Medieval breastplate Isidore with engravings, 1.2 mm

Product description

A breastplate protects the front of the torso and forms the heart of the plate armour. Around the year 1000, solid plates had almost disappeared in Europe, and knights mainly wore a chainmail shirt over a padded gambeson. It was only around 1340 that the breastplate returned, first made of wrought iron and later of steel — precisely the tradition this wearable replica draws on.

This breastplate is made of sheet steel with leather belts that cross on the back and can be adjusted to size with buckles. The surface is decorated with fine etching, and decorative brass rivets run along the edges, while the generously sized armholes give your upper body full freedom of movement. In this way the piece connects to sixteenth-century fashion, when officers and nobles liked to have their breastplates richly engraved.

This makes the piece a fine choice for re-enactment and living history, for HEMA practitioners who want to complete their equipment, and for collectors. As an eye-catcher in a historical display, the breastplate also shows to its best advantage.