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Auktionsarchiv: Los-Nr. 656

Henry VIII of England: a rare and historically important gun shield. A convex circular shield

Schätzpreis
30.000 £ - 50.000 £
ca. 39.197 $ - 65.329 $
Zuschlagspreis:
n. a.
Auktionsarchiv: Los-Nr. 656

Henry VIII of England: a rare and historically important gun shield. A convex circular shield

Schätzpreis
30.000 £ - 50.000 £
ca. 39.197 $ - 65.329 $
Zuschlagspreis:
n. a.
Beschreibung:

Henry VIII of England: a rare and historically important gun shield. A convex circular shield, or target, composed of two layers of wooden strips laid at right angles, faced with two concentric tiers of eight ferrous plates each formed with a shallow tetrahedral peak and arranged around a large conical central boss, the joints between the plates covered with iron straps at the junctions of which are set eight smaller conical bosses, the rim covered by a further strap of domed section, straps and bosses fixed with cuprous headed iron nails, the upper plate of the inner tier with an aperture for a match lock pistol (not present), the inner face retaining the stubs of leather straps and with traces of fibrous matter and other residual indications of backing materials and fittings, diameter 52 cm, 16th Century. Provenance: The collection of Charles Lees R.S.A. c. 18811; The Alexander MacMillan Welch collection; The Metropolitan Museum of Art Loan Exhibition 1931; through other hands to the current private collection. Shields of this type, fitted with matchlock pistols projecting through the upper half or through a central boss, are a peculiar feature of the armoury of King Henry VIII of England, and may be seen as a reflection of his flair for innovation as well as of his enthusiasm for armed combat. The principal primary evidence for the presence of gun shields in the royal armoury is an inventory taken at the time of the King’s death in 1547, which includes a reference to “targettes steeled wt gonnes XXXV” (targets steeled, with guns, 35)2 . A clue to their origin is found in a letter of 1544 from an Italian painter, Giovanni Batista of Ravenna, to Edmund Harvel (English Ambassador to Venice) in which the author offers to provide the King, among many other things, “round shields and arm pieces with guns inside that fire upon the enemy and pierce any armour”3. Modern scholaship4 has identified two main types of gun shield: those with the pistol projecting through a central boss, heavy, typically provided with a small grill for sighting, and of probably English manufacture; and those of lighter construction, with a gun mounted above the centre, and of probable Italian manufacture. It is in the latter and scarcer category that this shield belongs. The general type seems to have had a short lifespan in Europe. One source5 identifies a ‘latest known example’ produced in Germany 1560-70 (not a member of this group). Known examples of Henrician gun shields display considerable diversity in the details of their construction and decoration but a comparison of the shield offered here with examples held at the Tower of London, the Royal Collection at Windsor, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and elsewhere, confirms that it belongs to same group and may therefore be attributed, as they are, to the armoury of Henry VIII. In particular the arrangement of the wooden strips, the configuration and colouration of the marks left by the fabric backing (now lacking)6, the small holes corresponding to the position of the serpentine (articulated match holder)7, the remains of the leather straps6, the form of the iron strapwork and of the nails that fix it8,5, and the remnants of fabric fringes found below the bases of the bosses9, all correspond perfectly to the attributes of other extant Henrician gun shields. The gun aperture has small peripheral holes for the attachment of an escutcheon (now missing) which are similar in their position to those of an example held at the Tower of London10, and the secondary conical bosses may be compared to those found on a central gun hole type held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art11. The marks left by the upholstery, are as already stated, a match to those on other examples, and in cases where this is found in a more complete state it has a red and yellow colour scheme12 that accords with a change in the livery of the Royal Household that occurred in 15444 It is also interesting to note that the damage to the

Auktionsarchiv: Los-Nr. 656
Auktion:
Datum:
01.05.2019
Auktionshaus:
Woolley and Wallis Salisbury Salerooms Ltd
Castle Street 51-61
Salisbury Wiltshire, SP1 3SU
Großbritannien und Nordirland
enquiries@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
+44 (0)1722 424500
+44 (0)1722 424508
Beschreibung:

Henry VIII of England: a rare and historically important gun shield. A convex circular shield, or target, composed of two layers of wooden strips laid at right angles, faced with two concentric tiers of eight ferrous plates each formed with a shallow tetrahedral peak and arranged around a large conical central boss, the joints between the plates covered with iron straps at the junctions of which are set eight smaller conical bosses, the rim covered by a further strap of domed section, straps and bosses fixed with cuprous headed iron nails, the upper plate of the inner tier with an aperture for a match lock pistol (not present), the inner face retaining the stubs of leather straps and with traces of fibrous matter and other residual indications of backing materials and fittings, diameter 52 cm, 16th Century. Provenance: The collection of Charles Lees R.S.A. c. 18811; The Alexander MacMillan Welch collection; The Metropolitan Museum of Art Loan Exhibition 1931; through other hands to the current private collection. Shields of this type, fitted with matchlock pistols projecting through the upper half or through a central boss, are a peculiar feature of the armoury of King Henry VIII of England, and may be seen as a reflection of his flair for innovation as well as of his enthusiasm for armed combat. The principal primary evidence for the presence of gun shields in the royal armoury is an inventory taken at the time of the King’s death in 1547, which includes a reference to “targettes steeled wt gonnes XXXV” (targets steeled, with guns, 35)2 . A clue to their origin is found in a letter of 1544 from an Italian painter, Giovanni Batista of Ravenna, to Edmund Harvel (English Ambassador to Venice) in which the author offers to provide the King, among many other things, “round shields and arm pieces with guns inside that fire upon the enemy and pierce any armour”3. Modern scholaship4 has identified two main types of gun shield: those with the pistol projecting through a central boss, heavy, typically provided with a small grill for sighting, and of probably English manufacture; and those of lighter construction, with a gun mounted above the centre, and of probable Italian manufacture. It is in the latter and scarcer category that this shield belongs. The general type seems to have had a short lifespan in Europe. One source5 identifies a ‘latest known example’ produced in Germany 1560-70 (not a member of this group). Known examples of Henrician gun shields display considerable diversity in the details of their construction and decoration but a comparison of the shield offered here with examples held at the Tower of London, the Royal Collection at Windsor, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and elsewhere, confirms that it belongs to same group and may therefore be attributed, as they are, to the armoury of Henry VIII. In particular the arrangement of the wooden strips, the configuration and colouration of the marks left by the fabric backing (now lacking)6, the small holes corresponding to the position of the serpentine (articulated match holder)7, the remains of the leather straps6, the form of the iron strapwork and of the nails that fix it8,5, and the remnants of fabric fringes found below the bases of the bosses9, all correspond perfectly to the attributes of other extant Henrician gun shields. The gun aperture has small peripheral holes for the attachment of an escutcheon (now missing) which are similar in their position to those of an example held at the Tower of London10, and the secondary conical bosses may be compared to those found on a central gun hole type held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art11. The marks left by the upholstery, are as already stated, a match to those on other examples, and in cases where this is found in a more complete state it has a red and yellow colour scheme12 that accords with a change in the livery of the Royal Household that occurred in 15444 It is also interesting to note that the damage to the

Auktionsarchiv: Los-Nr. 656
Auktion:
Datum:
01.05.2019
Auktionshaus:
Woolley and Wallis Salisbury Salerooms Ltd
Castle Street 51-61
Salisbury Wiltshire, SP1 3SU
Großbritannien und Nordirland
enquiries@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
+44 (0)1722 424500
+44 (0)1722 424508
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