A COMPOSITE GERMAN FLUTED FIELD ARMOUR IN THE SO-CALLED MAXIMILIAN FASHION, CIRCA 1515-1530 comprising close helmet formed of a rounded one-piece skull rising to a boldly cabled medial comb and cut away at the nape to receive a neck-guard (missing), bellows visor and bevor attached by later common pivots, the former pierced with a centrally-divided vision-slit and ten horizontal ventilation-slits, the latter formed with a pronounced chin, flanged outwards at the base to form a short front neck-guard, fitted at the right side with a spring-catch to engage the visor and secured to the skull at the right of the neck by a hook and pierced stud, collar of four lames front and rear, the top lames boldly roped, the lowest front plate stamped on the outside with the quality control mark of the city of Nuremberg, and on the inside with the pearled N mark of the same city, globose breastplate struck at the neck with the former mark and pierced at the right of the chest with two later holes for a lance-rest, movable gussets at the arm-openings, waist-lame, and fauld of four lames (the lowest three restored), and tassets each of four lames, matching backplate formed of a main plate (one small hole), fitted with a pair of side plates and a waist-lame flanged outwards to receive a short culet of three lames, the main plate struck at its upper edge with the quality-control mark of the city of Nuremberg, large assymetrical pauldrons (partly restored) each of seven lames overlapping outwards from the third, which bears an haute-piece, articulated vambraces (the right restored) formed of a tubular upper and lower cannons, the former fitted at its upper end with a turner and at the inside of the elbow with a narrow lame, and a couter of three lames, the central lame projecting inwards at the front as a large flat centrally-puckered oval wing, mitten gauntlets each formed of a short straight-ended cuff, four metacarpal-plates, two finger-plates and hinged thumb-defences terminating in a pair of scales (the entire right gauntlet and the finger lames of the left restored), cuisses each formed of a gutter-shaped main plate fitted at its lower edge with a winged poleyn of six lames (the right restored), a pair of tubular full-length greaves each cut with a slot at the heel to accommodate a spur and an arch at the front to accommodate a sabaton of eight lames attached to it by a turning-pin at each side (the right greave and sabaton with patched repairs), the armour decorated throughout with boldly fluted ornament emphasised by pairs of incised lines, and at its main edges with boldly roped inward turns accompanied by recessed borders (areas of pitting and wear throughout): on a wooden stand applied with an early collection label PROVENANCE Alphons Meyer, Zürich 1930 The Renne Collection, Constance The same combination of marks is shown on two Nuremberg armours in the Royal Armouries Leeds, dating to 1510 and 1530 respectively. See A. R. Dufty and W. Reid 1968, pl. XVI and XVII.