Armor Surface Decoration: An Introduction
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- Today we're going to discuss a a few of the primary techniques used to decorate the surface of plate armor from the 14th century into the Renaissance.
Timestamps for quick access
0:00 Intro
0:43 Covering
2:39 Painting
4:13 Applied decoration
5:27 Engraving
5:56 Fluting
6:56 Gilding
8:18 Etching
9:55 Embossing
11:13 Thermal bluing
12:52 Conclusion
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#medievalarmor #armordecoration #livinghistory
Timestamps for quick access
0:43 covering
2:39 painting
4:13 applied decoration
5:27 engraving
5:56 fluting
6:56 gilding
8:18 etching
9:55 embossing
11:13 thermal bluing
12:52 conclusion
Thanks, I will add this to the description as well.
Thanks.
@@KnyghtErrantHow do I contact you?
I wish more medieval fantasy media relied on this kind of decorative process to create striking armour instead of what seems to be the far more common alternative of just throwing all functionality out the door and creating really flashy but entirely nonsensical armour.
Yes, they do rather enjoy their excessive embossing and odd shapes, rather than in my opinion, more striking surface decorations that maintain the general shape and function of the armour.
Part of this is that they want decoration to be visible from a distance, but I can't help but think that it can't be that hard to do detailed painting or etching by, you know, just drawing it into the texture.
Problem is that a lot of these options are incredibly expensive...
Although the painting part might be cheap, given that we've got a shitload of unemployed artists around, lol
Decoration also provides a way to make main characters recognizable while actually wearing a helmet....
..intetesting name
This is why I prefer quality over quantity. Each and every one of your videos is pure joy for geeks like me, and your work certainly occupies a critical niche in historical arms and armour research. Thank you for staying true to your genre and making comprehensive, informative and fulfilling content supplemented with much-needed visual evidence.
Some of these armours are just stunning. What a craftsmanship. I was amazed by those bleuing techniques.
Indeed, and yes the armor of Christian I, Elector of Saxony gets me every time... :)
I wonder if expensive decoration sometimes was a form of protection. "Please don't kill me. Look at this expensive armor, my family can afford a hefty ransom!"
That is one of its most important functions.
So we have mail armour, padded armour, plate armour, scale armour, plot armour and wealth armour XD PS: miss anything from the list?
well if you count world war 1 and 2 then you have to count the good ol canadian cannon fodder armor.....
You missed the lamellar armor.
I once wrote an article on engraving, but it only scratched the surface...
You're a genius!
Shame
Nice job...my friend :)
You better be feeling some gilt for that one cuz it was comedy gold!
Painting your armor was probably something that was done ever since armor was invented. People like to look nice when they go stabby stabby
Yeah, it's important to look nice while doing your stabby stabby
And it helps against rust.
People have always wanted to boost their charisma stat.
And it helps discerning who's who in a fight. Don't wanna whack your farm neighbor in the head by accident.
Filipe Costa It would rarely come to that anyway, formations actually worked
I remember requesting this video awhile back... Your RUclips channel helps me create better armor for videogames. Thank you.
This is something I've been looking for in how to decorate armor for character designs. Really cool video (granted, I think all your videos are cool, great references). =)
Same. I was just recently thinking about what kind of designs I could reasonably throw onto some otherwise functional-looking armor.
7:57 This is how Jaime Lannisters armor should have looked like in Game of Thrones.
5:59 I love love love this design, so fancy!
Almost like you're wearing the robes of an emperor, just in steel instead of silk.
oh my god. That black and silver harness is one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen. Thanks for the video man.
I had to look in so many different places before I found your video because it kept leading me to glass etching, when I wanted armor etching, because of that damn cream called "armor etching". Thank you for your incredible insight, I will do my best in putting accurate info into my story!!
This channel is amazing! I'm an artist and your videos are very informative and useful for designing different armored characters
As a writer, I cannot tell you how useful your channel is. Many, many thanks indeed!
Regards.
Thanks for your work, Ian! We need this!
This will be my goto video when designing new armor. Thank you !
7:47 Geez... Just plain armor is expensive enough, let alone covered in gold. Do we have any records for what a suit like this might have cost?
Yes. In one of his talks, Dr. Toby Capwell (curator of the Wallace Collection) states that the famous armor of the Archduke Sigismund of the Tirol (probably gifted later from Emperor Maximilian I) in modern terms would have cost about $3.5M USD, not including the cost of the gold, with the gold costing another $650,000.00 USD modern. And if you look at that armor (it's the gothic armor in this video at 6:05 ) it doesn't even have that much gold compared to the fully gilded armors of Henry VIII and King Charles I at 8:00, so those would be astronomical in cost.
Man! I guess that's what you can afford to do when you own an empire lol
Thanks for the info!
What's the point of being an emperor if you can't ride on the battlefield in a beautiful golden decorated armor?
We're all forgetting the primary purposes; everyone takes orders from the man wearing a $3M hat and no one wants to be the man that killed him.
But everyone wants to be the man that takes him hostage! The ransom of king Richard the Lionheart almost bankrupted England. Too bad that the president of the US doesn't lead hi troops on the battlefield...XD
We missed your videos, Ian! Good to see something new.
Thanks! Learned a few things, and that is greatly appreciated. Keep up the good work!
really this channel is facinating
This information is absolutely incredible dude. Thank you for sharing.
11:37 Thanks for the chart. Very handy painted armored miniatures. I painted a few colored armors years ago, then having no clue what thermal bluing was. Elves use higher temperatures, dwarves lower--makes sense.
Excitingly interesting! Thank you so much! Definitely would like to see more on this topic!
Painting helmets and armor was probably done alot! I mean hell even in vietnam soldiers did all kindsa stuff to their helmets! I guess how hollywood represents the medieval era kinda dark and grey is a really bad represantation! In medieval probably common soldiers did paint their armor/helmets. Ps knyght do you think painted armor was ever done to differ units? For example since back in the day they did not have issue uniforms maybe companies would paint helmets a certain colour pattern? Like blue and white or something?
Dr. Capwell, the curator of the Wallace Collection (and the painted sallet shown in this video) suggests that very concept, that this helmet was probably part of a 'monster squad' who all had similarly painted helmets to differentiate themselves.
Knyght Errant "monster squad" medieval soldiers....THAT IS THE MOST FUCKING BADASS SHIT EVER!!!! 😁 oh boy the medieval era is so fascinating because of people like you and capwell thank you so much 😊
Luftetari Who is Capwell? Does he have a youtube channel or blog ?
Curator of the Wallace Collection.
Gustavo Silva yeah he is the curator of arms and armour in the wallace collection unfortunatly i dont think he has a youtube channel but check out youtube wrighte doctor tobias capwell youll find somethings.
Great Video! It's crazy to think how varied the battlefield would of looked because of all of these variations. Or I guess it could make it more uniform
Fantastic, informative video!
Really interesting and helpful explanation and useful for creating characters in a medieval Setting.
So beautiful man. Real artisans back then
Wow those 2 last suits are truly amazing pieces of art!
Very nice video, very well researched. Thanks a lot, that have to eat a lot off time to get those kind of information and then repack them into such an interesting presentation. Much appreciated
This is a neat video. It's nice to see that people can have something that is both useful and beautiful. It grinds my gears when people act as if something you wear can be either comfortable or look good. Both are possible.
This is just what I need!
Fascinating video. Great work
Thank you for this video. Excellent. I was very curious about how the decorations were done and here I found the answers!
Very well researched, great video!
One of the first things i noticed in the "the witcher" Videogame series. The guards actually have painted helmets and armors!
The Witcher does really well when it comes to re-creating realistic arms and armor, they did very good research. Ironically, it's Geralt's armor that looks the worst in the game when it comes to realism.
Thanks Ian, Great video
Really nice video. I didn't know people customized their armor in so many ways.
Awesome video.
Great video!
Thanks for the info!
Great video, thanks.
the thermal bluing looks awesome, and the itching. Damn they look so good. I wish we had armor's like that in the museums, or art gallery's in my city then I'd actually go.
I noticed that you spelled out Churburg correctly! Most youtubers somehow spell it like a french word (Shureburgh, Shoorburge) but you managed to pronounce it properly the german way! Kudos for that alone, aswell as the rest of the video
This is very interesting. I hope you can do more videos about other types of armor decoration too!
That thermal bluing is awesome!
WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH
Shadiversity suggested checking you out and I'm glad I did, this was cool!
Please more like this.
im a knight of merit appertaining to the order of the buffaloe ......and also a budding armorer .......keep bringing us these history lessons couse I love them
Please make more in-depth videos on each method! This is really interesting
The smith was in high danger due to Mercury-vapor, BUT IT LOOKED DAMN GOOD !!!!
To be fair, they didn't really know at the time.
Mad as a hatter....
Please do more of this
The other Ian on RUclips, aka Gun Jesus from Forgotten Weapons has a video talking about damascene. It's a really fascinating and quite beautiful method of decoration and was used quite extensively on firearms.
I'm having trouble finding it. Which one is it?
Here: ruclips.net/video/4KM7ySNWuqU/видео.html
Yass lads!
Nice video Ian! Finally something new from you, was wondering how come I haven't seen anything from you for a while now :) So, since painting armour has been around for ages, means if I ever save up enough cash (duh!) for getting a full plate Gothic suit of armour, I could add some painting to it as well and give it a bit more style at that. I personally love the Hydra, like a few coils, and heads in various places, sort of reflecting the trends of late medieval and early renaissance when the classical motives were being brought back into fashion. Now I just need to win a lottery or sell a kidney XD
*+Knyght Errent* Ahh, finally!! I found something about this! Thank you so much for doing a video on this topic!
I'm very puzzled by the lack of videos covering these types of things. We see lots and lots of armour in many different colours. In both history (and especially) fantasy. One would expect there to be more information on this. Many thanks, again, for covering this!
If you know more, I'd love to know more, are there some sources I could check out?
Would love a follow-up to this, perhaps if/when you make your gallant return? Just been rewatching all your vids & this one really hooked me. Thanks!
I would love to hear more about the additions decoration techniques not covered in this video please! :-)
Scrollwork on rolled edges is cool too. Not sure what that technique is called by armorers but I’ve heard it called roping as well. Simple but effective decorative method.
I'd love to watch a video on the development of thermal bluing before modern times.
Hey Ian, would you mind making a part 2 discussing what social groups would have more access to what decorative styles? Something to differ the lesser nobles from the Lords, if finding evidence for commoners proves difficult.
wow, some of very sexy armors. I can't believe how beautiful work they achieved.
I wish I could super-like this video.
Armor Jesus. Thank you for the video, man.
More please
Lit video fam
Incredible information value as always thank you for your great work.
But I have a question I'm planning on recreating the armour shown at 3:16. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions for the paint and the paint job itself?
Who cares if it's toxic, as long as it looks damn good! While quite late for you, I have always found the fire blue and gilt sabers of the Gerorgian/Napoleonic times to be some of the most beautiful swords. Bonus that the decoration is usually reserved for the first half of the blade, and mostly out of the way of the business end.
Something like this:
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTG-SnQBlDaBTNLmbORQz-Akw2bmrWe94uS-nj-RJGxJQOUv-cG
that looks awesome!
bluing in general is pretty, so is gilding, when you stick both together of course you get spectacular items. my buddy has a small sword with a blue and gilt blade and a really nice hilt thats got alot of engraving on it as well as a nice wire wrapped grip.
if you ever get the chance to see old colts(like 1911 and earlier going back to the old revolvers) they have some really nice bluing but it was also rather delicate.
I love the armor of Christian I. commissioned by his wife from Anton Peffenhauser! I'd love to see it make it's way back to Saxony!
8:14 Cool, the Left armour set was probably used as the basis for the DrakeBlood set from Dark Souls.
How can textile armour covering protect it from elements? It seems to me that it would only increases exposure to moisture because it holds onto water. And since its fixed, you cant put it aside to dry the same way you would with surcoats or capes.
Layer 1: Metal/armor
Layer 2: Oil
Layer 3: Oil impregnated textiles, can be several layers
Layer 4: The external layer, with finer material.
Then you are going to ask "materials that waterproof fabric exists?" and the simplest example is Wax. And less fluid Oils exist as well.
So again, there is a next question: What DO the fabric protect it from?
First off, it protects it against natural exposure. It also protects it against scratches, such as seen on the lacquer of cars.
In addition to what +loled123 mentions, a lot of pairs of plates and brigandines also use tinning to cover the plates prior to riveting them to the foundation fabrics which helps further protect them from corrosion.
Thermal bluing is so great.
How common blackened armor was in the Middle Ages?
Aldor i don't rly think it was done in the middle ages
i think it was more common in 1500 or so
We don't know how common it was because none survives. It was _probably_ done though, because there are several funeral effigies that retain some of their original polychromy and the plates were colored black with gold gilt applied borders, but most of it has worn off now. It does suggest that some pre-16th century armors were blackened though, how it would have been achieved is unknown (there are a lot of ways to make armor appear black or dark).
It's also a very cheap way to protect against rust. Just rub it down with beeswax, then burn it off. Just like seasoning your cast iron pan.
The last one using tempering colors is also an explanation on bluing steel in general. Anyone hears the term blued steel after this knows it was heated until the steel turned blue in color and as an oxide layer protects from further oxidation.
Oh and the straw colors... not oxidized enough to protect but perfect for a knife edge with the blue at the spine.
Is it weird to call the armor in the thumbnail orgasmic? Surely not?
Hey knyght errant can you make a video about 16 century armors and if they were bullet resistant or not ?
@@KeterMalkuth even then took a long time for armor to trully fall out of favor in armies, having cuirassiers in 18th century an some breast plates up to early 20th century. Muskets, for a long time, were really low power so it didn't need to be that thick (yes, thicher than avarage medieval armor, but still practical), and you're overestimating the .22, most muskets had more power than the .22LR, with it being a slow and light round.
Uhh, really interesting!
Hahaha woaw! That's a stark difference!!
(10:29 vs 10:38, 10:53)
Nothing more impressive than the blued and gilt Greenwich armours in my opinion. Particularly the harness in the Met.
The Clifford Garniture at the Met is pretty darn impressive. Easily one of the finest armors in existence.
Just found your channel today and I'm hooked!
Where did you actually get your armor from? it just looks beautiful!
Hi thanks! I commissioned most of my personal armor from US based armorer Jeff Wasson, here's some of his other work - wassonphotos.smugmug.com/
Knyght Errant Thanks! Do you know some armorers in europe?
I mostly use stuff which is onesize which is okay for regular fighting, but my next suit should be historical accurate, probably late 15th plate, or some beautiful 15th german gothic plate which is by far my favourite suits of armor.
Hi!, I am wondering if you can do a video of the European closed helmet im wondering cause I've got one and I've done research but i want to know. I hope you read this comment and keep up the amazing videos!
What is the armor shown at 7:00? It's gorgeous. I'm floored by the incredible level of craftsmanship some armorers and decorators displayed. Thanks for sharing Ian.
You're welcome! Here is the entry for that armor: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/22275
Beards unite!
Question if I were to paint my armor myself do you have any advice on how to do it and what paint to use? Cause I really would love to use a witte back drop with black vine shaped colour over it covering my intire armor. 😱😍
This is incredible. I'm definitely going to be using this in my low fantasy tabletop roleplaying game. Would you happen to know more about the techniques of decoration used in the middle and far East? Were all these techniques used, or were some more common than others?
Fantastic stuff anyway, thank you :)
Look into gold inlay and damascening, very popular in the Middle / Far East to my understanding.
This will interest you as well. The Met is currently running an exhibition entitled Arms and Armor from the Islamic World: www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2016/arms-and-armor-islamic-world
Interesting. So it seems that all the flashy looking decorated armor we see so much in fantasy media actually comes from the early modern era rather than the actual medieval era itself.
Hi, I have a old breastplate completely covered in what appears to be etched decoration. In the centre it has a a shield with a eagle and
crown above its head. Was it common to have a coat of arms directly on armour if that is what it is?
Hey i was wondering if you could provide any insight on gilding, from what i know the final surface material still contains mercury as well as the gold. is it safe to handle gilt items considering the layer of gold still has a decent amount of mercury in it?
or is that just a piece of incorrect info?
oh and as for gilding being more durable, from my understand there is another con to plating, it changes the color of the gold. gilt things have a different gold color to them then plated items, a richer color where as plated items have a fainter color to them.
but back to plating, anyways apparently plating can be as durable but will end up thicker because it requires a base coat underneath the gold and ontop of the base material(if its steel)
so its more durable then basic plating and would weigh less and potentially look better then more durable plating options, and the more advanced plating options probably werent available in those days if plating was even available at the time at all. (though they may have been available in certain places in the world during certain periods, search the Baghdad battery if youre curious, some speculate it was used for plating)
ive found a few people who still do this in the modern age but using fancy equipment to remove the mercury from the air preventing exposure. i also know of a company that restores gilting, someone i know had something restored by them, so i would assume theyve also figured out a way to make it safer.
i was toying with the idea of doing more research into how to safely do it incase i ever do get that sword company going, i was thinking a limited edition set with gilt buckles and scabbard parts might be cool. also was toying with the idea of replicating a dagger i really really want(its a spanish dagger with gilt decorations all over the blade and hilt) but itd probably end up costing almost as much as an original antique dagger. however i think gold damascene might be a better alternative, it only requires filed cross hatching marks and hammering the gold into the surface and its probably just as durable as gilding, plus once you blue the material after inlaying the gold the file marks where the gold isnt covering turn into a really cool matte finish.
Does anyone have any idea what kind of acid would have been used for etching in the medieval time period? I know nowadays most smiths use ferric chloride, but would they have had access to that back in the day?
Every time I watch these history vids and people say, “very few examples survive”, or, “we have no knowledge of how...” it makes me think...if they only knew their art would be revered in the future. So kids?, bury your time capsules in something more hardy then a shoebox! The artwork is beautiful though in the examples you’ve shown!
I wonder how much weight would be added when fire gilding an entire suit of armor. The layer is probably very thin but it adds up and gold is very heavy.
Question what is the best most durable way to rust proof armor and make it look golden in color?
What about covering armour with leather in the Game of Thrones?
Armor was covered with leather historically. One of the inventory entries I mentioned is of several bascinets covered in a white leather. Now would it be done for the same reason or look like it did in GoT? Probably not.
The wealthier Rohirrim in the Lord of the Rings films had leather-decorated armor, too. Eomer, Théoden, and Theodred all had their plate components faced with a dyed leather (red, black, and green, respectively). I'm not sure how that compares to the way historical leather covering was done, especially since they also cut a lot of it away after application to make patterns.
Leather was definitely used in medieval European armor. Look at brigandines and splint gauntlets.
Yes it was used, but generally didn't rely on the leather itself for protection.
Some middle-eastern and far-easter lamellar armors were mentioned to be made of leather though. I've heard that they could be both mixed in with iron lames or just pure leather. I do not know how true this is.
Lord of the rings had the most functional fantasy armors out there. One of the reasons i love those movies.
If you only talked about engraving I'd say that was just scratching the surface but this seemed pretty comprehensive for a 13 minute video.
Good god. Wow
What kind of linseed oil paint can you get which is authentic to the second half of the 15th century to paint armor?
Great question. I know there are commercially available linseed oil based paints on the market today, but I couldn't tell you if they are authentic to any medieval recipes for such. Even modern boiled linseed oil uses modern polymerizers that are not in pure linseed oil. In a lot of cases, if seeking pure authenticity, this may be something that one needs to make themselves. If not, modern alternatives may yield a similar result even if the paint itself is not perfectly authentic in its makeup.
Was there an official name for the style of design/art used in the patterns you see in the etching segment of this video? Like for example if you look at a paisley tie, you recognize it as a paisley tie because the name of the design/style on the tie is a paisley pattern. I was just wondering if the same can be true for the design used on a lot of armour or if it was just whatever the blacksmith felt like putting on it or was commissioned to etch.
Really good video... for those of us considering having a suit of armour made though... potentially very expensive! :p
Yes, most of these forms of decoration are very much outside the grasp of us mere mortals :)