15TH CENTURY STYLE SABATON WITH ROWEL SPUR - GREAT DISPLAY ITEMS

This single finely made sabaton and rowel spur compliment each other, giving a great introduction to the 15th century for display in your armour collection.

What remains of the sabaton is constructed of 4 lames with a curved toe cap, but the rest of the lames and heel plate are missing.

The sabaton is blackened, most probably from being heat quenched in oil, and is of great form with neat cusping on the plates coming to a dulled point in the centre and a secondary smaller cusp above right of the rivets. The toe cap sweeps in to form a point, as seen with all good quality sabatons of the 15th century. We consider it to be dated to around 1460 and in the South German style.

It articulates smoothly, containing washers behind each rivet. These show evidence of being hand cut with the typical shear tooling marks around their circumference and also display imperfections in their shape; not being perfect circles.

On the interior below the rivet is a series of punched dots, as found in original armour to indicate the construction order as the lames were often assembled by a different man to one who forged them.

The rowel spur is forged from steel using traditional methods, split on the main square section arm to accommodate the five pointed star shaped rondel which is pierced with five holes. Around the heel plate are three diamond pierced holes supported with three circular holes on either side of them.

The buckle is formed from sheet steel and is decoratively shaped in a traditional 15th century style and still retains a strip of leather in appropriately aged condition.

The single spur is a 19th Century reproduction of good quality, while the sabaton is so accurately detailed, it could almost fool one into believing it to be an original piece. However, we are selling both items together as a top quality 19th century reproductions, which look good together.

The sabaton is 98mm wide and 160mm long.

The spur rondel is 35mm across while the main arm is 178mm long, the heel plate is 25mm deep at its broadest point and 110mm wide internally.

Provenance of both items: John Woodman Higgins Armoury sale.

Code: 53240