Winged helm crest: part 3 equestrian gear

I am planning to make this a heraldic display for use on horseback during demos, school presentations and possibly for use during Skills at Arms games. There are some limitations to work within.

- The helm and armour available to me at this time. The helm very similar to the bulbous faced bascinet shown below.

1410-1418 France

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/3989/8571/

In the second image, below, you can see the difference between the two kinds of bulbous faced helms, both worn at the same time. The helm on the left is like the ones above and is worn with a maile standard or coif. The helms shown on the right, below, are worn with articulated throat and neck plates. This is part of what makes them grand bascinets.

1410-1418 France

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/3989/8574/

As far as armour available, I will be using a set up like this one. Differences: my grieves are not fully cased, I do not yet have sabatons (I like these round toed ones) and I do not have a maile skirt to wear under the faulds of the corizana.

1440-1418 France

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/3989/8580/

Moving on to the horse gear, here are some images that also show the bulbous faced bascinet and related armour used in 1440-1455, in association with horses and helm decoration. Only one of these shows a tournament setting. In that case, though the animal style helm crests are present, at this time they are shown without a torse to cover the join between crest and mantle.

This first image shows a couple of bulbous faced helms. One is worn with full plate, the other with a fabric covering on the chest. Of the open barding, shades of red are shown: bright red x 3, pink x 1, purple x 1. Gold seems to be the most common trim tone and is applied to all parts of the barding. 

1440-1445 France

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/3932/10776/

The image below shows an ornate grand bascinet with 3 feathers rising from the top. The saddle has the same covering as the barding and bridle.

1440-1450 France

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4382/8772/

A short tailed horse with a pink harness. Note the double girth bands - Useful to avoid slipping while you are swooping over the sea to finish monsters? Perhaps the chest band is not just decorative, but also serves as a simple chest guard to stop back slip.

1450 France

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4404/8776/

The following is the only image in this time period that I have been able to find the could, potentially show both a suitable helm and equestrian use with animal helm crests. The equipment for the horses is significantly different from other barding shown. This suggests that if animal helm crests were to be used while riding during this later period (1440-50, rather than 1410-20), it would be most appropriate in this format, not open war.

1447-1449 Hagenou, France

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4936/14849/

Bridles

    a                           b                      c                     d                       e                           f

(a) This bridle is the one I would like to replicate. The horses I ride usually do not use bits so the nose band shown is the closest to what we currently use. 

(b) (d) (e) (f) These bridles do not show the nose band to be in use. I cannot see a cheek strap, either, though this may be due to positioning. All of these horses use a bit. 

Chest straps

      

a                          b                       c                            d                     e                     f

Form

(a) (b) single strap with a short hanging strap centre front.

(c) (d) (e) single strap

(f) full covering that works up to leg protection

Decoration

(a) (c) (d) large gold coloured roundels used on joins and regular intervals on strap. 

(b) (d) (e) smaller gold coloured studs and/or rectangular plaques spaced 1 plaque width to 2 spaces.

(f) gold roundels or bells on the lower edge of the chest skirt.

Roundel size

(a) roundel full width of the strap, centred

(b) roundel slightly wider than strap, centred

(c) roundel full width of the strap, on edge, small studs along upper edge of the solid band

(d) roundel width of the fringed part of the strap, which is 4 x wider than the upper band, on centre of the thin upper band. Small studs along the upper band, rectangular plaques on the lower fringed section.

(e) roundel, the full width of the strap including both the upper band and fringed part, seen on join at rear. Small studs along the upper band, rectangular plaques on the lower fringed section.

Rear straps

  a                     b                        c                    d                 e                       f

(f) no rear straps

Horizontal straps

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) One horizontal strap

(a) (d) clearly show the horizontal strap passing under the tail

Others are not visible. None show the strap passing above the tail

Vertical Straps - hanging

(a) (c) 3 vertical straps under the horizontal strap

(b) 2 vertical straps under the horizontal strap

(e) 1 vertical strap under the horizontal strap

Vertical - Support, above

(b) 2 vertical straps above the horizontal strap

(c) (d) (e) 1 vertical strap above the horizontal strap

Uneven vs Matched

(a) (c) more hanging straps than upper vertical straps

(b) (d) same number of hanging straps as upper vertical straps

Decorations - Roundals

(all) shown roundels on joins in straps

(a) (b) roundels on hanging terminals

(c) (d) no roundel on terminals

Decorations - trim

(a) fine fringe on edge of hanging vertical straps

(b) small gold studs along centre

(c) small gold diagonal bars or crescent studs all along straps

(d) some sort of gold detailing on straps, finer than studs, may be gilding or thread

(e) Small studs along the upper band, rectangular plaques on the lower fringed section.

Reins

a                                b                         c                   d             e                      f

 Width

(a) (b)  narrow along the full length

(c) (d) wide, hanging, seen at nose only

(e) Horse faces right, seen at shoulder, wide on hanging length, narrow where handled

(f) narrow-medium, all straps the same width on bridle, rein and chest

Number

(a) (b) double reins, from bit to handling

(c) (d) (e) (f) single reigns

Points to consider

I need to think about how the open barding will be attached, which saddle it will be used with and how to make sure the straps are attached safely and comfortably. I will need to think about whether I make a bridle from scratch, using a historical or a similar, familiar modern style or if I make a cover for an existing bridle and reins. Righto, I am off to pattern a horse.

Winged helm crest: Part 1

For this heraldic display, I will be using green and blue, since they are the colours on my SCA registered device. I will highlight with bronze, to add a metal to the tincture palette.

The complete set will include
* a helm crest suitable for use during equestrian displays and skill at arms competitions
* open barding for the horse that I often ride
* heraldic coloured clothing
* heraldic shield, a christmas gift from my partner
* suitable armour

In choosing the style of crest, I must consider the use, the armour I already have and the materials I have available, matching these aspects to what was present during the middle ages. The helm I have is a bulbous faced bascinet, which will have pointing holes drilled in the top. I think I will make a helm crest in a style suited to the mid 15th century.

I have chosen to use a wing style design, as my device has no primary charge, only two fields.

Wings on Helm Crests

The following images show a timeline of wings in use around the fifteenth century. They are all found at http://lalanguedublason.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/armoriaux-anciens.html

1290 - 1310  Manesse Codex
* Feathers represented on an eagle shaped helm crest, naturalistic irregular edges with lighter paint in Us to simulate feathers on a smooth surface.

1335 - 1345  Die Wappenroll von Zurich
All of these images show designs running front to back, which may be an artistic depiction
* Feathered or fringed horns, making a circular outline, runs front to back
* A peacock feathered disc behind a fleur de lis, soft edges, circular
* Single large wing, very deep feather cuts, one long feather row in first colour, second and third short rows in other colour, lowest fourth short row in first colour, 1:1 feather:gap spacing, gently curved top edge, flap down to the ground
* Single scallop edged fan, running front to back, with peacock designs on ends
* Peacock feather oval rising from a crown
* Single large wing, very deep feather cuts, one row of long feathers and three rows of short feathers
* Single semi circle with a painted design in the middle, two rows of short feathers and one row of peacock feathers
* Trapezium of peacock feathers
* Disc of peacock feathers
* Interesting pair of black and red wings, rising from either side of a hat, naturalistic edges, and elongated shape. Quite a different shape to other wings shown.

1370 - 1386   Armorial du héraut Gelre
* rectangular upright double wings, with multiple naturalistic layers of feathers, run left to right x 2
* stylised claw terminations, one layer
* rectangular double wings with a single row of long feather incisions, run back to front, flat
* rectangular double wings with a single row of short feather incisions, run left to right, flat
* rectangular double wings with a single row of long feather incisions, flat, diagonal edge down by 1/3, runs left to right
* stylised double wing horns, with a curl on the tip and scalloped edging, runs left to right



1410 - 1420  Lalaing Armorial    
* Short double wings on either side of an animal, multiple rows of feathers, narrow wings but feathers widely splayed, flat, run front to back
* Double wings, flapping down to the ground, single feather end layer, curved feathers cut deeply, run front to back x 2
* Double wings, flapping down to the ground, long feather tips with 2 rows of short feathers, curved feathers cut deeply, disc of feathers rising from the centre, run front to back

1445 - 1456  Armorial de Guillaume Revel
* Double wings in rectangular form, slight angle on top edge, two rows of feathers, half length each, flat, only indented feather incisions, run front to back x 2
* Naturalistic wings on a horse or dragon

1447 - 1455   Hyghalmen roll
* Double wing with curved outer edges, deep cut feathers, flat, feathers point upwards, run left to right x 4
* Double wings with bumpy top edge and feathers facing down, more like typical 14th C heraldic wings, deep cut feathers with a 3:1 feather to space ratio, run left to right on a bird

1450  Scheibler Amorial
* Double wings with bumpy top edge and feathers facing down, more like typical heraldic wings, deep cut feathers with a 3:1 feather to space ratio, run left to right on a bird, skinny feathers between wide ones, on a complete bird standing on the helm



1456-1459   Armorial dit de Gorrevod  
* Double wings with multiple feather rows with naturally curved terminations, diagonal end cut down to half,  run front to back
* Rectangular double wings with a long row of feathers and many short rows, straight cut end with no feather incisions - could actually be sheaths of wheat, very flat,  run front to back
* Rectangular double wings with a long row of feathers and many short rows, very short feather incisions, flat,  run front to back


1466 - 1470   Wappenbuch vo St Gallen, Haggenberg     double wings on a woman run left to right, double wings on a bird run front to back in natural position on the bird's body.
* Single wing, flat, wide naturalistic form, back edge cut into curved edge with deep feather incisions, runs front to back
* Double wings on a woman, very curved shape making an oval outline, single row of feather incisions, deep cut, run left to right, facing front, flat
* Double wings on a bird in natural position, long arcing feathers with very deep incisions, flat.
* Double wings, flat, wide naturalistic form, back edge cut into curved edge with deep feather incisions, double wings run front to back from inside a crown



1466 - 1473     Ortenburger  Wappenbuch
* Simplified naturalistic wings on a bird

1483   Conrad Grunenberg Wappenbuch  
*A single wing, hard to tell if running front to back or left to right, deep feather incisions, curved feathers widely spaced, flat x 2
* Double flat wings, hard to tell if running left to right or front to back, one long feather layer and one short feather layer, arcing outline making a circle



1486    

1244 - 1259  Matthew Paris shields


1265 - 1270 Wijnbergen


1272 - 1307  Smalepece's Roll


1285  Charles roll


1310 Lord Marshal


1340 Cook ordinary


1417 - 1420 Cour Armoureuse


1340 - 1350   Balduineum

1350  Powell's roll 

1353  Wappensaal zu Lauf

1449 - 1456    Bergshammar

1466 Trivulziano ou Visconti

1470 - 1480 (+ 1292 - 1295)  Amorial le Breton

1527 

1605   Siemacher's Wappenbuch

Hyghalmen Roll

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hyghalmen_Roll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyghalmen_Roll
1447-1455



http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jesus_Coat_of_Arms_1.jpg

Clothing from the Decameron: Infants, Children and Youth

Children appear to wear smaller versions of adult clothing. Infants are swaddled - wrapped in bands of fabric. The two teenage girls are wear a form of pinafore over their kirtles. These outer garments are the only items that are wore exclusively by children. 

Clothing from the Decameron: Women

Here is a simple handout I created for a class on clothing shown in the Decameron.

Women's clothing

Underwear

Smock

Rarely visible - sleeves and neck covered by outer clothing. Round neck, no lower than necessary to admit the head. Small pleats centre front on some.

Hosen

Since women do not wear a jack to point long hose to, and since there are contemporary art pieces showing knee high hosen in the low countries, assume the hosen seen are knee length. Can wear footed hose alone or shoes (poulaines or pattens).

 Basic layer

Kirtle

Round neckline, often no lower than the collarbone. Cleavage is never visible. Some worn loose and clearly not laced up (seen being pulled over the head). Others are very tight around the torso. With assistance, it is possible to be pulled into and out of a very firm garment, though side lacing was also known in Germany, France, Italy and other Flemish art of the time. No waist seam. Long sleeves - usually without an opening at the wrist, though buttons and lacing to 2/3 of the way up the forearm was known in the region at the time. No lining it evident, though some show fur at the edges, indicating possible lining. Sometimes 2 kirtles were worn. Upper classes could wear a second kirtle with hanging sleeves. Lower classes tended to wear two kirtles of the same style, for warmth. Ankle to below floor length - again, this increased with the station of the wearer. Excess length was bunched over a belt, worn at the waist.

Outer layer

Houpeland

This outer layer is worn by the middle and upper classes. Working women who require an extra layer for warmth wear an extra kirtle or cloak. The body is cut wide. Pleats are formed high on the waist and held by a belt. The gown can have wide straight, dalmatian or hanging sleeves. No bag sleeves are visible on women's houpelands in the Decameron, though they are present in contemporary art. Collars can be part of a centre opening, standing, low, fur lined or turned down high square. Gowns can be floor length but are often longer. Contrasting colours were used for linings, especially for styles with turn down collars and open hanging sleeves.

Accessories 

Belts

There are 3 varieties of belts worn by women in the Decameron. Hip belts were worn over kirtles. Belts worn over the houpeland layer were sometimes wide, and always worn high on the waist. The belts that were worn to hold up a long skirt were narrow an often decorated. One is shown as black and studded, in a style very similar to men's belts, and another is pictured as coloured to match the gown. Perhaps these belts are of the woven variety, found from the same era. The belts worn over a kirtle, hanging low in the front are often called ovary belts. They pictured with some sort of twisted gold hanging end, in this document.

Headwear

In this document, the only time a woman wore her hair uncovered was when she was in a state of undress, unmarried girls and Queens wearing a crown. The bourelet or padded head roll was worn in many guises, with the extravagance linked to higher status. Some women still wore veils. Working women and older ladies wore simple wrapped styles, while some younger women wore veils supported by hidden structure. The hair was sometimes styled into twin buns above the ears, on either side of the temple. These buns were covered a net-like fabric, and secured with ribbon, crossed on the top of the head. Hoods of a particular style were worn by Flemish women. These hoods had long liripipes (tails) and stiffened brims. The lower edge sat neatly wrapped around the shoulders. These hoods came in a variety of colours, but red was by far the most common.

Shoes

The black, pointy toed poulaine is the most common type of women's footwear in this text. A pair of yellow slippers is visible on a servant. They appear to be made from felted wool. Women's pattens in this document have red uppers, with a single band over the arch.

Pouches

Women are seen with square bags that are suspended from one cord and drawn tight with another two. These can be small or medium sized. There is a shoulder bag, worn by a traveller.

Cloaks

Cloaks are shown in 3 styles: Semi circular with a standing collar, semicircular with no collar (like a mantle) and full (or almost full) circle in a buff colour, with buttons at the shoulder.

Clothing from the Decameron: Men

Boccaccio wrote several texts, though his best known work was The Decameron. This series of 10 tales per day told for 10 days was written in the second quarter of the fourteenth century. It remained popular and was translated into French almost a century later. This edition was illustrated by 2 Flemish artists, who completed their work in 1430-1440. These illuminations provide a fairly comprehensive view of the clothing worn in the Low Countries at this time. There are distinctly French influences in some of the fashions, but the styles and accessories are consistent with other Flemish art of the time.

The following is a hand out for a class I ran. It is a basic overview of clothing worn in the 1430s in the region around Flanders. There will be 3 parts: Men's, Women's and Children's clothing.

Men's clothing

Underwear

Braies

Drawstring waist, trunk style in Franco-Flemish clothing 

Sherte

Full body, long sleeves, always white

Inner layer

Jack / pourpoint

Tight at the waist, bodice separate to skirt

Hose

Separate legs, laced to the inner jack. Seam up the back. Both legs the same colour. Skin tight for all classes of people, bar the very poorest.

Outer layer

Outer Jack

Similar shape to inner jack, but the hose are not laced to them. Fastened with buttons.

or    Robe

Various lengths (floor to above the knee), pleats or folds at the waist, hidden hooks and eyes down the front. Sleeves can be straight, bag or hanging. Can have fur lining or trim.

Men's Accessories

Cloak

The cloak can have a split from the ground to the upper arm or be fastened by 3-4 buttons on the shoulder.

Hats

Chaperon - styled on a hood with a rolled face opening. Bag hats with various height crowns. Some with rolled brims. Straw and felted hats. Acorn hats are shaped like a beanie.

Belts and Pouches

Plain black belts 1.5" wide are the most common. Kidney shaped pouches have their own matching belt. Some other pouches have matching belts. Buckles are rarely seen in this document. Studs and carving are used for ornamentation.

Shoes

Black ankle boots very common among all classes.

Footed hose also common, though only indoors. They have a sole of a different colour, most likely from leather or some tougher material. Pattens were made from wood and leather, and are shown in some outdoor scenes. They can have one or two straps in black or brown.