, as we must with the classification of suits of the XVIth century, we will content ourselves by illustrating the single suit which is in the earliest manner of Picinino, and three which are in the later manners. Of the first period is the suit fashioned for Don Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, Duke of Sessa and Baena, Governor of the State of Milan in 1560, and grandson of the great captain of the same name, which is now with the Duc de Dino Collection in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (Fig. 1082).

This harness, which now terminates at the waist, came from the collection of the Duke of Osuna, part of which originally constituted the armoury of the Duke of Infantado. In the inventory of the armoury of Don Rodrigo de Mendoza Sandoval y Rojas de la Vega y Luna, Marquis of Zenete and Duke of Infantado, made at Guadalajara in 1643, it is described in the following terms: (Translation) "A suit with embossed bands and engraved de tauchie dorée, lined with gold-coloured velvet with gold braid, which is said to have belonged to the Duc de Sessa, and which has the Golden Fleece on the front of the breastplate, with backplate, gorget, arm pieces, elbow-pieces, gauntlets, tassets, cuisses, and greaves, the helmet having a buffe as reinforcing piece and a chanfron." Although this armour, which is of the finest workmanship and splendidly preserved,