The first homogeneous
harness , dating from the very end of the 14th century, housed in the famous
armour collection at Castle Churburg . The harness has many very interesting features, both because of its high quality, unusual
decoration , and intact condition. The pieces themselves appear to have been from the
Missiglian workshops in Milan; they are commonly dated to 1390. The harness is complete with a camailed
bascinet , segmented
breastplate done in 11 pieces, complete
arm harness ,
gauntlets , a
mail hauberk, and knight's
plaque belt .
An extraordinary family collection housed in a castle on the Austrian border. Especially strong in
armour from the 15th century, it also boasts the earliest homogeneous
harness in the world, a 14th century armour including the hauberk,
bascinet ,
breastplate ,
arm harness and
plaque belt . All of the pieces are trimmed in brass and
etched with passages from the old testament. The
gauntlets are related but do not match the suit; the pair that match are in the
Bargello collection in Venice, Italy. The harness is known commonly as
"Churburg #13" after the catalog description and it is shown in nearly every armour book because of its rarity and quality. Even the helmet and breastplate linings are intact and the
aventail actually matches the bascinet.
