Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0282
Post Medieval Spanish 'Conquistador' Cuirass Set
17TH CENTURY A.D.
16 3/4 in. (3.3 kg, 42.5 cm high).
The breastplate with pronounced vertical rib and two rivets to front, roll at neck and splay at base with rivets to full perimeter, with inked accession numbers '21238A' (crossed through) and 'SDM - EW1' above '1931 - 30 - 6, a' and inked handwritten paper label reading 'Old Spanish Armour (Conquistador) / Found with remains of Spanish Galleon on / the estate of Leakin family (Georgia) coast. / about 1870. Refer to Trinity College Hertford Ct. / for information in Leakin family. / Given originally to Mrs Mark Howden (Hartford Ct.) / [ ] when I was 7 years old. / Luke W Lee 1944' in eight lines and also with chalked 'Old Spanish Armour / from Georgia 1944' inscription in two lines; the backplate generally matching but with vertical groove at centre and no splay at base, with inked accession numbers '31238B' (crossed through) and 'SDM - EW1' above '1951 - 30 - 6, b'. [2]
Provenance
From a Southern Californian museum, with accession numbers.
Ex American collector.
Acquired from TimeLine Auctions, UK, 2018, lot 181.
The Kusmirek Collection, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.204020.
Literature
See Calvert, F., Spanish Arms and Armour, Madrid, 1907, for discussion; see also de Hoffmeyer, A., Arms and Armour in Spain, 1982.
Footnotes
Trinity College, Hartford was founded in 1823; further research in their archives could provide more information on this cuirass set and the site of the 'Spanish galleon' shipwreck discovered in about 1870.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Norman or Viking Period Iron Four-Plate Helmet
Circa 8th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
Comprising four triangular plates each with curved profile mounted with the frontal and rear plates overlapping the lateral ones, rivetted; two small lateral rings for attachment of cheek-plates; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 3.36 kg total, 44 cm high including stand
Good condition; surface with some rusting but complete in its structure.
Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no. 11754-202772.
The type of helmet composed from rivetted plates is a long-lived military fashion depicted from Late Antiquity to the medieval period. -
Medieval Iron Crossbow Bolt Group
Circa 12th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Composed of socketted bolts of various types, most with tapering or facetted square-section tips. 888 grams total, 5.4-10.3 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Medieval Eastern European Iron Macehead
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Displaying shallow striations running vertically around the body; cylindrical socket. 828 grams, 64 mm wide
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
This kind of later maces, typical of 15th century, had irregularly shaped heads, with spheres having holes for the insertion of the shaft. Incised, parallel strips formed a cross ornament running horizontally and vertically. Grooved lines were carved in the fields between.
