Gothic Milanese Armor Royal Armouries Leeds

Gothic Milanese Armor – Eugenio Larosa

Composite Armor

Milan – Third quarter of the 15th century (circa 1475-1480)

The armor preserved at the Royal Armouries in Leeds is a composite composition made up of different pieces of Italian production in the “Gothic” style, created for export to Germany or Eastern Europe.

The breastplate, along with the helmet, is the oldest piece in the composition (circa 1460) and bears the marks attributed to Giovanni dei Barini, known as Negroli (the two crossed keys), an armorer at the workshop of the Missaglia family and the founder of one of the most prolific armorers’ dynasties of the late 15th century and the first half of the 16th century, namely the Negroli family.

Other unidentified marks, but of Italian typology (similar marks are found in the Brescia area), can be found on the breastplate, helmet, and pauldrons.

The backplate (the skirts have been partially restored) does not bear any marks, and its manufacture in the Austrian area is presumed, as well as the mail, which features a mesh with the mark of the craftsman (typical of Germanic area productions).

The helmet, gorget, breastplate, and backplate were purchased in 1952 and come from the arsenal of the Trapp Counts of Castel Coira (Schloss Churburg). The pauldrons and vambraces come from a private collection (E. Valentine, 1957), as well as the riveted mail (Sir E. Barry, 1964).

Gothic Milanese Armor – Article by Eugenio Larosa updated 2023/06/08