Another album of knightly fashion
Emperor Maximilian I on a horse in armor that completely covers the body of the horse. The Thun-Hohenstein Album, Volume One. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
"I see that fashion wears out
more clothes than a man.
William Shakespeare
more clothes than a man.
William Shakespeare
History in artifacts. Two years ago, after the publication of the material “The Almain Album is one of the greatest treasures of the Elizabethan era” (March 31, 2021), many VO readers wanted to continue the theme of “albums” of knightly fashions, since this is a very interesting historical source. After all, some people still imagine the process of making knightly armor based on an illustration from a history textbook for the 6th grade, where the customer-knight stands in a dim workshop and where they try on armor.
All this was true, yes, but this drawing does not reflect the entire behind-the-scenes side of this case, where there was a scribe.
Firstly, whenever a European nobleman of the Renaissance decided to order armor for himself, he was most often shown his drawing, which reflected all the main characteristics of the upcoming work, which the customer had to officially approve and seal with his signature and seal.
Secondly, a contract was drawn up with an inventory of the costs of work and an indication of the cost of materials and labor used. So in parallel with the armor, a whole bunch of different papers were also created. And these documents are preserved ...
True, the drawings of the armor themselves, which the gunsmiths showed the knight, are extremely rare, but they are often mentioned in contracts and letters. And it is clear that they, as well as the engravers, had entire albums of similar drawings - a kind of portfolio of their most successful works.
To date, two such albums have been known - the Almain album already named by us and the Stuttgart Book of Armor by Jörg Sorg the Younger, published in Augsburg in 1548-1563. But there were two more albums seen in 1936. True, it was believed that due to the ups and downs of World War II, they were lost forever.
They are called the albums of the counts of Thun-Hohenstein, and they consist of many drawings representing armor made in Augsburg from the end of the 1445th to the 1515th century. The bottom depicted armor made for the Habsburg family by the armourer Lorenz Helmschmid (c. 1470–71) and his son Kolman (1532/1473–1531), and they also contained drawings by the famous Augsburg engraver who decorated the armor, Hans Burgkmair the Elder (XNUMX– XNUMX).
In general, they were looking for them after the war, looking for and, ultimately, found them in the funds of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. And in excellent condition, completely accessible for study.
Gothic armor along with a chin rest and sallet helmet. Illustration from the Thun-Hohenstein album, volume one. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
The first album is 307 mm by 220 mm and consists of 82 paper sheets bound in calfskin. It contains 112 drawings of warriors and horses dressed in armor, as well as images of disassembled armor and their individual parts. The drawings are made with ink pen and watercolor, which imitates steel, silver and gold coating. In some drawings, warriors are fighting. On others, they calmly pose.
Dismantled armor is often found in XNUMXth-century treatises on tournaments, inventories and catalogs of armor and weapons for sale, as well as documents with records of the work of gunsmiths or engravers.
Helmets and plate gauntlet. Illustration from the Thun-Hohenstein album, volume one. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
It is interesting that the album was filled gradually, and its earliest illustration can be dated to about 1460-1470. But the image of a helmet with shoulder pads and mittens on a piece of paper pasted on one of the pages of the album around 1590-1600, most likely, among them at the latest.
It is generally accepted that most of the armor depicted in the book was made in Augsburg by the famous armorers Lorenz, Kolman and Desiderius Helmschmid (1513-1578/79), and that they were made for three members of the House of Habsburg: Maximilian I (1459-1519, emperor from 1508), Charles V (1500–1558, emperor from 1530 to 1556) and Ferdinand I (1503–1564, emperor from 1558).
Tournament armor details. Illustration from the Thun-Hohenstein album, volume one. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
The question was different: who made these drawings? It would be very easy to assume that they themselves drew this armor, and the artist Hans Burgkmeyer put his hand to the album. But by the beginning of the 1530s, they had already either died or had grown so old that they had no time for drawings.
This is proved by the fact that the drawings were made on paper, which was not used until 1532. The same Kolman Helmschmid died in the year when it began to be used, and theoretically could draw them. But the fact is that it was used in Augsburg from the end of the 1530s until the end of the 1540s. That is, most likely, all the drawings in this album were made some time after the death of Burgkmeyer and both Helmschmids.
Magnificent drawing of horse armor with a saddle, c. 1517, attributed to Kohlmann Helmschmid, and probably drawn by the Augsburg painter and engraver Hans Burgkmair the Elder (1473–1531). It depicts armor with saffron embellished with the coat of arms of England. It is quite possible that we have before us a sketch of armor that was supposed to be a gift to King Henry VIII of England. The design theme of this armor is the exploits of Hercules - a very popular plot at that time. Illustration from the Thun-Hohenstein album, volume two. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
Moreover, the one who painted these illustrations should have seen pictures in which Maximilian I was depicted in armor and on a horse dressed in armor during the entry into the city of Luxembourg in 1480. A drawing from the Thun-Hohenstein album shows the armor of Maximilian I and the armor of his horse. Both armors were made by Lorenz Helmschmied. They are partially preserved in the Vienna Armory and at the same time are completely exceptional in that they completely protect the legs of the horse.
But just this horse armor did not reach us. Although it would be very interesting to look at this almost the last peep of the weapons fashion of that time, associated with the name of Emperor Maximilian, to whom we owe not only corrugated armor, but, obviously, the first and last attempt to fully reserve our war horse!
Another horse armor from the Thun-Hohenstein album, volume two. For some reason, the horse is disproportionately large in relation to the rider. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
There are other illustrations here, which are copies from the illustrated inventory of the arsenal of Charles V Inventario illuminado. But, again, they are made on paper made in Augsburg, and, most likely, this is the work of Augsburg artists. That is, the illustrations, which for a long time were considered original sketches for future armor, turned out to be just copies of drawings that are currently lost.
But then it turns out that this illustrated album is nothing more than a kind of report on armor made at the end of the XNUMXth century, where illustrations from the illustrated inventory of the arsenal of Charles V were added. That is, this inventory was known in Augsburg (original or copy), after which individual "pictures" from this document were copied.
As for the second album, it is larger in volume. Dimensions 416 mm by 291 mm. It has 115 sheets. Binding in calfskin. The album contains 155 drawings depicting warriors and horses dressed in armor, as well as disassembled parts of the armor. The drawings are believed to vary in time from the last quarter of the XNUMXth century to the second decade of the XNUMXth century.
If we talk about the armor depicted in the album, then they were most likely made by such famous Augsburg masters as Kolman and Desiderius Helmschmid, Matthias Frauenpreis the Younger (c. 1530-1575) and Anton Pefenhauser (c. 1525-1603).
Tournament armor drawing for foot combat from 64 drawings of the second volume of the Thun-Hohenstein album. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
64 drawings depict armor and armor sets from 1550–1570. Moreover, it is interesting that the figures of the warriors in these illustrations were first drawn using stencils. And these stencils themselves were often turned over in order to get reverse images of the same figures. That's why some figures turned out to be looking to the left, while others look to the right. But at the same time, if the figure is dressed in asymmetrical armor, then it is always turned to the viewer with the left side.
Image of tournament armor with chest shield shtekhtarch with bars. Spear hook - fokr, not shown in the picture. Drawing from the Thun-Hohenstein album, volume two. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
There are some inexplicable conventions in these illustrations.
For example, the armor does not depict a fokr - a hook to support a spear, although the warrior in the figure has such a spear in his hands that simply cannot be held without it. However, the same fokr is drawn in the details of the headset. That is, it is obvious that he was not painted on the figure in principle, but the customer of the armor was well aware of this and, moreover, he knew for sure that this detail would certainly be made for him!
It is also interesting that there are absolutely no blued armor among the drawings in the album. However, we can try to answer this question. After all, it was created at a time when the armor of cuirassiers and reiters belonging to the "black gangs" was painted black with the help of either paint or bluing. And, apparently, the noble customers of the armor from the album simply did not want to have anything to do with them!
Drawing of the details of a knight's headset, among the details of which there is an image of a fokre. The Thun-Hohenstein Album, Volume Two. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
The second group of drawings (63) also depicts knights in armor for various purposes, including riding armored horses, which can be dated to 1545–1560.
A very schematic drawing of horse armor and the last 28 drawings of the second volume of the Thun-Hohenstein album. Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
The remaining 28 drawings also include various images of warriors and horses dressed in armor. Moreover, they cover the time period from 1480 to 1620. It is believed that the quality of these drawings is worse than the drawings from the previous volume, so they were unlikely to be shown to customers. But then why were they put in this album?
Perhaps in order to serve as visual material for the gunsmiths themselves. They did not need exceptionally beautiful drawings; primitive sketches were enough.
Be that as it may, both volumes of this album provide us with a wonderful opportunity to examine and study in detail the armor of the knights of the Renaissance, a period of unprecedented prosperity and equally rapid decline of this type of military equipment!
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