Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense)

The shaffron consists of a two-part main plate, the upper one fitted with short sideplates and ear guards, with an escutcheon plate and plume-holder in the center; the poll plate is missing. The two halves of the main plate are currently attached by modern turning pins and thus are detachable, but they were initially rigidly joined by three rivets. The free edges have roped turns, and there is a low medial ridge on the upper main plate and a roped medial rib on the lower one. The left sideplate is modern, having been forged and etched by the Museum's armorer Leonard Heinrich in 1931. The escutcheon plate and plume-holder are probably associated.

The decoration is composed of a wide recessed band of interlacing foliate arabesques on a plain, blackened ground framed on either side by a narrow recessed band filled with scrolling foliage on a dotted, blackened ground. Interspersed with the foliage is a variety of motifs that include a rabbit, parrot, grotesque head, dolphinlike creature, bow and arrow, wing, and cornucopia. The triple bands of ornament extend down the center of the upper main plate, across the top of the ears and tip of the nose, and diagonally across the sides of the lower main plate. Where the wide arabesque band is interrupted by the roped rib in the center of the lower plate, it splits to either side into narrow bands of repeating strapwork interlace.

Although unmarked, this shaffron can be attributed to Augsburg manufacture of about 1545 based on the similarity of its etched decoration to that of the "knots" garniture made by Desiderius Helmschmid in 1544 for Philip II of Spain while he was still a prince (Real Armería, Madrid, A. 189–216). The decoration of Philip's armor derives from a design supplied by the Spanish painter Diego de Arroyo and was executed in Augsburg by the etcher Ulrich Holzmann (rec. 1534–62). The principal difference between the decoration of the two shaffrons is that the framing foliate bands on Philip's are gilt while those on the Museum's are blackened.

The etched decoration of this shaffron appears to match that found on several widely scattered elements of armor, notably a cuirass formerly in the Robin Wigington collection, Stratford-upon-Avon; the center plate from a cantle sold at Christie's, London (November 13, 1985, lot 58), and perhaps also a reinforcing bevor in the same sale (lot 53); and pieces in the Royal Armouries, Leeds, that include a left tilt pauldron and field vambrace (III.738), a right tasset and right cuisse and poleyn (III.713), and possibly a gauntlet cuff (III.810). If these pieces do indeed belong to the same armor, it was most likely constructed as a garniture for field and tournament use. Very similar decoration is found on the Metropolitan's saddle steels 29.158.391a and b, one of which is included in this exhibition (cat. no. 33), and attests to the popularity of this design in Augsburg. In the absence of the etcher's initials, however, it cannot be determined with certainty if the decoration of these closely related groups of armor was executed by Ulrich Holzmann or by a contemporary Augsburg etcher.